Mythology - History

Mythology - History

The morphology of Mount Olympus, the ever changing natural beauty, the almost permanent cloud cover over its peaks and the frequent thunderstorms, filled the people around the mountain with awe and admiration, which in turn gave birth to numerous thrills and myths since the ancient times. At the foot of the mountain 5 km from the sea there lies Dion, a sacred Macedonian city dedicated to Zeus (Dias). It is estimated that it flourished between the 5th century B.C. and the 5th century A.D. Excavations, around the ancient city started in 1928 and are still going on, have revealed archaeological artefacts from the Macedonian, Greek and Roman Eras. The majority of these artefacts is exhibited in the museum of Dion. Piblia and Livithra are two other among the many ancient cities located at the foot of Mount Olympus and are closely related to the legend of Orpheus and the Orphic Secret ceremonies.   
The history of Mount Olympus continued being unsteady during Roman and Byzantine times as well and even under the Ottoman occupation. The mountain was used as a hiding place for the famous ''armatol'' fighting the ''yoke of the tyrant''. During the German invasion in 1941, the Greek army along with Australian and New Zealand units fought important battles. Later on the Greek Resistance found a nestling place there. Since the 1950's the history of Mount Olympus has been dominated by mountaineering endeavours and tragedies.


Source: www.olympusfd.gr

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