Description:
One of the most important archaeological museums in Greece. It hosts in its collection artefacts from the sanctuary of Olympian Zeus, in Olympia, where the ancient Olympic Games were born and hosted.
The new museum was constructed in 1975, and eventually opened in 1982, re-exhibiting its treasures. The architect of the museum was Patrocolos Karadinos.
Its collections contains:
- A collection of terracottas (prehistoric, Archaic and Classical periods).
- A collection of bronzes.
- A collection of sculptures (Archaic upto the Roman periods).
- A collection from the Olympic Games.
The most famous of the individual sculptures are the head of Hera and the Hermes of Praxiteles , both dating from the fourth century BC and discovered in the Temple of Hera. The Hermes is one of the best preserved of all Classical sculptures, and remarkable in the easy informality of its pose; it retains traces of its original paint. On a grander scale is the Nike of Paionios , which was originally ten metres high. Though no longer complete (it's well displayed in a special area), it hints at how the sanctuary must once have appeared, crowded with statuary.
The best of the smaller objects include several fine bronze items, among them a Persian helmet , captured by the Athenians at the Battle of Marathon, and (displayed alongside) the helmet of Miltiades , the victorious Athenian general; both were found with votive objects dedicated in the stadium. There is also a superb terracotta group of Zeus abducting Ganymede and a group of finds from the workshop of Pheidias , including the cup with his name inscribed.
In the main hall of the museum is the centrepiece of the Olympia finds: statuary and sculpture reassembled from the Temple of Zeus . This includes three groups, all of which were once painted. From the cella is a frieze of the Twelve Labours of Hercules , delicately moulded and for the most part identifiably preserved. The other groups are from the east and west pediments. The east, reflecting Olympian pursuits, depicts Zeus presiding over a chariot race between Pelops and Oinamaos. The story has several versions. King Oinamaos, warned that he would be killed by his son-in-law, challenged each of his daughter Hippomadeia's suitors to a chariot race. After allowing them a start he would catch up and kill them from behind. The king (depicted on the left of the frieze) was eventually defeated by Pelops (on the right with Hippomadeia), after - depending on the version - assistance from Zeus (depicted at the centre), magic steeds from Poseidon or, most un-Olympian, bribing Oinamaos's charioteer to tamper with the wheels.
The west pediment, less controversially mythological, illustrates the Battle of the Lapiths and Centaurs at the wedding of the Lapith king, Peirithous. This time, Apollo presides over the scene while Theseus helps the Lapiths defeat the drunken centaurs, depicted, with fairly brutal realism, attacking the women and boy guests. Many of the metope fragments are today in the Louvre in Paris, and some of what you see here are plaster-cast copies.
In the last rooms of the museum are a collection of objects relating to the games - including halteres (jumping weights), discuses, weightlifters' stones and other sporting bits and pieces. Also displayed are a number of funerary inscriptions , including that of a boxer, Camelos of Alexandria, who died in the stadium after praying to Zeus for victory or death. |
Tickets:
Full admission: € 6
Reduced admission (students from countries outside the E.U., citizens of the E.U. aged over 65): € 3
Ticket for both museum and site: € 9
Reduced admission for both museum and site: € 5
Free admission:
- persons under 18
- university students from Greece and the E.U.
- students of Classical Studies or Fine Arts from countries outside the E.U.
- members of the ICOM-ICOMOS
- tour guides
- journalists
- persons possessing a free admission card
Days of free admission for all visitors:
- Sundays in the period between 1 November and 31 March
- the first Sunday of every month, except for July, August and September (when the first Sunday is holiday, then the second is the free admission day, etc.)
- national holidays
- 6 March (in memory of Melina Mercouri)
- 18 April (International Monuments Day)
- 18 May (International Museums Day)
- 5 June (International Environment Day)
- the last weekend of September every year (European Heritage Days) |
Your
trip to Greece can be a great experience with our custom tours around Greece! We provide you with specialized tourist guides, accommodation and transportation for every archaeological site, museum and monument in Athens, mainland Greece and the Greek Islands.
