Guided tours
Guided tours will be organized for ECAI’08 participants to Olympia, Delphi and Epidaurus. Tours will be half-day, on the afternoon of 23rd and 24th of July, 2008. Minimum participation for tours to be materialized is of 20 persons. The registration form can be found here: Guided Tours Registration Form
Olympia & Archaeological Museum
Ancient Olympia lies 19 km east from Pirgos, in a valley between wooded Kronos hill, Alfios river and its tributary, the Kladeos. Olympia is the birthplace of the Olympic Games and also where they were held. The area, of great natural beauty, has been inhabited uninterruptedly since the 3rd millennium B.C. Visitors can enjoy visiting many monuments such as the Temple of Zeus, the Stadium, the Philippeion etc. and its unique archaeological museum. In the museum findings from the area are displayed, among them the stone head of Hera, Praxiteles’ marble statue of Hermes (330 BC), the Victory by Paionios (421 BC), etc
Delphi
Delphi is perhaps best-known for the ancient Oracle at the sanctuary that became dedicated to Apollo during the classical period. This semicircular spur is known as Phaedriades, and overlooks the Pleistos Valley. Except of the Oracle, there are also the Temple of Apollo, the Treasury of Athens (built to commemorate their victory at the Battle of Marathon), the Altar of the Chians, the Stadium, the Theatre, etc. The Delphi Archaeological Museum is at the foot of the main archaeological complex, on the east side of the village, and houses an impressive collection associated with ancient Delphi, including the earliest known notation of a melody.
Epidaurus
The road from Nafplio to Epidaurus (Epidavros) passes through vineyards and age-old olive groves with the mountains looming hazily in the distance, except Mt. Arahneo, which rises directly above Epidaurus. On a hillside, within the sanctuary of Asklipios, the most celebrated healing centre of the ancient world, lies the theatre of Epidaurus (3rd c. BC), the most famous and best preserved of all the ancient theatres in Greece. The museum is near the entrance to the site and contains various artefacts plus a helpful model of what the sanctuary must have looked like.
