Olympia

Olympia ancient city, important center of the worship of Zeus in ancient Greece, in Elis near the Alpheus (now Alfiós) R. It was the scene of the Olympic games . The great temple of Zeus was especially celebrated for its gold and ivory statue of Zeus by Phidias —one of the Seven Wonders of the World . Excavation, which revealed the great temple, also uncovered the sculpture of Hermes by Praxiteles , several other temples within the sacred enclosure (called the Altis), and the stadium.

Olympia Area in s Greece, the site of an ancient sanctuary and of the original Olympic Games. Buried by earthquakes in the 6th century ad, Olympia was not rediscovered until the 18th century. It contained some of the finest works of Classical art and architecture, including the huge temple of Zeus, which contained a giant statue of the god that was numbered among the Seven Wonders of the World.