April 27 – At Sea. Couldn't get into port today. We were supposed to stop at Monemasia Greece but the weather was to bad, seas to high and wind to strong so we couldn't perform safe tendering operations. It's really sad, as this is the site of the last Byzantine stronghold and a very interesting place. Consequently we will be spending the day at sea. As we sailed around the Peloponnesian Peninsula the weather improved and things calmed down quite a bit as we sailed out of the storm.
April 28 – Katakolon (Olympus), Greece. Today we are in another new stop for us, Katakolon Greece. We are heading out to the ancient city of Olympus the site of the ancient Olympics. I think Diana is getting tired of looking at 'piles of rocks' as she calls them. Frankly, I never tire of looking at ancient sites or churches. My mind tries to fill in the blanks and imagine the lives and activities that took place in them. Too much imagination for my own good sometimes.
The Ancient Olympics started in 776BC and were held in honor of Zeus, chief deity of the Pantheon. They continued until 393AD at which time they were banned by order of Theodosius I the Byzantine Emperor. Shortly thereafter Theodosius II banned worship of the ancient gods and had the temples destroyed. From beginning to end they held 293 competitions.
Olympia was not a normal city, like the Vatican City it was a religious center. It was established during the Greek Geometric Period (1100-700BC). It takes its name from the geometric designs on the pots and bronze or clay figurines that have been discovered. There are very few architectural remains from this time. During the Archaic Period (700-480BC) the Heroon was constructed, the stadium was first laid out and the games to honor Zeus were inaugurated. The Heroon was the place where the winners were honored as immortals and statues made of them were installed. It was named Heroon because the word 'Hero' found written, in Greek of course, in color on successive layers of paint on the building's altar. The fame of Olympus spread far and wide and the number of votive offerings more than doubled. Small treasury buildings had to be built to store the enormous number of ex-votos received from all parts of Greece. An ex-voto is an offering to a saint or divinity. It is given in fulfillment of a vow (Latin term= ex voto suscepto). They could be very large statues or monuments funded by individuals or smaller, but very valuable precious stones or gold castings. The former were displayed in front of the Stoa of Echo around the Temple of Zeus. The latter were stored in treasury houses on the hill above the entrance to the stadium on the left.
During the Classical Period (480-330BC) they built the Temple of Zeus (another of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World) as well as several other temples and two stoas (In Ancient Greek architecture; covered walkways or porticos, commonly for public usage usually covering statuary, reliefs or paintings). The Stoa of Echo or the Heptaechos (Seven Echoes in Greek) was built just inside the eastern sanctuary wall. It separated the stadium and it's activities from the religious area of the civic center of Olympia. It was named for the fact that if you shouted in one end you would hear seven echoes returning down the 323-foot length of the structure. The only round structure in the city is the Phillipeon. It was begun by Phillip II to commemorate his victory in Chaeroneia in 338BC. He died and this son, Alexander the Great, completed it.
During the Hellenistic Period (330-31BC) the city really flourished. The large Palestra and Gymnasium were constructed. These buildings were the first to be dedicated to the training of athletes and were built adjacent to each other on the west edge of the area on the opposite side of the religious zone from the stadium. The Palestra was for the training of the athletes involved in the heavy or combative contests like wrestling or boxing. The gymnasium was a huge area surrounded by a low wall so that sports like discus and javelin could be practiced. It also had a 200-meter track, like the stadium, for practicing the running events. In case of bad weather it had a 212 meter covered portico with two aisles for 'indoor training'. A change in ideology occurred during this time and statues of kings and rulers were added to those of the athlete heroes. Seems like politicians have been hanging on the coattails of people of actual achievement for longer than I had realized.
Somewhat Cynical Note: Unfortunately now it seems that the politicians have been doing that for so long they now believe that they are the people of achievement. Aside from their own ever-expanding staffs, very few jobs have ever been created by someone elected to office. In fact, it can be convincingly argued that the efforts of our elected officials, in some states more than others and at the national level, have been job killers. Yet they continue to whine that US jobs are going overseas. The true irony is that those who whine loudest and longest about job exportation are the strongest proponents of the very laws and regulations that make foreign outsourcing of jobs necessary for to be economically competitive and survive. If government would just function wisely and efficiently and stick to matters that are actually the government's business, it has more than enough money to work with.
Then came the Romans (31BC-Fifth Century AD). The Roman Emperor Augustus converted one of the city's temples to a worship center for his cult. Nero built a villa here with a complex of thermal baths attached. Parts of the city were fortified to prevent raids by Germanic tribes to the north. In 394, the year after the 293 Olympics were held the games were banned and the Ancient Olympics ended.
During the Early Christian Era the village was totally destroyed by earthquakes and covered in fluvial mud. This protected the ruins from looting. A Christian community settled nearby and built their homes on the deserted site. One structure that was spared by the earthquakes, the workshop of the master sculptor Pheidias, was converted into a church.
One postscript of history should be mentioned here. French historian Pierre de Coubertin revived the games 15 centuries later. He requested that his heart be buried at Olympia after his death, of course, and that request was honored.
We walked into the city from the northwest corner and the first building we encountered was the Gymnasium. The rows of columns that supported the roof of the 'indoor' track are still partially standing. The Palestra was right next-door and many of its columns are still standing and pretty complete. Followed by the Heroon (Hero's Temple) and the nearby priest's house. The Heroon is outside what would develop into the sacred part of the village. It's just south of the Palestra and north of the Pheidias' Studio, definitely among the working people on the west side of the western sanctuary wall. All the later temples to various gods are on the outside of the western sanctuary wall. The stadium is also outside the eastern sanctuary wall, but the treasury buildings are all inside it. Another indication that, once things become politicized, the politicians will find a way to keep the rest of us at arms length but keep our money inside their zone of control. Ordinary people are no longer heroes and those in charge are busy exalting themselves. (I considered putting that in italics but didn't because I think the sentiment is irrefutable and should be obvious to anyone.)
We walked down to the Temple of Zeus. The high stone platform of which it rested is still there as are many of the pieces. They have reconstructed one column to give some idea of how high it was but most of the carving and decoration that were found are in museums, not on site. This is probably the smallest 'Wonder of the World' I've seen personally. I guess for the time it was built it was pretty amazing but the Great Pyramid is older, much larger and probably harder to construct. However from the reconstructions I've see of this temple, it was a glorious sight.
From the Temple of Zeus we walked past the east sanctuary wall and through the archway out into the stadium. The broad gently sloping grassy hills on both sides of the stadium were said to hold 45,000 people. There was no seating so it was blanket or stand I guess. On the south side of the stadium at the center was a low rock wall that reserved an area for VIPs of some sort. It's my understanding that the royalty in attendance was seated on the north side also at the center.
Along the west end of the track is a marble slab a little less than 2 inches high and about 18 inches wide that runs across almost the width of the competition area. It's the start/finish line. It has two parallel grooves that are painted black cut into it that run its entire length. I'm not sure exactly what part the stripes play in the event but there's another marble slab 200 yards down the field.
We walked back from the stadium to the Nymphaeon. This structure was both religious and functional. It served as a place to worship the water nymphs and it was also the terminus of the aqueduct bringing water to Olympia from the surrounding springs. It building was semicircular and two stories tall. It had niches on both stories that held statues of emperors and their families. On the base and in the middle of the semicircle stood a marble bull with an inscription commemorating Regilia as a priestess of Demeter. Water cascaded from the base of the semicircle into a pool that in turn cascaded down to a rectangular poll at the base. From the Nymphaeon water was piped throughout Olympia.
The Temple of Hera is next. It's much smaller than that of Zeus. Since no stones whatsoever have been found for the upper entablature it's assumed that from the column capitals up the structure was wooden. It's built at the foot of the Mountain of Kronos. In later years it is believed that this structure served as a museum or relic storage facility. Many precious objects were found during its excavation. The most significant is the Disk of Iphitos, the founder of the games. On it is inscribed the Ekecheiria or Truce, a treaty that required all the various states to cease hostilities while the games were in progress and for a sufficient interval before and after to allow the athletes to safely travel to and from Olympia. I guess Olympia truly was a sanctuary in every sense of the word.
There are three standing columns of the circular Phillipeon with lintels spanning them. The base is still intact so you could see how big it was. I estimate about 80 feet in diameter. The marble base has three steps that go all the way around so entry was possible anywhere along the perimeter.
From there we walked back to the new town of Olympia and Diana and I had a Cafe Latte on the patio of a small hotel and watched the tourists go by.
In about half an hour it was back on the bus and back to the ship.
Our entertainer was Mike Goddard and English/Irish comedian who has lived in Barcelona for years. He's a very funny fellow, about the funniest man I've ever heard on a ship. We've seen him many times and he's hilarious every time, even when he tells stories you've heard before. His timing and delivery are impeccable. He's an older man and I think he's mostly retired.
It's a late night tonight because the Filipino crewmembers are doing their show this evening at 11PM. I always go to these shows. The performers are all crewmembers with very busy days but they give up their personal time to rehearse and perform for us. The least I can do is show up and cheer like crazy no matter how much or little talent they exhibit. Usually they are very good for amateurs. You can tell that most of them are very nervous and it's fun to watch them as they calm down and get into their performances. It's always a good time, another reason I always go.
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