[Greek] The sanctuary of Olympia, the most ancient and is probably the most famous sanctuary in Greece, and home of the Olympic Games. It is situated in the valley of the Alpheios in the western region of the Peloponnese (the legendary king Pelops was the first ruler of the area and it was he who gave the whole peninsula its name "Peloponnesos", which means "Island of Pelops"). The sanctuary lies on the south west foot of a wooded hill known as Kronion (in honor of Cronus). The river which flows through the site is the Alpheios, which is known in the mythology of Heracles, also the river-god Alpheus, who was the son of Oceanus and Tethys. The mythology attached to Olympia is older than the games themselves, but the myth of how the Olympic Games were contrived comes from the contest to win the hand of the beautiful maiden HippodamiaHippodamia, she was the daughter of king Oinomaos. The king dit not want his daughter to marry (legend has it that he loved her himself, and others that he would b...
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