Birmingham state herald. (Birmingham, Ala.) 1895-1897, 1896-03-22
THE ATHLETES At ATHENS
Modern Champions Where An
cient GIadiatorS Struggled.
THE STADIUM RESTORED
A Wonderful Structure of Marble Which viii
Seat $4,000 Spectators Programme
of the Games.

Everything is in readiness for the
grand athletic carnival at Athens, at
which the Olympian games of ancient
Greece will be equaled If not surpassed,
by the gladiators of modern times.
The stadium of centuries ago has been
rebuilt in the same spot that it occupied
when Rome was in its infancy, and long
before Julius Caesar was ever thought of.
Much of the marble used in the ancient
structure forms a part of the modern
duplication. The restoration is not a re-
cent achievement however, as for many
years back 1t has been pet project with
the men and women who love to unfold
TO the world the beauties of ancient
Greece.
In 1878 his majesty King George. or
dered the stadium excavated and paid
all the expenses. The excavations which
ms money carried on have made possi-
Die the present revival of the Olympian
games, and have, In the meantime af-
forded pleasure and profit to the visiting
scholar to those classic regions.
Under his majesty's direction the de-
prls or lO0O years was cleared away down
10 the surface of the arena and the slop-
ing amphitheater laid bare. The marble
seats, whose construction had consum-
ed the greater part of the Pentelic quar-
ry, Were no longer there Most of them
had gone into the lime kiln, that ra-
pacious monster that has devoured so
much of the achievement of ancient
Greece.
His majesty found the bare amphithe-
alter and the arena, the ruins of two high
supporting walls at the entrance near
the lllissus, and an underground passage
at the other end for the entrance and
exit of contestants and judges. There
were also a few broken seats and two or
n fh.4n1 IA,, ii.
showed what the remainder must have
been like.
A Faithful Reproduction.
The arena as 1t stands today is as much
like the ancient one as human ingenuity
and knowledge can make it, Anastasios
Metaxas, the kings architect who has
had charge OF the work, made thorough
study of ancient stadia, and there is lit
tie doubt that he has produced very
faithful representation of the original
stadium. The arena Is elllptical in shape
except that the eclipse is cut square off
at one end About this runs a marble
border, or low wall, surrounded by an
iron railing of antique design, on which
perches long line of owls, the sacred
bird of Athens. Just outside the border
and bounded by it comes an aisle 5 feet
wide, and on a lower level than the arena
This aisle is bounded on Its other side
by platform built of three strata of
marble, the lower stratum white, with
carvings; the second brown and the up
per one white again, with carvings.
Many Tiers of Seats.
At this platform begin the seats, and
from it they. extend up and back all
around three sides of the eclipse, almost
to the top Of the hill At the twentieth
row is another aisle parallel with the
first, then more seats up to a low wall
called in Greek the crown. Outside of all
is high wall, surmounted by another
railing. Inside this iS the third and last
aisle.
On either side the opening the hill is
cut square down. The high walls in front
are the ancient ones repaired. They are
nearly triangular in shape, slanting down
to follow the sloping sides of the amphi-
theater AT the lower end of each high
column has been erected the one sup
porting a statue of Athena. the other Of
Victory. The straight line across the enN
trance, between the two columns, is
adorned with other images In marble
lions, wresters, etc.--all reproductions
from antiquity and in the center stands
a noble arch, under which the audiences
will pass.
All of the seats to be used by the aris-
tocrats are of marble, while those further
back from the arena are of wood, Plebe-
ians, of course, will sit in them just as
they did 1000 or more years ago.
The course in the stadium Is straight
break, a little over 600 feet in length be-
or near the entrance. At the termina-
ton of this distance another transverse
line is drawn for the finish. A semi-cir-
oular portion Of the stadium is thus left,
into which the runners may dash, after
having crossed the goal at full speed.
This semi-cirole is the sphendone,
The first row of seats, then, and twenty
more about the sphendone, are of marble.
All the others are of wood, painted white,
and made to resemble marble as much as
possible. The stadium holds so, 900 people
and admission will be free.
History of the Games.
The history of the OIympian games
goes back 1000 or more years before the
Christian era. The exact date Is a dis
puted matter but the best authorities
fix it at about B. G. 1853. The Olympiad,
as a combination of time, however, be-
gins with the victory Of GORGEOUS B. G.
ZIG. From that date to A. D. $40, or more
than 100 years. the festival was rel-
giously kept and records were carefully
made of the names and states of the
victors. In the great Temple of Zeus in
Ellis where was the colossal statue Of
Jupiter made by Phidias, the walls are
the victories won from generation to gen.
Grafton from a time antedating the foun~
dalton of Rome to the year when Em-
peror Theodosius, considering that the
games had degenerated so as no longer
to be a benefit, but rather a source of
danger to the peace of the state, ordered
their discontinuance.
Had Religious Meaning.
Away back, many centuries before the
dawn of Christianity these games had a
religious significance of great power, and