The Archaeological Museum of Olympia (Greek: Αρχαιολογικό Μουσείο Ολυμπίας) is one of the principal museums of

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...

, located in

Olympia The name Olympia may refer to: Arts and entertainment Film * ''Olympia'' (1938 film), by Leni Riefenstahl, documenting the Berlin-hosted Olympic Games * ''Olympia'' (1998 film), about a Mexican soap opera star who pursues a career as an athlet ...

. It is overseen by the Ministry of Culture and Sports, and, as of 2009, is directed by Georgia Xatzi. When the original building was completed and opened in 1882, it was the first museum in Greece outside of

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

. The museum houses discoveries from the surrounding area, including the site of the

Ancient Olympic Games The ancient Olympic Games (Ὀλυμπιακοὶ ἀγῶνες; la, Olympia, neuter plural: "the Olympics") were a series of athletic competitions among representatives of city-states and were one of the Panhellenic Games of Ancient Greece. ...

. The collection includes objects produced and used in the area from prehistory to its time under Roman rule. The principal pieces in the museum are ''

Hermes and the Infant Dionysus ''Hermes and the Infant Dionysus'', also known as the ''Hermes of Praxiteles'' or the ''Hermes of Olympia'' is an ancient Greek sculpture of Hermes and the infant Dionysus discovered in 1877 in the ruins of the Temple of Hera, Olympia, in Greece. ...

'' (attributed to

Praxiteles Praxiteles (; el, Πραξιτέλης) of Athens, the son of Cephisodotus the Elder, was the most renowned of the Attica sculptors of the 4th century BC. He was the first to sculpt the nude female form in a life-size statue. While no indubita ...

), some objects from the Temple of Zeus, the

Nike of Paionios The ''Nike of Paionios'' is an ancient statue of the Greek goddess of victory, Nike, made by sculptor Paionios 425-420 BC. Made of Parian marble, the medium gives the statue a translucent and pure white look to it. Found in pieces, the statue was ...

, as well as an

oenochoe An oenochoe, also spelled oinochoe ( grc, οἰνοχόη; from grc, οἶνος ''oînos'', "wine" and grc, χέω ''khéō'', "I pour," sense "wine-pourer"; plural ''oinochoai''; New Latin ''oenochoë,'' plural ''oenochoae,'' English plura ...

that belonged to

Phidias Phidias or Pheidias (; grc, Φειδίας, ''Pheidias''; 480 – 430 BC) was a Greek sculptor, painter, and architect. His Statue of Zeus at Olympia was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Phidias also designed the stat ...

. The extent of its bronze collection makes it one of the most important in the world. Today, the museum is housed in two buildings: the principal building with twelve rooms for exhibitions, organized both around themes and ages of the objects. The other building is dedicated to the museum store, and is separate from the main structure, located on the path to the archaeological site.

History of the museum

Excavation work at Altis in the 19th century quickly necessitated the construction of a building to display uncovered objects and works of art. The banker

Andreas Syngros Andreas Syggros ( el, Ανδρέας Συγγρός; 12 October 1830 – 13 February 1899) was a Greek banker from Istanbul, at the time known internationally as Constantinople, and a philanthropist. Born in Istanbul to Chiot parents who left ...

paid 220,000 drachmas to fund the construction and entrusted the design and building of the museum to two German architects and archaeologists who had begun the excavation on the site. Wilhelm Dorpfeld and Friedrich Adler, the architects, oversaw the construction of a neo-classical building which was erected on the hill of Drouva near the way out of Olympie toward the sanctuary. Finished in 1888, it was the first Greek museum built outside of Athens. It was damaged in 1954 by an earthquake, and later proved ultimately too small to house and display the museum’s expanding collections. Plans to build a new museum were approved in the 1970s. Although it was unused for some time, the original building was re-purposed and since 2004 has been a museum about the history of the original Olympic games.

Collections

* Collection of

terracottas Terracotta, terra cotta, or terra-cotta (; ; ), in its material sense as an earthenware substrate, is a clay-based unglazed or glazed ceramic where the fired body is porous. In applied art, craft, construction, and architecture, terracotta i ...

(

prehistoric Prehistory, also known as pre-literary history, is the period of human history between the use of the first stone tools by hominins 3.3 million years ago and the beginning of recorded history with the invention of writing systems. The use of ...

, Archaic and Classical periods). * Collection of bronzes. * Collection of sculptures ( Archaic up to the

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...

periods). * Collection from the

Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a var ...

Notable holdings and exhibits

* The ''

'' by

(possibly) * The ''

'' * The

Winged Gorgoneion The Winged Gorgoneion is a shield decoration from the first half of the 6th century BC, which served as an '' apotropaion'' on a shield. It was found during the excavations at Olympia and is kept at the Archaeological Museum of Olympia under the i ...

Zeus Zeus or , , ; grc, Δῐός, ''Diós'', label=Genitive case, genitive Aeolic Greek, Boeotian Aeolic and Doric Greek#Laconian, Laconian grc-dor, Δεύς, Deús ; grc, Δέος, ''Déos'', label=Genitive case, genitive el, Δίας, ''D� ...

carrying Ganymedes *

Pediments Pediments are gables, usually of a triangular shape. Pediments are placed above the horizontal structure of the lintel, or entablature, if supported by columns. Pediments can contain an overdoor and are usually topped by hood moulds. A pediment ...

of the Temple of Zeus * The helmet of

Miltiades Miltiades (; grc-gre, Μιλτιάδης; c. 550 – 489 BC), also known as Miltiades the Younger, was a Greek Athenian citizen known mostly for his role in the Battle of Marathon, as well as for his downfall afterwards. He was the son of Cimon C ...

* Miniature bronze statue of a horse The statue of Apollo from the west pediment of the Temple of Zeus was depicted on the

obverse Obverse and its opposite, reverse, refer to the two flat faces of coins and some other two-sided objects, including paper money, flags, seals, medals, drawings, old master prints and other works of art, and printed fabrics. In this usage, ''o ...

of the Greek 1000

drachmas The drachma ( el, δραχμή , ; pl. ''drachmae'' or ''drachmas'') was the currency used in Greece during several periods in its history: # An ancient Greek currency unit issued by many Greek city states during a period of ten centuries, fro ...

banknote of 1987-2001.Bank of Greece
. Drachma Banknotes & Coins
1000 drachmas
. – Retrieved on 27 March 2009.

Gallery

File:Zeus i Ganimedes, terracota. Taller corinti, 480-479 aC. Museu arqueològic d'Olímpia.JPG, Late archaic terracotta statue of Zeus and Ganymede File:Hermes bearing Dionysos 050911.jpg, ''

'' File:Victòria de Peoni, Museu Arqueològic d'Olímpia.JPG,

Nike Nike often refers to: * Nike (mythology), a Greek goddess who personifies victory * Nike, Inc., a major American producer of athletic shoes, apparel, and sports equipment Nike may also refer to: People * Nike (name), a surname and feminine given ...

of Paionios File:Estàtua de l'emperador romà Adrià, Museu Arqueològic d'Olímpia.JPG, Statue of

Hadrian Hadrian (; la, Caesar Trâiānus Hadriānus ; 24 January 76 – 10 July 138) was Roman emperor from 117 to 138. He was born in Italica (close to modern Santiponce in Spain), a Roman ''municipium'' founded by Italic settlers in Hispania B ...

File:Bronze female winged figure.jpg, Bronze female winged figure, 590-580 BC. A rare surviving example of hammered bronze sculpture, may be

Artemis In ancient Greek mythology and religion, Artemis (; grc-gre, Ἄρτεμις) is the goddess of the hunt, the wilderness, wild animals, nature, vegetation, childbirth, care of children, and chastity. She was heavily identified wit ...

or a

Sphinx A sphinx ( , grc, σφίγξ , Boeotian: , plural sphinxes or sphinges) is a mythical creature with the head of a human, the body of a lion, and the wings of a falcon. In Greek tradition, the sphinx has the head of a woman, the haunches of ...

. File:Terracota discoid acroteroid from Heraion.jpg, A terracotta disc which once stood at the apex of the

Temple of Hera, Olympia The Temple of Hera, or Heraion, is an ancient Archaic Greek temple at Olympia, Greece, that was dedicated to Hera, queen of the Greek gods. It was the oldest temple at Olympia and one of the most venerable in all Greece. It was originally a j ...

, possibly symbolising the sun. File:Central figures of the east pediment of the Temple of Zeus at Olympia.jpg, The central figures of the east

Pediment Pediments are gables, usually of a triangular shape. Pediments are placed above the horizontal structure of the lintel, or entablature, if supported by columns. Pediments can contain an overdoor and are usually topped by hood moulds. A pedimen ...

of the Temple of Zeus at Olympia. Depicted as the main figure is

, to his left is

Pelops In Greek mythology, Pelops (; ) was king of Pisa in the Peloponnesus region (, lit. "Pelops' Island"). He was the son of Tantalus and the father of Atreus. He was venerated at Olympia, where his cult developed into the founding myth of the Oly ...

and to his right is Oinomaus in a chariot race. File:Metope from the Temple of Zeus at Olympia.jpg,

Metope In classical architecture, a metope (μετόπη) is a rectangular architectural element that fills the space between two triglyphs in a Doric frieze, which is a decorative band of alternating triglyphs and metopes above the architrave of a bu ...

from the Temple of Zeus, depicting the 11th labour of Hercules. In front of

Hercules Hercules (, ) is the Roman equivalent of the Greek divine hero Heracles, son of Jupiter and the mortal Alcmena. In classical mythology, Hercules is famous for his strength and for his numerous far-ranging adventures. The Romans adapted the Gr ...

Atlas An atlas is a collection of maps; it is typically a bundle of maps of Earth or of a region of Earth. Atlases have traditionally been bound into book form, but today many atlases are in multimedia formats. In addition to presenting geographic ...

and behind is

Athena Athena or Athene, often given the epithet Pallas, is an ancient Greek goddess associated with wisdom, warfare, and handicraft who was later syncretized with the Roman goddess Minerva. Athena was regarded as the patron and protectress of ...

. File:Bronze Helmet of Miltiades.jpg, Helmet of

, 490 BC. File:Tripode.jpg, Bronze

griffin The griffin, griffon, or gryphon (Ancient Greek: , ''gryps''; Classical Latin: ''grȳps'' or ''grȳpus''; Late Latin, Late and Medieval Latin: ''gryphes'', ''grypho'' etc.; Old French: ''griffon'') is a legendary creature with the body, tail ...

head, 7th century BC.

References

External links

Hellenic Ministry of Culture and TourismArchaeological Museum of Olympia - Ebook by Latsis Foundation
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