Olympia - birthplace of the Olympics

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Geo: 39.5062, 21.6156

The only reason for docking in Katakolon, which is a tiny town ,is to visit Olympia a large area which is still undergoing excavation. This is where all the young Greek men would exercise in the Gymnasium and then take part in the Games in honour of the gods. People came from miles around and camped in the surrounding woods in order to attend the games which lasted a few days. Only men took part and only men were spectators- probably as in all the events the men were naked. This was their training for war. The Gymnasium where they trained was a square yard surrounded by corridors flanked by columns and covered over in wood. Now just some of the columns and the yard survive as this area has been hit by earthquakes and floods in the past.The stadium itself has a starting and finishing line and is about 600 feet in length. Strange to think you can stand on the same marble starting line on which young Greeks would have stood 200 years before Christ. Around the complex are temples to both Zeus and Hera as the games were in honour of the gods. One huge column has been reconstructed to give you an idea of the original size of the temple. The temple of Hera which is in better shape is about 400 years BC. At our modern Olympics, a parabolic mirror is placed on the site where originally animals were sacrificed to the gods. The concentration of light from the facets of the mirror is enough to light the modern Olympic flame. It is worth while visiting if you are ever docked here.

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Comments

[Steve]

Looking good 100m in 10 seconds potential there.

[steve]

Is this where they had the first Ideal Home Exhibition?