The Bouleuterion was a horse-shoe shaped building just south of the Sanctuary. It was important to the public because it was where administration took place, and was where matters regarding the public were discussed. This is where athletes drew lots, registered, and found out where they would come in the program of the Olympic Games. There was a statue of Zeus outside the building, as he was known as ‘Zeus Who Presides Over Oaths’, and people believed that nothing unjust could happen or be decided because those responsible would be punished by Zeus.
The workshop of Pheidias would have stood close to the Temple of Zeus at the Sanctuary. It was significant because it is Pheidias, the universally renowned sculptor, architect and painter, who crafted the Parthenon and also the statue of Zeus which stood in the Temple of Zeus at the Sanctuary. This statue was made of ivory and gold, and was named one of the Seven Wonders of the World by Antipater of Sidon. Evidence that the building that was excavated in the 1950s is Pheidias’ workshop included sculptors’ tools and a small black wine jug with ‘Pheidio eimi’ written on it, meaning ‘I belong to Pheidias’.
The importance of the political side of the Sanctuary was proven by Philip II of Macedon after he dedicated the Philippieion to Zeus after his victory at Chaironeia in 338BC. This was the only round building in the Sanctuary. The building was also used to then worship the royal family of Macedon once they had died.
In addition, the Zanes played an essential role in the Sanctuary. The Zanes were a row of 12 bronze statues that lined the outside of the stadium. These were made with the money gained from fining cheating athletes at the Olympic Games. The name and crime of the culprit were briefly inscribed on each statue, and their purpose was to dissuade others from cheating. Even as the Games became less sacred, and more of a social gathering, it was still a disgrace to the athlete and his city to have a bronze statue. The majority of these offences briary, however, there was one recorded case of punishment for cowardice, when Sarapion from Alexandria fled on the eve of the Olympic Games in 25AD. The fact that there are not many penalties recorded suggests that the statues were an important part of sustaining the respect for the rules, and they worked.
The high officials and the magistrate relating to the Olympic Games were seated in the Prytaneion. They were important because they oversaw the administrative procedures, and made monthly sacrifices to the gods. The priests of the Games, along with the magistrates, lived there. The Olympian winners were entertained in the dining room, with large feasts and celebrations in honour of their great achievements. It was important because without it, and the officials who lived there, the Olympic Games wouldn’t have been possible to organise.
Regarding the Olympic Games, the most important buildings were the stadium, the gymnasium and the palaestra. The stadium was twice as important as the other training grounds because women practicing for the Heraian Games also trained there. The gymnasium was a place where athletes competing in public games could go to train, but to also engage in intellectual conversation and social activities. Athletes trained naked as a tribute to their bodies and to the gods. As part of the gymnasium, the palaestra was built specifically to train for boxing, wrestling and jumping. It was made easier for athletes by the sand that was put on the floor for gripping purposes.
In conclusion, the buildings at the Sanctuary in Olympia were so important because they provided opportunities and training for athletes, religious ceremonies and bathing. It was important to sustain a variety of buildings which offered a number of activities, so that people could honour the gods and learn from others’ mistakes. Without the buildings at the Sanctuary in Olympia, there would have been no Olympic Games because the officials and high priests would have had nowhere to go, and more importantly, the athletes would have had nowhere to train, or rest.
