The Archaeological Museum in Ancient Olympia

The finds discovered in the course of the excavations at Olympia are exhibited in the Olympia Archaeological Museum.

The two pediments from the Temple of Zeus are among the most magnificent examples of ancient Greek sculpture, and indeed from the period of its zenith.

The east pediment shows the preparation for the mythical chariot race between Pelops and Oinomaos, king of Homeric Pisa, while the west shows the beloved subject of the struggle between the Centaurs and Lapiths, with the superb figure of Apollo at the centre.

The metopes of the temple represent the Twelve Labours of Heracles, the offering of the Stymphalian birds to Athena, Atlas bearing the apples of the Hesperides to Heracles, and so on.

Paionios’ statue of Nike descending from heaven, an ex-voto of the Messenians and Naupactians in 421 BC, is one of the most significant sculptures of Classical times.

Other outstanding exhibits in the Museum are the terracotta group of Zeus with Ganymede, the colossal head attributed to the cult statue of Hera and the famous statue of Hermes with the newborn Dionysos, an original work by Praxiteles, displayed in a hall to itself.

Among the dedications to Zeus by the city-states in gratitude for their victories are exhibited hundreds of individual dedications of athletes and of their pilgrims made out of marble, bronze, clay etc. representative of all the faces of the long period of Greek art, from the mycenaeum down to the late Roman period.

Modern Olympic Games Museum

The IOA is responsible for the first Modern Olympic museum, founded in 1961. The museum was based on the collection of Georgios Papastefanou, who was the first to believe in the possibility of spreading the Olympic Idea and Education through a museum.

To this end, donated a building along with his extensive collection to the Hellenic Olympic Committee. The museum is housed in a building supported by the General Secretariat for Sport, in the village of Ancient Olympia. The museum contains rare memorabilia from the Modern Olympic Games, photographs, medals, diplomas, cups, etc., and a valuable collection of rare stamps. Various Olympic Committees and individuals have donated items which admirably complement the Museum collection.

The need to find a way to widen the teaching of the moral principles of Olympism and disseminate the Olympic Spirit is becoming stronger. There is no doubt that the National Olympic Academy can act as the prolongation of the International Olympic Academy, at national or local level.
Otto SZYMICZEK
IOA Dean 1961-1989

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