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| Panathenaic stadium |
| Kallimarmaron |
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| The 'panathinaiko' stadium was built in 330 BC by statesman Lykourgos on the site of an ancient stadium. It was rectangular in shape with a straight track and in it was held the Panathenaic games, which were part of the 'Panathinaia', a religious festival that was held once a year in honour of goddess Athena. The shape and use of the stadium was changed during the years of roman emperor Andrianos' occupation, and finally at around 140 AD a new marble stadium was build at the same location funded by Herodes of Attica who had also received Roman citizenship. The marble from nearby mount Penteli that was used was known to the world for it's excellent quality for which reason the stadium became also known as the kalimarmaron (=the beautiful marble). In 1870-after a long period of disuse, damage by the extraction of parts of it's marble for other uses, and finally also covered by dust and earth-the stadium was excavated by Ernst Ziller after which Anastasios Metaxas undertook it's restoration, that was funded by benefactor Yeorgios Averof. Kalimarmaron stadium was the place were among other athletic events, the first modern Olympic Games of 1896 and also the archery competitions and the marathon finish of Athens' Olympic Games of 2004, took place! |
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