Context: | Olympia |
Type: | Stadium |
Summary: | Oblong area; at the northeast corner of the Sanctuary of Zeus (Altis), east of the Treasury Terrace. |
Date: | ca. 775 BC - ca. 350 BC |
Dimensions: | Track: 191.78 m from starting to finishing line; ca. 30 m wide. |
Region: | Elis |
Period: | Archaic |
Plan:
Stone curb with water channel and basins surrounding flat oblong area oriented southwest-northeast. Stone starting and finishing lines. Built earth embankments on either long side with a small platform for judges seats on the southern bank.
History:
The ca. 775 B.C. track nearer the Pelopeion was displaced by an early Classical track farther northeast, and in turn replaced by this one outside the sanctuary boundary. The raised banks were frequently expanded and by the 4th century B.C. could accommodate up to 40,000 spectators. A Hellenistic vaulted entrance was added to the northwest corner of the stadium, just north of the Echo Hall.
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