Description
Τhe Museum of the History of the Excavations of Olympia consists of a single exhibition space containing observational and photographic material, through which the history of the excavations of Olympia is presented. The first attempts to locate and identify the site are mentioned, the first excavations, while the systematic excavation of the Sanctuary from 1875 until today is presented in detail. In the back part of the building there are sanitary facilities for the service of visitors. The purpose of the exhibition is to present the huge and expensive excavation of Olympia, which is one of the largest excavations carried out in Greece by the German Archaeological Institute of Athens.
Historical background
The building of the Museum of the History of the excavations in Olympia is the so-called Old Ephorion and was built at the beginning of the 20th century, possibly a little later than the neoclassical building of the Museum of the History of the Olympic Games (Old Museum). Construction and minor additions took place in the 1950s. Initially, it functioned as an auxiliary area of the Old Museum. Later as the offices of the Antiquities Commissioner, and finally as a place of residence for the tax officials and archaeologists who came to work in Olympia. During the 1990s, it functioned as a storage area for the relevant Antiquities Authority. In 2003 it was decided by the Ministry of Culture to turn the building into an exhibition space and present the history of the great excavation of the Sanctuary of Zeus at Olympia.
Exhibitions
The purpose of the exhibition is the presentation of the large and costly excavation of Olympia, which is one of the largest and most important carried out in Greece. The way the material is organized is chronological, but also thematic, starting with the presentation of the first attempts to search and identify the Sanctuary. Then there is a reference to the first small excavation survey of 1829 in the temple of Zeus by the French expedition of Moria, while the large excavation of the German Archaeological Institute, which began in 1875, is presented through rich photographic and observational material. Finally, special emphasis is placed on the modern archaeological work of Olympia. Of particular interest are the first engravings and watercolors of the Alpheios valley that show Olympia before the excavations, the first photographs of the excavations, where the workers wear the traditional tcholia uniform, the portraits of the archaeologists, the historical agreement between Greece and Germany for the Olympia excavations, rare archival documents, the first maps of the Sanctuary, photographs from the main hall of the Old Museum, when it housed the pediments of the temple of Zeus, as well as the model of the Sanctuary built by H. Schleif, based on designs by W. Dorpfeld, and donated to the Olympia Museum in 1931 by Emperor Wilhelm II.
Modules of the Exhibition The history of excavations at Olympia consists of the following thematic sections:
1) The location of Olympia. Maps and engravings with the first depictions of the site and the valley of Olympia.
2) The first investigations in Alti and the Greek-German treaty. The Greek-German treaty, first excavation photos and plans.
3) “Old” German excavations (A) and
4) “Old” German excavations (B). Photos from the first excavations, drawings, sketches, archaeologists’ equipment, portraits of excavators, etc.
5) The revival of the Olympic Games. Reference to the revival of the Olympic Games.
6) The excavations of Dorpfeld and
7) The “new” excavations at Olympia (1936-1966). Photos, archive documents, etc. regarding the excavations of the 20th c. in Alti.
8) The modern archaeological work in Olympia. Photos, drawings, etc. about contemporary archaeological work at Olympia, and a list of German archaeologists and Greek tax collectors who worked at Olympia.
