Classical Greece: Olympia, Delphi

Olympia (below) is the birthplace of the summer Olympic games. However, it all started with worshiping the gods. The sanctuary at Olympia flourished from the 10th BC to AD 426 and was devoted mainly to Zeus. It was a major religious, cultural and sporting center.

In the ancient Greece, the athletes competing in the games had to be true-born, free Greek men. Women were not allowed to watch the games. Victors in the games were crowned with an olive wreath that stood near the temple of Zeus. This crown bestowed the greatest honor on the competitor, his family and his native city, and could not be compensated for by either money or high office.

The dirt path (picture above) and the path under the stone arch (below) led to the first Olympic stadium.
However, it all ended with a Christian emperor Theodosius II, who put the end to the pagan believes.
The modern Olympic Games started at the end of the 19th century with over 200 nations participating today.

Delphi (below) was the site of the Delphic oracle and a major site for the worship of the god Apollo; remaining columns of the Temple of Apollo above. It was the religious and spiritual center of the ancient Greek world. According to tradition, Delphi was the geographical center of the world, the meeting point of two eagles dispatched by Zeus (Apollo's father) from the ends of the universe to find the center of the world.

Ancient Delphi extends over a series of terraces in the foothills of Mount Parnassos.

The Tholos was part of the Athena's Sanctuary at Delphi. Athena was Apollo's sister.