The collection of the olympic games  
Prologue
The games' organisation
The games' program
The events
The athletes' honors
Revival of the olympic games
Collection of the olypmic games
 
 
The many visitors to the sanctuary, during the Olympic Games gave a variety of offerings to the gods, many of which related to the Games and their victors.

A few of these offerings are exhibited in a separate room for the Olympic Games, in the museum.


Halters
Disks
Striglis
Bronze offerings
Stone offerings
Tripods

Halters
L189 - Right sided stone halter
ht : 0.092m, thkns : 0,069m, lgt : 0,255m.
Stuck together. With inscriptions on either side of the upper edge. "Akmatidas the Lakedaemonian dedicated this after winning the five without touching the dust of the arena". It dates from the end of the 6th to the beginning of the 5th century B.C.

L109b - Left sided halter of dark limestone, preserved intact
ht : 0.113m, lgt : 0,163m.

L478 - Right sided sandstone halter, with an engraved inscription on the polished side:
LABAX
ht : 0,23m, lgt : 0,155m.
Dated to the Archaic period.

L574 - Spherical stone halter, cracked and chipped in some places.
ht : 0,25m.
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Disks

They were used in the event of discus-throwing.
M891 - Inscribed votive discus, preserved intact.
diam : 0,34m, thkns : 0,01.
Decorated on both sides with concentric circles, with the inscriptions incised inbetween these. The inscription on the one side reads:
'Thanks to Olympian Zeus from the pentathlon winner Poplius Asclepiades of Corinth" and dates to the 255th Olympic year, so in 241 A.D.
The inscription on the other side informs us that "Flavius Scribonianus, the alytarches (chief of police), relative of the senators and the consuls dedicated this to Olympian Zeus", in the 456th Olympiad.  

Br12892 - A bronze athlete's discus.
diam : 0,18m, wgt : 2,725gr
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Strigils
 They were used by athletes for cleaning themselves after exercising, by scraping the oil and dust off their bodies.

M281 - Bronze strigil, with some pieces missing.
lgth : 0,136m, breadth : 0,113m, thkns : 0,01-0,015m.
M349 - Bronze strigil, intact and in good condition.
lgth : 0,305m
The handle has a leaf-shape edge.

1940 - Bronze strigil
lgth : 0,305m.
B579 - Bronze strigil from the cemetery at Franconisi.
lgth : 0,296m.
The curved stem with rich decorative engravings, depicts dolphins and geometric patterns.

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Bronze offerings

B3005 Bronze statue, from Pheidias' workshop.
height of charioteer : 0,81m, height of chariot : 0,45m, total breadth : 0,13m.
It represents a charioteer and his chariot. The upper part of his body is flat and the features of his face are a schematization. The chariot consists of a six sided skeleton, which is enclosed by rectangular outline.
It dates from the 1st half of the 8th century B.C.

B2400 Bronze statue of a young man, preserved in good condition.
ht : 0,177m.
The young man is depicted as a kouros with his left leg stretched forwards, on a rectangular base. On his head he is wearing a pointed-leaved wreath, which is probably a theatrical wreath (worn by the leaders during the childrens dance at Sparta for their annual festivals, in rememberence of their victory against the Argives at Thyrea).
From a Laconian workshop, dated to the second half of the 6th century B.C.

B26 - Bronze statuette of a runner
ht : 0,102m.
The athlete is shown in running motion on top of a rectangular, stepped base. He has his arms out stretched as is his left leg. On his right thigh is the inscription:
"I am of Zeus"
The work is from an Argive workshop, and is dated to 490 B.C.

B6767 & B7500 - Bronze statue of a discus-thrower.
ht : 0,103m.
The athlete is depicted at the moment he is leaning his body backwards ready to hurl the discus held in his two raised hands. There is an inscription on his right thigh:
"I am of Zeus"
The work is from an Argive workshop, and is dated to 490 B.C.

The two statuettes (B26 and B6767), possibly complete a set of five statuettes of athletes (the rest representing throwing the javelin, jumping and wrestling) given as a votive offering from an Olympic pentathlon winner.

P2946 - Clay colt with equestrian
ht : 0,12m.
It belongs to the post - Geometric type of the Boeoatian terracottas. It dates from the middle of the 6th century B.C.



M876 - An Elean coin, in very good condition.
diam : 0,02m.
On the front side it has the head of Hadrian facing towards the right with the inscription: 'AUTOCRAT......... (Emperor)
On the opposite side a silver and ivory table, made by Kolotis, is depicted with the wreaths for the victors of Olympic events on it. Apart from the wreath there is also a vessel and a branch of laurel. On the bottom there only remains the inscription:
Eleans
It is dated to 133 A.D.

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Stone offerings


L192 - Marble throne from dark stone
ht : 0,37m, breadth : 0,42m, depth : 0,31m
Rectangular throne with towering bands on the two narrow sides. On the top surface running along the four sides there is an engraved inscription stating for whom the throne was intended:
"Gorgos from Lacedaemonia the consul of the Eleans"
It is dated to the second half of the 6th century B.C.

L191 - The stone of Bybon.
According to the inscription the athlete boasts of having lifted it over his head with only one hand. It weights 143.5 kgr and is made of sandstone.
Dated to the beginning of the 6th century B.C.


L536 - Base, with the form of a Doric style capital, of the statue of theElean Charops - winner of the chariot races.
With an inscription on the abacus reading:
"Charops son of Telemachos from Elis winner of the horse-race"
Dated to the 1st century B.C.



L45 - Base from the statue of Polydamas, Olympic winner at the pancration.
Cut from dark pentelic marble. A work of Lysippos.
Polydamas was such a famous hero, that he was invited by Darius II to Sousa. This work depicts Polydamas breaking in a lion and afterwards sitting on the tamed beast. On the front side, Darius and four women are seen watching in awe as Polydamas lifts his opponent into the air.
This work dates from the second half of the 4th century B.C.



L111-112 Two statues of the godess Tyche, made from pentelic marble.
The godess is depicted holding her symbolic items, in the left hand a measure and in the right a rudder balanced on a wheel. The statuettes stood on either side of the Krypte, which was the official entrance of the stadium.
Dated to the 2nd century A.D.



Two sections of the starting blocks of the older Classical stadium, of rectangular shape. On the upper surface there are two parallel grooves and two deep holes.

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Tripods

B903 Three miniature bronze tripods made from fine sheets.
They have raised ring-shaped handles. They are minature reproductions of large bronze tripods, which were votive offerings to the sacred Altis.