In Olympia, Judith Barringer provides a comprehensive and richly illustrated history of one of the most important sites in the ancient Greek and Roman world, where athletic competitions took place alongside?and were closely connected with?crucial religious and political activities. Barringer describes the development of the Altis, the most sacred area of Olympia, where monuments to athletes successful in the games joined those erected to the gods and battlefield victories. The political importance of Olympia was matched by its place as the largest sanctuary dedicated to Zeus, king of the gods. Drawing on a comprehensive knowledge of the archaeological record, Barringer describes the full span of Olympia's history, from the first monumental building around 600 BC to the site's gradual eclipse in the late Christianized Roman empire. Extensively illustrated with maps and diagrams, Olympia brings the development of Olympia vividly to life for modern readers.