The sacred site of ancient Olympia from the 2nd century BC with its Monuments and sacred buildings comes to life in the «Virtual tour of ancient Olympia».
The Temple of Zeus, a model of a Doric peripteral temple, the Heraion, the oldest monumental building of the sanctuary, the Gymnasium, the Palaestra, the Bouleuterion, the Stadium where most of the contests were held, as well as the Treasuries of various cities are the highlights of the tour in the place where the Olympic Games were born!
Knowledge Test
How well do you know ancient Olympia? Are you as good as you think?
You can find out by playing if you activate the «Knowledge Test» feature 
During your virtual tour, at certain points, you will spot question marks within a colored frame. The green frame indicates easy questions, while the red indicates difficult ones. By clicking on them, multiple-choice questions appear. Upon completing the «Knowledge Test» your total score is displayed.
Ancient Olympia
Olympia, the cradle of the Olympic Games, is located in Western Peloponnese, in the fertile and pleasant valley formed where the Cladeus River merges its waters with the mythical Alpheus. In this secluded and serene corner, the Olympic idea and the athletic ideals that continue to move humanity to this day were developed. At the foot of the wooded hill of Cronion, in a beautiful grove with plane trees, wild olive trees, and poplars, which the locals called Altis (the word derives from the same root as grove), the Sanctuary of Olympian Zeus was created, with which the Games were eventually associated. Their origin is lost in the depths of centuries and the haze of myth.
In mythological tradition, Heracles is referred to as the founder of the Games, who first enclosed the sanctuary and established the Games in honor of his father Zeus. He also instituted as a prize for the winners a wreath made of wild olive branch, the kotinos. However, the paternity of the Games was also claimed by other gods and heroes, as Zeus himself had defeated his father Cronus in a wrestling match in this area, Apollo had defeated Hermes in a race and Ares in boxing, and Pelops had defeated Oenomaus in a chariot race.
