Panathenaic Stadium, Multi-purpose sports venue in Athens, Greece.
The Panathenaic Stadium is an ancient sports arena in central Athens built entirely from white Pentelic marble. The venue takes a long U-shape with straight sides measuring 204 meters in length and 33 meters in width, while spectator seating rises in 47 tiers that wrap around the running track.
Lycurgus commissioned a simple running track here in 330 BC for the Panathenaic Games. Herodes Atticus transformed it into a marble arena in 144 AD, which then fell into ruin for centuries before reconstruction for the 1896 Olympics.
The name comes from the Panathenaic Games, held here to honor the goddess Athena and drawing athletes from across the ancient world. Today visitors walk on the same track where the first modern Olympic champions competed, experiencing the white marble gleaming under the Greek sun.
Opening hours usually run from early morning to mid-afternoon, allowing visitors to explore the grounds in daylight. A walking route takes you across the track and through the lower passageways, with audio guides explaining the history of each section.
The Olympic flame for the 1896 Games was lit on a special platform at the entrance, a ritual that later became tradition for all modern Olympics. Beneath the stands sits a small museum displaying torches and medals from different Olympic editions.
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