Kallimarmaro Roman Stadium in Athens

The Roman (Kallimarmaro or Panathenaic) Stadium of Athens, Greece: It is known as the Roman Stadium, the Panathenaic Stadium or just Kallimarmaro (which means made of fine marble). We are referring to this incredible stadium that stands at the end of Herodes Atticus st, in a walking distance from the temple of Olympian Zeus, the Arch of Hadrian and the Acropolis.

This amazing stadium was originally constructed in the ancient times to host the famous Panathenaic Games, which were held to honor goddess Athena, the protector of the city. At first, the stadium had wooden seats, but in 329 BC the governor Lycourgos remade it with marble. In 140 BC, the Roman general Herodes Atticus renovated it and obtained a capacity of 50,000 seated people.

Centuries passed and the stadium was neglected. In the Medieval times, it was used as a quarry and it suffered various damages. However, in the late 19th century (1986), it was renovated to host the first Modern Olympic Games that were held in Athens. The reconstruction was assigned to architects Anastasios Metaxas and Ernst Ziller. The finding was provided by the Greek benefactor George Averoff, whose marble statue stands at the entrance of the stadium.