The findings discovered duringf the excavations are exhibited Olympia’s Archaeological Museum.
The two pediments from the Temple of Zeus are among the most magnificent examples of the Greek sculpture, representative of the period at its peak. The east pediment shows the preparation for the mythical chariot race between Pelops and Oinomaos, king of Homeric Pisa while the west one shows the beloved subject of the struggle between the Centaurs and Lapiths with the superb figure of Apollo at the centre.
The metopes of the temple represent the Twelve Labours of Hercules; the offering of the Stympalian birds to Athena, Atlas bearing the apples of the Hesperides to Hercules and so on.
Paionio’s statue of Nike descending from the heaven, an ex-voto of the Messenians and Nafpactians in 421BC, is one of the most significant sculptures of the Classical years.
Other outstanding exhibits in the Museum are the terracotta group of Zeus with the famous statue of Hermes with the newborn Dionysos an original work by Praxiteles, displayed in a hall to itself.
Among the dedications to Zeus by the city-states in gratitude for their victories are bronze tripod cauldrons, vessels, panoplies, helmets and shields.
