Where to go in Athens

Kallimarmaron

1896 was the year that the whole world celebrated the rebirth of the Modern Olympic Games, hosted at the Panathinaiko or Kallimarmaron Stadium.
Initially, in antiquity, the site was just a natural hollow part of the ground between Agra and Ardittos hills, over Ilissos river. Known also as the 'Kallimarmaron', which means 'beautiful marble', the Panathinaiko Stadium has a long history that dates back to the classical era. Historic records indicate that a stadium existed on the site as early as 329 BC during the time of Lykourgos in order to host the Panathenean Games, festival events that were held to honour the Greek goddess Athena (the Goddess of wisdom, skills and warfare and protector of the city of Athens in ancient Greece). Records also show that the Greek benefactor Herodus Attikos (139 to 194 AD) improved the stadium with marble upgrades. Historians considered it to be “a miracle above description that it had almost exhausted the marble quarries of mountain Penteli” During the middle ages, it was destroyed. In 1896 it was reconstructed for the first Modern Olympic Games thanks to the generous donation of George Averoff. During the Olympic Games of Athens 2004 the Kallimarmaron Stadium served once again as one of the competition venues for that great sporting event, hosting the Archery and the Marathon Finish.

by Leda Tsene

posted by fejsgr @ 1:52 PM