In Olympia Judith Barringer provides a comprehensive and richly illustrated history of one of
the most important sites in the ancient Greek and Roman world where athletic competitions took
place alongside?and were closely connected with?crucial religious and political activities.
Barringer describes the development of the Altis the most sacred area of Olympia where
monuments to athletes successful in the games joined those erected to the gods and battlefield
victories. The political importance of Olympia was matched by its place as the largest
sanctuary dedicated to Zeus king of the gods. Drawing on a comprehensive knowledge of the
archaeological record Barringer describes the full span of Olympia's history from the first
monumental building around 600 BC to the site's gradual eclipse in the late Christianized Roman
empire. Extensively illustrated with maps and diagrams Olympia brings the development of
Olympia vividly to life for modern readers.
