Greece - The broader region of Mount Olympus

Olympus, the highest mountain in Greece (the highest peak is 2,918 m. above sea level), rises on the border of Macedonia and Thessaly, between the provinces of Pieria and Larissa. Owing to its specific microclimate, which is partly due to the short distance from the sea and the steep increase in height above sea level, it stands out for its great diversity in terrain, climate and vegetation. The shape of the massif and the majestic peaks, covered in fog and low-hanging clouds, which often bring storms, in conjunction with its diverse and changeable natural beauty, have always induced awe and admiration. In this eerie landscape, the ancient Greeks placed the residence of the Twelve Gods of Olympus (with Zeus at their head), the Muses and the Graces. There, according to Hesiod, Zeus fought Cronus and the Titans and, after winning, settled there and became lord all the gods, demigods and humans. The myths and traditions collected by Homer and Hesiod were passed on throughout the ancient Greek and Roman world, making Olympus the epicentre of ancient Greek mythology and a symbol of Greek civilization. According to ancient Greek tradition, the twelve gods lived in the gorges – or ‘folds of Olympus’ as Homer calls them – where their palaces were situated. On the highest peak was the throne of Zeus. On the rounded and hospitable summit of Agios Antonios, south of Mytikas, an open-air sanctuary has been uncovered - the oldest finds dating to the Hellenistic period - which has been identified as the Temple of Olympian Zeus mentioned by ancient writers. This is probably the sanctuary Plutarch was referring to when, in the 2nd century A.D., he wrote that regularly occurring processions led small animals to a peak on the Macedonian side of Olympus and there sacrificed them to Zeus. The god’s share of the sacrificial meat was burned in the altar fire and the ashes were gathered in a pile upon which letters were inscribed. When the procession ascended the following year, they would find everything intact and the letters in the ashes just as they had left them, since neither wind blew to erase them nor rain fell to dissolve the pile. Antiquities have also been found on other peaks, but these have not been excavated.