Excavations at Olympia

Olympia, Greece. German archaeologists unearthed the shrine that fired the revival

Overview

German archaeologists under Ernst Curtius began systematic excavation of Olympia in 1875, exposing the temple of Zeus, the stadium and the workshop of Pheidias. The finds electrified Europe and fed the growing appetite for an Olympic revival. The Hermes of Praxiteles, found in 1877, stands among the most celebrated discoveries. Work at the site continues today under the German Archaeological Institute.