In the third phase of the work of revelationprotection and promotion of the Gymnasium in Ancient Olympia, the Ministry of Culture is proceeding, following the positive opinions of the Central Archaeological Council on the static study of the slopes and the study of the drainage-drainage of the rainwater of the excavation pit.
The final configuration of the monument follows the completion of the excavations. The Gymnasium of Ancient Olympia was built in the 2nd century. e.g. next to the bed of the Kladeos river and belongs to the same complex as the palaestra, which is located in its immediate vicinity. It is a large enclosed oblong building, which had a spacious courtyard in its center with Doric arcades on its four sides.
The Minister of Culture Lina Mendoni, stated: “The unveiling and highlighting of the Gymnasium in Ancient Olympia, that is, the place where the athletes who participated in the Olympic Games trained, continues unhindered by the Ministry of Culture through the competent Ephorate of Antiquities of Ilia. The first and second phases of the unveiling of the monument have already been completed, and the unveiling and highlighting of the northern and last part of the Gymnasium will follow, with the imminent inclusion of the project in the Regional Operational Program of Western Greece. At the same time, with the unveiling of the monument, we are creating a flood protection network for it, as its location next to the Kladeos River makes it vulnerable to flooding. With the completion of the revelation of the Ancient Gymnasium, but also with the restoration and highlighting of important monuments of the Roman period in Ancient Olympia, such as the Baths, the so-called laboratory of Phidias, the “House of Nero”, the image of the archaeological site is completed, visitors’ browsing is broadened and their experience enhanced.” For the preparation of the static study, the conclusions from the application of the electromechanical and static study in the previous phases of the project were used, as well as the formed image of the space after the completion of the second phase of the project, and the function of the implemented solutions was evaluated after the intense flood phenomena of November 2015. The proposals of the study concern the cleaning and support of the slopes of the pit as well as antiquities protection measures based on the ancient remains. Especially for the western side along the Kladeos, in the area with the lowest level of the natural soil, it is proposed to build a levee to protect the pit from possible flooding and to protect the natural soil against erosion. The drainage – rainwater drainage project is completed with the construction of open channels on the slopes of the pit, the formation of drainage and the construction of wells.
The west side of the Gymnasium has been swept away by the Cladeos River and it is presumed that it consisted of rooms that served as accommodation for the athletes. In the eastern portico there was an outer wall with a double inner Doric colonnade with 66 columns and towards the courtyard a second colonnade with 60 columns. The total length of this arcade was equal to the length of the Olympic stadium, so that the street athletes trained exactly the same distance. In the eastern portico there was the “scratch”, a covered track for the training of runners, the length of which was equal to the length of a stadium (192.27m). The side, parallel, outdoor corridor was the “Paradromis”. The training of the athletes in the javelin and discus events took place in the large outdoor area of the Gymnasium.
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