Kallimarmaro: Olympic Stadium Made of Marble Gets a Glow Up
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Athens’ U-shaped Panathenaic Stadium - made entirely of white marble - is getting its first systematic cleaning in more than a century.
The stadium - made of the same marble used on the Acropolis - was rebuilt for the first modern Olympics in 1896 (able to seat 60,000 spectators) and has since become the ceremonial send-off point for the Olympic flame. It is, as you might suspect, the only stadium in the world built entirely of marble.
It’s also a tourist attraction that continues to welcome visitors and host concerts, fashion shows, marathons, and more, so it’s accumulated the dirt and grime you would expect with decades of foot traffic.
Now, says the Associated Press, workers are systematically moving across the stadium’s 47 steep tiers using clean water at “carefully controlled, low pressure” to spray off dirt while vacuums suck up the runoff. Steam then removes the rest of the residue, much of which comes from chewing gum, high heels, and soft drinks, say stadium officials.
Tier by tier, the venue is slowly being restored to the former glory that earned it the nickname of Kallimarmaro, which means beautiful marble. “We call it Kallimarmaro because it is made of the finest marble, the best that was ever produced. … We are very proud of it,” said Isidoros Kouvelos, president of the Hellenic Olympic Committee. “This way the Panathenaic Stadium will show all its brilliance and will once again be the foremost monument of humanity for the Olympic Movement.”
Ancient Olympians Performed Nude: In 776 B.C.E., spectators gathered in Olympia, Greece, to watch a simple footrace. Thus began the ancient Olympics.
