The archaeological site of Olympia is a Panhellenic sanctuary in Greece, excavated in 1852 by German archaeologist Ernst Curtius. Evidence for religious dedications at Olympia date to the 8th century BC, and the early Classic period temple dedicated to Zeus was built around 470 BC.
Curtius' excavations at Olympia were the first "big dig" site to be published, in series of monographs by Curtius and Friedrich Adler. Olympia was, of course, the site of the original Olympic games, first held in 776 BC.
Sources
For more information, see the Walking Tour of Olympia.
Guralnick, Eleanor 2004 A Group of Near Eastern Bronzes from Olympia. American Journal of Archaeology 108(2):187-223.
Schneider, Gerwulf. 1989. Bronze casting at Olympia in classical times. Fleming, Stuart J. and Schenck, Helen R. MASCA: History of Technology: The role of metals Volume 6, 17-24.
This glossary entry is part of the Dictionary of Archaeology. Any mistakes are the responsibility of Kris Hirst.
