There is evidence of religious activity at this historic site as far back as the 10th century BC. Olympia, located in Peloponnese, Greece, is famous of course for being the birthplace of the Olympic Games. The very first Olympic festival was held on the site in the 8th century BC by Elis. Historians date the first actual games in 776 BC. Olympia fell to the Pisatans in 676 BC, and they took over organization of the games until late in the 7th century BC. Evidence of the earliest construction on the Olympia site dates from around 600 BC with athletic arenas and other structures being built. The first stadium was built in the mid 6th century BC.

Olympia thrived in the classical period, which lasted between the 5th and 4th centuries BC. This was considered the golden age at Olympia with a wide variety of religious buildings and other structures being constructed. The massive Temple of Zeus was constructed in the middle of the 5th century BC. More sporting facilities, including the completion of the stadium and the hippodrome, used for chariot-racing, were also constructed.

More and more construction was done in the next few centuries, with the building of the Philippeion and the largest building on the site, the Leonidaion, which was built to house important visitors. More athletic buildings were constructed because of the games’ importance. The Palaestra, Gymnasion, and bath houses were all built before the 3rd century BC, with a vaulted archway being added to link the entrance of the stadium to the sanctuary.

Roman rule saw the games opened up to every citizen of the mighty Roman Empire. Extensive repairs and new building took place also during this time. The Exedra, new baths to replace older Greek ones, and an aqueduct were all built before 160 AD. The Olympia site suffered major damage earthquakes in the 200s AD, while invading tribes robbed material and looted the site’s monuments in 267 AD. The Olympic festival still soldiered on at the site until the final one took place in 393 AD. After that, the Christian emperor Theodosius I banned the games. Olympia was taken over by a Christian community until the late 500s. It remained nearly forgotten until the French excavated the sanctuary at Olympia in 1829.

Shortly thereafter, the German Archaeological Institute of Athens was in charge of excavating the site. Important sites like the Temples of Zeus and Hera, Metroon, Bouleuterion, Philipeion, Echo Stoa, Treasuries, and Palaestra were uncovered. Sculptures from the Temple of Zeus, the Nike of Paeonius, the Hermes of Praxiteles, and many bronzes were also found. A total 14,000 objects were discovered and are now displayed in a museum located on the site. Excavation continued throughout the rest of the 19th and 20th centuries with important discoveries being made still throughout the 1980s and 90s.

Olympia still plays a major role in the modern day Olympic Games with the tradition of the torch. The flame used to light the torch in the Olympic Games is lit by a reflection of sunlight in a mirror in front of the Temple of Hera. The torch is then transported to whatever city is hosting that years’ games. When the Olympics came to back to Greece in 2004, the shot put competition was held at the Olympia stadium, which had since been restored.

Olympia Visitor Information

If you’re in Athens and want to reach Olympia, there is no direct bus link between the two cities. You have to go via Pyrgos. Visitors can take the train or KTEL buses via Pyrgos, and it takes about two hours. Travel to Olympia is also possible from the port of Kyllini by using KTEL buses. Many resorts offer daytrips to Olympia, so check with your accommodations in Athens. There are also hotels in the town of Olympia, which is within walking distance of the ancient sites.

Cost for adults is €6 to see the ancient sites, while the archaeological museum is €9. Hours are 8:00-7:30 from April to October and 8:30 to 3:00 from November to March. Not much remains of the original buildings of Ancient Olympia, but there is plenty to get a good idea of what this idyllic, leafy setting looked like thousands of years ago. Visiting the museum beforehand will give you a better idea of what the ancient buildings looked like.

The gymnasium is the first ruin you run into when entering the ancient city of Olympia, and it dates from the 2nd century BC. Nearby is the area where one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World was located, the Statue of Zeus. Archaeologists discovered tools and molds and identified this area as the workshop where the statue was built. Archaeologists have restored and re-erected one of the columns of the Temple of Zeus, built in the 5th century BC, so visitors can get an idea and perspective of its enormous size.

The stadium, which could seat at least 45,000 spectators, is also something every tourist should see. You enter through an archway, and upon entry, you can see both the start and finish lines of the 120 meter sprint track. The seats where judges observed are still standing.

Olympia Conservation Efforts
Conservation and restoration have been ongoing at Olympia for over 130 years. As we speak, the restoration of the architecture of the Temple of Zeus is underway. The Archaeological Museum of Olympia displays finds excavated from the site, but over all, conservation and architecture are overseen by the German Archaeological Institute at Athens.

Pompeii underwent a great deal of development during this period of Roman rule. An amphitheater, a palaestra with a swimming pool in the center, an aqueduct that provided water for many fountains in the street, four public baths, and many private houses and businesses were built during this time. A large number of frescoes that were well-preserved provided archaeologists with a good idea of what everyday life was like in Pompeii. It has also helped art historians in better understanding the art of the ancient world.

By the late first century AD, Pompeii was one of many towns located at the base of Mount Vesuvius, an active volcano. The area had a good deal of people living in it, but experts disagree on the amount of people living in Pompeii when Vesuvius erupted in 79AD. A major earthquake 17 years earlier sent many of Pompeii’s 20,000 inhabitants fleeing for another place to live.

The eruption happened sometime between August and November of 79AD, burying Pompeii in twelve different layers of soil, ash, and lava. After Pompeii and other towns were covered, they were abandoned. Eventually the names and locations of the cities were forgotten for nearly 1600 years until the digging of an underground channel unearthed ancient walls that were covered with paintings and inscriptions. Nothing more was said or found for another 150+ years when Karl Weber was in charge of the first real excavations. In 1860 the first human remains were found. Many of the mosaics have been moved to a museum in Naples. Work on Pompeii continues today, with new discoveries being made as recent as 2000.


Pompeii Visitor Information
Pompeii has been a popular tourist destination for over two centuries. This historic site was attracting almost 2.6 million visitors per year as of 2008, which made it one of the most popular tourist sites in Italy and all of Europe. You can walk to the ruins from the Circumvesuviana train stop, and there are also car parks nearby.
Adult Tickets are €11 with no special pricing unless you are under 26 and a citizen of the EU (proof is required). You can buy a five-site pass for €20 that includes Pompeii and nearby Herculaneum and is valid for 3 days. You can get in free or half price with the “Campaina Arte Card.” Pompeii is open daily from 8:30 to 7:30 during summer months and from 8:30 to 5:00 November to March. You can find more information by calling 081-857-5347. The last ticket is sold 90 minutes before closing time.

You can only walk when entering the site. Be aware that the old roman stone roads can be very exhausting to walk, especially in the middle of the summer heat with a good number of other tourists around. Cobblestones roads and uneven ground are the norm here. Make sure to bring plenty of water, especially in the summer. Tourists are advised to wear stable shoes, wear sunscreen, and bring a hat. Plan at least an entire day trip for visiting Pompeii.

Most popular sites in and around Pompeii
Pompeii was preserved almost perfectly for nearly 1800 years under layers of ash, stone, and lava, so many of the sites are some of the best preserved in the world. You will notice the remains of an entire city, including:
-large homes
-a forum and public marketplace
-a 5000 seat theatre built in the hollow of a hill for better acoustics
-an ancient brothel with pornographic frescoes
-a temple with an altar and a basilica that served as a courthouse
-bars and bakeries with ovens that have a similar look to a brick oven

In addition to Pompeii, there are other sites nearby you may want to visit:
-the National Museum in Naples has some of the best preserved mosaics and other items found in Pompeii
-you can visit the sister site of Pompeii, Herfulaneum, which was also destroyed during the eruption
-the Garden of the Fugitives has plaster casts of victims on display
-the Villa of Mysteries is a house that is preserved that gives a great portrayal of life in ancient times

Pompeii Conservation Efforts
Excavation of Pompeii has brought with it deterioration. Erosion, water damage, weather and human activity (whether accidental or deliberate) have both played their part in the slow disintegration of the area. Unfortunately, the materials used in reconstruction during the 1980s were mostly concrete and steel, though in later years, these have been replaced with more modern materials which are more sympathetic to the original work at the site. However, the damage has already been done in most places and the replacement endeavours will take many more years to complete.

About 2,000 BC, the first stone circle (which is now the inner circle), comprised of small bluestones, was set up, but abandoned before completion. The stones used in that first circle are believed to be from the Prescelly Mountains, located roughly 240 miles away, at the southwestern tip of Wales. The bluestones weigh up to 4 tons each and about 80 stones were used, in all. Given the distance they had to travel, this presented quite a transportation problem.

Modern theories speculate that the stones were dragged by roller and sledge from the inland mountains to the headwaters of Milford Haven. There they were loaded onto rafts, barges or boats and sailed along the south coast of Wales, then up the Rivers Avon and Frome to a point near present-day Frome in Somerset. From this point, so the theory goes, the stones were hauled overland, again, to a place near Warminster in Wiltshire, approximately 6 miles away. From there, it’s back into the pool for a slow float down the River Wylye to Salisbury, then up the Salisbury Avon to West Amesbury, leaving only a short 2 mile drag from West Amesbury to the Stonehenge site.

The giant sarsen stones (which form the outer circle), weigh as much as 50 tons each. To transport them from the Marlborough Downs, roughly 20 miles to the north, is a problem of even greater magnitude than that of moving the bluestones. Most of the way, the going is relatively easy, but at the steepest part of the route, at Redhorn Hill, modern work studies estimate that at least 600 men would have been needed just to get each stone past this obstacle.

Once on site, a sarsen stone was prepared to accommodate stone lintels along its top surface. It was then dragged until the end was over the opening of the hole. Great levers were inserted under the stone and it was raised until gravity made it slide into the hole. At this point, the stone stood on about a 30° angle from the ground. Ropes were attached to the top and teams of men pulled from the other side to raise it into the full upright position. It was secured by filling the hole at its base with small, round packing stones. At this point, the lintels were lowered into place and secured vertically by mortice and tenon joints and horizontally by tongue and groove joints. Stonehenge was probably finally completed around 1500 BC.

Stonehenge Visitor Information
Stonehenge is open year round and can be visited by taking the Stonehenge bus from Salisbury to the site. The bus departs every 25 minutes from Salisbury center. You can also take a guided tour of the site, which also provides transportation to the sit. Stonehenge is open during the following time:

Spring: 1 Jun to 31 Aug, 09.00am – 19.00pm
Summer: 1 Jun to 31 Aug, 09.00am – 19.00pm
Autumn: 1 Sept to 15 Oct, 09.30am – 18.00pm
Winter: 16 Oct to 15 Mar, 09.30am – 16.00pm

Stonehenge is open every day of the year except Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Stonehenge ticket prices are about 7 pounds. There is also an audio guide available that will tell you the history of the site. You cannot go directly up to the site as it is now forbidden in order to protect the stones.

Stonehenge Conservation Efforts
Stonehenge’s biggest problem was people and until recently people could just walk right up to the site. However, because of vandalism and wear on the stones, a fence as been erected around the site restricting access. Moreover, visitors are no longer able to walk right up and touch the stones. Archeologists continue to excavate and explore the area in order to get a better understand of the people who built the site and its purpose.

The Colosseum is also a marvel of modernity. The Romans invented tickets and assigned seating in this arena. Before each game, visitors would pick up a ticket that would have a number corresponding to one of the 79 entrance arches. The ticket also had a level and a seat number where the person would sit.

When the Colosseum was completed in 80 AD, it could hold more than 50,000 people. Its opening was celebrated with 100 days of games in which thousands of animals and gladiators were killed. Sometimes they would even flood the Colosseum to stage small naval battles. The emperor had his own entrance and from his private “box seat” he decided the fate of defeated gladiators with a thumbs up or down (like in the movie). The floor of the Colosseum was wood covered with sand. Beneath the floor, there was a maze of passageways for people, and temporary holding pens for the animals. A hand-operated crank was used to raise the animals from the basement up to the surface. The walls of the subterranean passageways can still be seen today when you visit the site.

The Colosseum was used for almost 400 years, and has survived earthquakes, years of neglect, and the pillaging of popes who took marble for their own buildings. It has only been preserved in the last century.

Colosseum Visitor Information
The Colosseum is open every day of the week. A full ticket costs €15.50 while a EU reduced ticket – €10.50 (only for European citizens aged between 18 and 25) and EU minors seniors ticket- €4.50 (only for EU citizens aged above 65 and under 18). The Rome archaeological card is also valid at the Colosseum. Moreover, you can also buy a joint ticket for a tour of Palatine hill, a worthwhile site where the old elite used to live.

The Colosseum is open until 4pm. However it has later hours during the summer months because of the increased number of tourists. You can also sign up for special tours that will take you to some areas underneath the Colosseum. Summer peak season see longer wait times- make sure you get there early to avoid most of the crowds. You can also hire guides outside the site. If you are staying at one of the many luxury hotels in rome, they can organize tours for you.

Colosseum Conservation Effort
When restoration of the Colosseum began in 1995, only 15 percent of the Colosseum was open to visitors. Now, up to 85% of the site is open to tourists. The Colosseum is constantly being renovated and cataloged. However, as with a lot of historical sites in Italy, renovation is often slow due to politics and corruption. The Colosseum needs much more work than it gets and as projects begin to slow, the site begins to deteriorate. Moreover, the pollution around the city also destroys the site.