The Panathenaic Stadium in Athens, Greece

The Gen X Travels

3 years ago

During our 2022 trip to Greece we spent our last two days in Athens and visited the Panathenaic Stadium. This stadium,made entirely out of marble, is beautiful. As a matter of fact, it is the only stadium in the world built totally of marble.

History

Originally constructed in the 4th century BC. Prior to this the area had been used as a racetrack as early as the 6th century BC. The stadium was restored sometime after 183 AD by Herodes Atticus who used Pentelic marble. By the end of the 4th century AD, the stadium came to ruin as it had been in disuse. Excavated in 1869, it became the host of the 1870 and 1875 Olympics which was hosted by Greek businessman Evangelis Zappa. It was an early attempt to revive the Ancient Greek Olympic games. The stadium was restored and in 1896, the first international modern era Olympic Games were held here. In 2004, once again, the Olympics were held here.

Conclusion

I found the Panathenaic Stadium to be nothing short of amazing and a must see in Athens. I can’t believe we have been to Athens several times and only just visited this recently.