Archaeological Museum of Olympia

Olympia's Archaeological Museum, which houses finds from the excavation of the sanctuary of Zeus, is one of the most important museums of Greece. The exhibition also contains great masterpieces from the long history of the Olympic Games' birthplace, and thousands of years of art. The exhibits are displayed in chronological and thematic order from Prehistoric down to Roman times.

Here you'll find the sculptures of the temple of Zeus, the most brilliant examples of the so-called severe style of Greek art: the metopes, which depict the labours of Heracles and the sculptures of the east and the west pediment representing the local myth of Pelops and Oinomaos and the battle between Centaurs and Lapiths respectively. You will also see the sculpture of "Nike of Paionios" and one of the most famous statues in the history of art, the "Hermes" of Praxiteles, which is perhaps the only original, surviving statue of the renowned sculptor. Guests are treated with the exhibition's numerous bronze objects: figurines of humans and animals, cauldrons, tripods, griffins, sphinxes, and many different kinds of weapons, vessels, and exquisite examples of the toreutic art. Finally, the large collection of terracotta statues—like the complex of Zeus and Ganymede—is a highlight during any visit.