INTERNATIONAL OLYMPIC ACADEMY 7th JOINT - IOA

and 1897. They form the basics on which the excavations of later
centuries can rely. 48
Conclusions
The idea of the Olympic Games of antiquity has never died. It has
lasted until the present time. In the centuries after the decline of
Hellenic culture it was preserved by the Byzantine and western
historians. When the Ottoman Empire arose and became a threat, the
idea was mainly brought to Italy and from Italy there to the other
European states where it was enriched with the wish to make the
ancient sanctuary accessible for researchers. Excavations started with
the so-called “Expedition Scientifique de Morée” in 1829 and were
followed by a German excavation starting in 1875. Furthermore the
evidence for the existence of a certain idea of Olympic Games as
athletic events has been shown by the example of the Cotswold
Games in England of the early 17 th century.
One should ask the question whether the Modern Olympic Games
of 1896 were established as a result of knowledge preserved through
the ages, or whether one should speak of an “Olympic Revival”.
Contents of the Annalia Dubrensia, London 1636 edited by Mathewe Walbancke
NOTES
1
The edict of emperor THEODOSIUS II dated to the year 426 A. D.
demanded the destruction of all pagan cult sites. THEODOSIUS II was
grandson of Theodosius the great.
2
PAUSANIAS describes in his Periegesis the locality and the ancient
Olympic Games in detail. Through the knowledge he presents it is
possible to reconstruct disciplines of Hellenic “Sporting” traditions. By
PAUSANIAS we possess an idea how the building of the Altis might be
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