Temple of Zeus

Stand before the Temple of Zeus at Olympia and you stand at the heart of the ancient Greek world. Built in the second quarter of the fifth century B.C. and designed by Libon of Elis, this sanctuary rose within the sacred precinct that gave the Olympic Games their home. Around it spread the gymnasium, palaestra, and stadium where athletes trained and competed. The site's story stretches across centuries, from archaic and classical beginnings through Hellenistic and Roman times, each era leaving its mark on one of antiquity's most revered places.