Panathenaic Stadium
unknown (Greek (ancient))
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Alternative Titles
Panathinaiko stadio
Kallimarmaron
Date
-330Description
Frontal view of the seating, looking down and depicting stairs; Also known as the Kallimarmaron, (i.e. the "beautifully marbled") in Athens and is the only major stadium in the world built fully of white marble (from Mount Penteli). In ancient times it was used to host the athletic portion of the Panathenaic Games in honour of the Goddess Athena. During classical times the stadium had wooden seating. It was remade in marble by the archon Lycurgus in 329 BCE and was enlarged and renovated by Herodes Atticus in 140 CE, to a seated capacity of 50,000. The remnants of the ancient structure were excavated and refurbished, with funds provided by Evangelos Zappas for the revival of the Olympic Games. The stadium was refurbished a second time in 1895 for the 1896 Summer Olympics, with completion funding provided by the Greek benefactor George Averoff (whose marble statue now stands at the entrance), based on designs by architects Anastasios Metaxas and Ernst Ziller. [Wikipedia] "Another great building of the second half of the 4th century BCE was the Panathenaic Stadium, set in a natural hollow between two hills on the south bank of the Ilissos. Carried out under Lykourgos (Inser. Gr./2, II/i, 457), construction is attested in an inscription of 330/329 BCE (Inscr. Gr./2, II/i, 351) stating that a thousand pairs of oxen were used. Its original form, however, is obscured by a reconstruction dating to the 2nd century CE." [Grove] Source: Grove Art Online; http://www.groveart.com/ (accessed 1/27/2008)
Type of Work
stadiumSubject
architectural exteriors, recreation and games, festivals, Olympics, Classical
Rights
Rights Statement
Licensed for educational and research use by the MIT community only