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51-528: A stadium was built on the site of a simple racecourse by the Athenian statesman Lykourgos (Lycurgus) c.  400 BC, primarily for the Panathenaic Games . It was rebuilt in marble by Herodes Atticus , an Athenian Roman senator, by 144 AD it had a capacity of 50,000 seats. After the rise of Christianity in the 4th century it was largely abandoned. The stadium was excavated in 1869 and hosted

102-542: A continuous arena trackway by a raised "spina" or strip has been conjectured. The Stadium of Domitian was the northernmost of a series of public buildings on Campus Martius. To its south stood the smaller and more intimate Odeon of Domitian , used for recitals, songs and orations. The southernmost end of the Campus was dominated by the Theater of Pompey , restored by Domitian during the same rebuilding program. The Stadium

153-423: A hefty reserve. He also encouraged the restoration of traditional values and prosecuted those who fell short of his expectations of civic behaviour. Because of his leading role, the period from 338 to 324 BC is often known in modern scholarship as the "Age of Lycurgus." He was one of the ten Attic orators included in the "Alexandrian Canon" compiled by Aristophanes of Byzantium and Aristarchus of Samothrace in

204-643: A massive capacity of 50,000, which is roughly the same as that of the Stadium of Domitian in Rome. Stadia of the Classical and Hellenistic periods were smaller. According to Welch there is a possibility that criminals were executed in the stadium, however, no evidence exists. A marble throne from the prohedria (front row seating) of the stadium is kept in the British Museum . One side of the throne includes

255-413: A relief showing an olive tree and a table on which rests set of wreaths and a Panathenaic amphora . The front leg is in the form of an owl. Ten similar thrones have been found around Athens. Herodes Atticus built it as "an architectural means of self-representation, and it did something analogous. The architecture of the building makes allusions to the Classical past while remaining unmistakably modern. It

306-417: Is Roman in scale, but it self-consciously rejects the distinguishingly Roman features of monumental facade and extensive vaulting." The seats of the cavea were decorated with owls in relief, which symbolize Athena . Katherine Welch wrote in a 1998 article "Greek stadia and Roman spectacles": After Hellenistic festivals and bloody spectacles were banned by Roman Emperor Theodosius I in the late 4th century,

357-662: Is depicted. It is shown on the obverse of all Olympic medals awarded in the 2004 Olympics, and it was also used for the succeeding Summer Olympics in Beijing in 2008 , in London in 2012 , in Rio de Janeiro in 2016 , and in Tokyo in 2021 . Lycurgus of Athens Lycurgus ( / l aɪ ˈ k ɜːr ɡ ə s / ; Greek : [Λυκοῦργος Λυκόφρονος Βουτάδης] Error: {{Lang}}: invalid parameter: |3= ( help ) ; c. 390 – c. 325 BC)

408-453: Is possible that Lykourgos did not build but "renovated or embellished a pre-existing facility to give it monumental stature." According to Richard Ernest Wycherley the stadium probably had stone seating "only for a privileged few." Herodes Atticus , an Athenian who rose to the highest echelons of power in Rome, was responsible for numerous structures in Greece. In Athens he is best known for

459-658: The 1967–68 FIBA European Cup Winners' Cup final was hosted in the stadium where AEK defeated Slavia VŠ Praha in front of around 70,000 seated spectators inside the arena and another 10,000 standing spectators near the entrance. During the Regime of the Colonels (1967–74), large annual events were held at the stadium, particularly the "Festival of the Military Virtues of the Greeks" (in late August-early September) and

510-549: The 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. During the games the stadium hosted the archery competition (15–21 August) and was the finish of the Marathon for both women (22 August) and men (29 August). The opening ceremony of the 2011 Special Olympics World Summer Games were held here which featured special appearances such as Stevie Wonder , Vanessa Williams and Zhang Ziyi . The games ran from 25 June to 5 July. On occasion,

561-628: The Julian calendar then in use in Greece), the games of the First Olympiad were officially opened; it was Easter Monday for both the Western and Eastern Christian Churches and the anniversary of Greece's independence . The stadium was filled with an estimated 60,000 spectators, including King George I of Greece , his wife Olga , and their sons. Most of the competing athletes were aligned on

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612-712: The Olympic flame handover ceremony to the host nation takes place. The stadium is built in what was originally a natural ravine between the two hills of Agra and Ardettos, south of the Ilissos river. It is now located in the central Athens district of Pangrati , to the east of the National Gardens and the Zappeion Exhibition Hall, to the west of the Pangrati residential district, and between

663-512: The Panathenaic Games (also known as the Great Panathenaea), a religious and athletic festival celebrated every four years in honour of the goddess Athena . The racecourse had no formal seating and the spectators sat on the natural slopes on the side of the ravine. In the 4th century BC the Athenian statesman Lykourgos (Lycurgus) built an 850-foot (260 m) long stadium of poros stone . Tiers of stone benches were arranged around

714-486: The Zappas Olympics in 1870 and 1875. After being refurbished, it hosted the opening and closing ceremonies of the first modern Olympics in 1896 and was the venue for 4 of the 9 contested sports. It was used for various purposes in the 20th century and was once again used as an Olympic venue in 2004 . It is the finishing point for the annual Athens Classic Marathon . It is also the last venue in Greece from where

765-441: The deme Butadae , which was in the tribe of Oeneis. In his early life, he devoted himself to the study of philosophy in the school of Plato , but afterwards became one of the disciples of Isocrates , and entered upon public life at a comparatively early age. He was appointed manager of the public revenue for a four-year term from 336 to 332 BC and proved highly successful. Because multiple terms in this role were banned, at

816-579: The prytaneum at the public expense. Lycurgus claimed descent from the mythical Athenian king Erechtheus . He was a member of the branch of the Eteoboutadae clan ( genos ) that supplied the priests of Poseidon Erechtheus . He is probably ultimately descended from Lycurgus, son of Aristolaides who led the Pedieis ("people of the plains") in the conflicts leading up to the establishment of Pisistratus ' tyranny. His grandfather, also called Lycurgus,

867-432: The "Revolution of 21 April 1967", the date of the coup that brought the right-wing regime to power. In these festivals, the stadium, "with its aura of antiquity stood as a monument to Greek rebirth, national pride, and international interest." The dictators exploited its setting to showcase their supposed popularity and propagate their new, "revolutionary" political culture. The stadium "needed no major refurbishing" prior to

918-471: The Acropolis. The show was attended by many A-listers, such as Anya Taylor-Joy , Cara Delevingne , Jisoo and many other global and Greek stars. Katherine Welch described the stadium as a "great marble flight of steps terraced into the contours of a U-shaped ravine — splendid in materials but ostentatiously simple in construction technique." The Panathenaic Stadium influenced the stadium architecture in

969-587: The Athenians hand over Lycurgus, Demosthenes , and other opponents of the Macedonians , but the Athenians refused. He was further entrusted with the superintendence ( φυλακή ) of the city and the keeping of public discipline; and the severity with which he watched over the conduct of the citizens became almost proverbial. His integrity was so great, that even private persons deposited with him large sums of money, which they wished to be kept in safety. He

1020-529: The Colosseum; the floor plan was a scaled down version of the Circus Maximus, having a similarly semi-circular end. Colini (1943) estimates the total stadium length as approximately 275 metres, and the total width as 106 metres, while later sources give the height of its outer perimeter benches as 30 m (100 ft) above ground level and its inner perimeter benches as 4.5 m (15 ft) above

1071-534: The Egypt-based Greek businessman George Averoff , to sponsor the second refurbishment of the stadium prior to the 1896 Olympics . Based on the findings of Ziller, a reconstruction plan was prepared by the architect Anastasios Metaxas in the mid-1890s. Darling writes that "He duplicated the dimensions and design of the second-century structure, arranging the tiers of seats around the U-shaped track." It

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1122-708: The West in the 20th century. Harvard Stadium in Boston, built in 1903, was modeled after the Panathenaic Stadium. Designated as a National Historic Landmark , it is the first collegiate athletic stadium in the United States. Deutsches Stadion in Nuremberg, designed by Albert Speer , was also modeled on the Panathenaic Stadium. Speer was inspired by the stadium when he visited Athens in 1935. The stadium

1173-476: The arena floor. This arrangement offered a clear view of the track from most seats. The typically Greek layout gave the Stadium its Latinised Greek name, in agones (the place or site of the competitions). The flattened end was sealed by two vertically staggered entrance galleries and the perimeter was arcaded beneath the seating levels, with travertine pilasters between its cavea (enclosures). The formation of

1224-477: The end of his tenure he picked a series of substitutes who held the office on his behalf and followed his direction for the next two terms, from 332 BC to down to 324 BC. The conscientiousness with which he discharged the duties of this office enabled him to raise the public revenue to the sum of 1,200 talents . In 335 BC, after Thebes revolted against Alexander the Great and was sacked , Alexander demanded that

1275-429: The infield, grouped by nation. After a speech by the president of the organizing committee, Crown Prince Constantine, his father officially opened the games. The stadium also served as the venue for Athletics , Gymnastics , Weightlifting and Wrestling . The stadium hosted the 1906 Intercalated Games from 22 April to 2 May. From the mid- to late 1960s, the stadium was used by AEK Basketball Club . On 4 April 1968,

1326-596: The office of director ( ἐπιστάτης ) of the Theatre of Dionysus , in 325/4 BC, shortly before the Harpalus affair. At his death, he left behind three sons who were severely persecuted by Menesaechmus and Thrasycles, but were defended by Hypereides and Democles . In 307/6 BC, the orator Stratocles ordered a bronze statue to be erected to him in the Ceramicus , and that he and his eldest son should be entertained in

1377-555: The public archives. The Lives of the Ten Orators erroneously ascribed to Plutarch are full of anecdotes and characteristic features of Lycurgus. He often appeared as a successful accuser in the Athenian courts, but he himself was as often accused by others, though he always, and even in the last days of his life, succeeded in silencing his enemies. Thus, we know that he was attacked by Philinus , Dinarchus , Aristogeiton , Menesaechmus , and others. He died while holding

1428-506: The rapidly dwindling population gradually abandoned the surrounding hills and was concentrated in the campus Martius , which contained the main part of Rome until the new developments in the nineteenth century." Substantial portions of the structure survived into the Renaissance era, when they were mined and robbed for building materials. The Piazza Navona sits over the interior arena of the Stadium. The sweep of buildings that embrace

1479-503: The reconstruction of the Panathenaic Stadium. Tobin suggests that "Herodes built the stadium soon after [his father] Atticus's death, which occurred around A.D. 138. The first Greater Panathenaia following his father's demise was 139/40, and it is probable that at that time Herodes promised the refurbishment of the stadium. According to Philostratus , it was completed four years later, which would have been in 143/4." These dates (139/140-143-144 AD) are now widely cited as construction dates of

1530-400: The south entrance." The derelict stadium's marbles were incorporated into other buildings. European travelers wrote of "magical rites enacted by young Athenian maidens in the ruined vaulted passage, aimed at finding a good husband." Following Greece's independence , archaeological excavation as early as 1836 uncovered traces of the stadium of Herodes Atticus. Further, more thorough, excavation

1581-551: The stadium and theater. According to Romano the "reference to the large number of oxen, indicating a vast undertaking, and the use of the word charadra have suggested the kind of building activity that would have been needed to prepare the natural valley between the two hills near the Ilissos." The stadium of Lykourgos is believed to have been completed for the Panathenaic Games of 330/329 BC. Donald Kyle suggests that it

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1632-502: The stadium has also been used as a venue for selected musical and dance performances. Other concerts include those of Spanish tenor Plácido Domingo (27 June 2007) and a dance performance by Joaquín Cortés (14 September 2009). The stadium hosted the opening ceremony of the 1997 World Championships in Athletics on a concept by composer Vangelis and along with the performance of soprano Montserrat Caballé . In more recent years,

1683-613: The stadium has been often used to honour the homecoming of victorious Greek athletes, most notably the Greece national football team after its victory at the UEFA Euro 2004 on 5 July 2004 as well as Greek medalists in recent Olympic Games . The stadium was the venue for the Dior Cruise 2022 show. The collection drew inspiration from Ancient Greek art and Greek folk culture as well as Christian Dior's Fall 1951 campaign photoshoot on

1734-465: The stadium of Herodes Atticus. Welch writes that the stadium was completed by 143, in time for Panathenaic festival. The new stadium was built completely of ashlar masonry in Pentelic marble, using minimal concrete. The stadium was built at a time of resurgence of Greek culture in the mid-2nd century. Although the stadium was a "quintessentially Greek architectural type", it was "Roman in scale" with

1785-474: The stadium was abandoned and fell into ruin. Gradually, its significance was forgotten and a field of wheat covered the site. During the Latin rule of Athens , Crusader knights held feats of arms at the stadium. A 15th century traveler saw "not only several rows of white marble benches, but also the portico at the entrance of the stadion, which he calls the north entrance, and the stoa round the koilon, which he calls

1836-563: The third century BC. His only surviving speech is the Against Leocrates . He should not be confused with the quasi-mythological Spartan lawgiver of the same name . Lycurgus was born before 384 BC, probably around 390 BC. His father was Lycophron, son of Lycurgus, who belonged to the noble family of the Eteobutadae. His mother's name is partially preserved on a funerary inscription as -ne, daughter of -kleos. He belonged to

1887-601: The track. The track was 669 feet (204 m) long and 110 feet (34 m) wide. In the Lives of the Ten Orators Pseudo-Plutarch writes that a certain Deinas, the owner of the property where the stadium was built was persuaded by Lykourgos to donate the land to the city and Lykourgos leveled a ravine. IG II² 351 (dated 329 BC), records that Eudemus of Plataea gave 1000 yoke of oxen for the construction of

1938-529: The twin pine-covered hills of Ardettos and Agra. Until the 1950s, the Ilissos River (which is now covered by (and flowing underneath) Vasileos Konstantinou Avenue ) ran in front of the stadium's entrance, with the spring of Kallirrhoe, the sanctuary of Pankrates (a local hero), and the Cynosarges public gymnasium nearby. Originally, since the 6th century BC, a racecourse stood at the site. It hosted

1989-665: The works of Lycurgus; but this Lycurgus, if the name be correct, must be a different personage from the Attic orator. Against Leocrates was first printed by Aldus Manutius in his edition of the Attic orators in 1508. Stadium of Domitian The Stadium of Domitian ( Italian : Stadio di Domiziano ), also known as the Circus Agonalis , was located to the north of the Campus Martius in Rome , Italy . The Stadium

2040-480: Was Rome's first permanent venue for competitive athletics, erected for Domitian's celebration of the Capitoline Games . It was patterned after Greek stadia and seated approximately 30,000. The substructures and support frames were made of brick and concrete – a robust, fire-retardant and relatively cheap material – clad in marble. Stylistically, the Stadium facades would have resembled those of

2091-558: Was a statesman and logographer in Ancient Greece. In the aftermath of the Athenian defeat at the Battle of Chaeronea in 338 BC, he became the leading figure in Athenian politics, taking control of Athenian finances and pushing through a range of measures which drastically increased Athens' revenues. This money was used to expand the navy, improve the city's fortifications, develop the temples and religious ceremonies, and to build up

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2142-417: Was also the author of several legislative enactments, of which he enforced the strictest observance. One of his laws forbade women to ride in chariots at the celebration of the mysteries; and when his own wife transgressed this law, she was fined; another ordained that bronze statues should be erected to Aeschylus , Sophocles , and Euripides , that copies of their tragedies should be made and preserved in

2193-509: Was commissioned around AD 80 by Emperor Titus Flavius Domitianus as a gift to the people of Rome and was used almost entirely for athletic contests. In Christian tradition, Agnes of Rome was martyred there. The Stadium of Domitian was dedicated in AD 86, as part of an Imperial building programme at the Field of Mars , following the damage or destruction of most of its buildings by fire in AD 79. It

2244-537: Was conducted by the German-born architect Ernst Ziller in 1869–70. Some marbles of the stadium and four Hermai were found. The Zappas Olympics , an early attempt to revive the ancient Olympic Games, were held at the stadium in 1870 and 1875. They were sponsored by the Greek benefactor Evangelis Zappas . The games had an audience of 30,000 people. The Greek government, through crown prince Constantine , requested

2295-580: Was delivered in 330 BC. As a result, our knowledge of his style as an orator is very incomplete. Dionysius and other ancient critics draw particular attention to the ethical tendency of his orations, but they censure the harshness of his metaphors , the inaccuracy in the arrangement of his subject, and his frequent digressions. His style was said to be noble and grand, but neither elegant nor pleasing. His works seem to have been commented upon by Didymus of Alexandria . Theon mentions two declamations , Encomium of Helen and Deploration of Eurybatus , as

2346-458: Was designed for some 400,000 spectators and was one of the monumental structures of the Nazi regime. Its construction began in 1937, but was never completed. The Panathenaic Stadium was selected as the main motif for a high value euro collectors' coin; the €100 Greek The Panathenaic Stadium commemorative coin , minted in 2003 to commemorate the 2004 Olympics . In the obverse of the coin, the stadium

2397-554: Was priest of Poseidon in the late fifth-century, supported the introduction of the cult of Isis in Athens and was murdered by the Thirty Tyrants in 404 BC. Nothing about his father's life is recorded. Lycurgus married Callisto, daughter of Habron from the deme of Bate, who belonged to a wealthy family, part of the other branch of the Eteoboutiad clan, which provided the priestess of Athena Polias . Her brother, Callias,

2448-418: Was put to death there during the reign of the emperor Diocletian , in or near one of its arcades. With the economic and political crises of the later Imperial and post-Imperial eras, the Stadium seems to have fallen out of its former use; the arcades provided living quarters for the poor and the arena a meeting place. It may have been densely populated: "With the decline of the city after the barbarian invasions,

2499-487: Was rebuilt in Pentelic marble and is "distinguished by its high degree of fidelity to the ancient monument of Herodes." Averoff donated 920,000 drachmas to this project. As a tribute to his generosity, a statue of Averoff was constructed and unveiled on 5 April 1896 outside the stadium. It stands there to this day. The stadium held the opening and closing ceremonies of the 1896 Olympics . On 6 April (25 March according to

2550-505: Was treasurer of the military fund in 338/7 BC. Lycurgus had three sons: The funerary mound of the family in the Kerameikos was discovered in the 1980s. The Lives of the Ten Orators mentions that fifteen orations of Lycurgus were extant when it was written, probably in the late first century BC, but we know the titles of at least twenty. All of these are lost, or preserved only in fragments, except for Against Leocrates , which

2601-480: Was used almost entirely for athletic contests. For "a few years", following fire damage to the Colosseum in AD 217, it was used for gladiator shows. According to the Historia Augusta ' s garish account of Emperor Elagabalus, the arcades were used as brothels and the emperor Severus Alexander funded his restoration of the Stadium partly with tax-revenue from the latter. In Christian martyr-legend, St Agnes

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