Treasuries at Olympia
Encyclopedia
The Treasuries at Olympia were a series of small temple-shaped buildings located to the north side of the Altis
or sanctuary at the site of Olympia
in Greece
. All but two were erected by Greek colonies to store valuable votive offering
s.
The Treasuries were built on a natural terrace at the foot of Mt. Kronos. The best preserved and earliest treasury is that dedicated by Sicyon. West to east the treasuries were dedicated by: Sicyon
, Syracuse, Byzantion, Sybaris
, Cyrene
, Selinus, Metapontium, Megara
and Gela
.
Altis
Altis was a location in what is today Peloponnese, Greece, on a little plain in the Elis Prefecture, on the right shore of the Alfeios River near the city of Pyrgos, around 18 kilometers away from the Ionian Sea and at the foot of Mount Cronion....
or sanctuary at the site of Olympia
Olympia, Greece
Olympia , a sanctuary of ancient Greece in Elis, is known for having been the site of the Olympic Games in classical times, comparable in importance to the Pythian Games held in Delphi. Both games were held every Olympiad , the Olympic Games dating back possibly further than 776 BC...
in Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
. All but two were erected by Greek colonies to store valuable votive offering
Votive offering
A votive deposit or votive offering is one or more objects displayed or deposited, without the intention of recovery or use, in a sacred place for broadly religious purposes. Such items are a feature of modern and ancient societies and are generally made in order to gain favor with supernatural...
s.
The Treasuries were built on a natural terrace at the foot of Mt. Kronos. The best preserved and earliest treasury is that dedicated by Sicyon. West to east the treasuries were dedicated by: Sicyon
Sicyon
Sikyon was an ancient Greek city situated in the northern Peloponnesus between Corinth and Achaea on the territory of the present-day prefecture of Corinthia...
, Syracuse, Byzantion, Sybaris
Sybaris
Sybaris was an ancient city in Magna Graecia on the western shore of the Gulf of Taranto. The wealth of the city during the 6th century BC was so great that the Sybarites became synonymous with pleasure and luxury...
, Cyrene
Cyrene, Libya
Cyrene was an ancient Greek colony and then a Roman city in present-day Shahhat, Libya, the oldest and most important of the five Greek cities in the region. It gave eastern Libya the classical name Cyrenaica that it has retained to modern times.Cyrene lies in a lush valley in the Jebel Akhdar...
, Selinus, Metapontium, Megara
Megara
Megara is an ancient city in Attica, Greece. It lies in the northern section of the Isthmus of Corinth opposite the island of Salamis, which belonged to Megara in archaic times, before being taken by Athens. Megara was one of the four districts of Attica, embodied in the four mythic sons of King...
and Gela
Gela
Gela is a town and comune in the province of Caltanissetta in the south of Sicily, Italy. The city is at about 84 kilometers distance from the city of Caltanissetta, on the Mediterranean Sea. The city has a larger population than the provincial capital, and ranks second in land area.Gela is an...
.