The Philippeion

The Philippeion at Olympia was a circular and temple-like structure of stone and marble which was started by Philip II of Macedonia after his victory over the Greeks at Chaeronia in 338BC as a donation to the Greek gods and proof of his Greek lineage. It was reportedly completed by his son, Alexander the Great. It featured a peripteral colonnade of 18 Ionic columns around the porch or peristyle and an inner colonnade of 9 Corinthian half-columns around the wall and a roof of carved marble tiles and crowned with a bronze poppyhead.

The circular shape is reminiscent of the Macedonian beehive tombs (or tholoi) used as vaulted royal tombs in Macedonia.

Inside and located on semi-circular plinths were gold and ivory statues of the Macedonian royal family, including Alexander the Great, in honour of the dynasty of Macedonian kings.

According to the authors of Greece: An Oxford Archaeological Guide, the material of the statues, the form of the building and the location inside the Altis had the effect of presenting the Macedonian royals as superhuman to their Greek observers.

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William Briers in The Archaeology of Greece: An Introduction goes further:

"The Philippeion was evidently a votive offering … it contained statues of mortals (at least one of whom was still living) which were apparently made of gold and ivory, materials usually reserved for the gods. There is some evidence that the boundary of the sacred precinct was adjusted to admit the new building … (I)t certainly is symbolic of the change in the fourth century and the victory of a 'foreign' absolute monarch."

Only the foundations remain today:

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German-Greek co-operation at Olympia

The German Government through the German Archaeological Institute financed the excavations at Olympia between 1875 and 1881, the first large-scale continuous excavation in Greece made possible through international contracts.

The goal of this massive undertaking was the scientific investigation of the site and for the first time the finds were displayed in a museum located at the site. The central part of the sanctuary was excavated, including the Temple of Zeus and the Philippeion.

As part of the agreement signed by the Greek and German governments at the time Germany was legally entitled to remove some of the sections of the Philippeion monument to the Pergamon Museum in Berlin. These fragments were sent to Berlin in 1892.

Over the intervening years further excavation works have continued at Olympia with the German Archaeological Institute working in close co-operation with the Greek Antiquities Service and under the supervision of the Hellenic Ministry of Culture.

As part of this ongoing work there are plans to restore parts of the Philippeion by putting together in a very careful and painstaking manner some of the columns of this famous monument.

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Cultural agreement to exchange antiquities

On 9 June 2001 during an official visit to Germany the Greek Prime Minister, Costas Simitis, attended at the Pergamon Museum and in a short ceremony it was announced that the museum will return 10 architectural fragments to Olympia to assist with the restoration effort and as part of a comprehensive program of co-operation between the Pergamon Museum and the Museum at Olympia.

To reciprocate, a major exhibition of Classical-era antiquities and artefacts from Olympia, including finds from the Pheidias workshop at Olympia, will be staged in the German capital beginning in 2002.

Mr Simitis called the agreement a "model" for cultural exchanges between countries, while he thanked the German Archaeological Institute for its financial support in restoring the Philippeion:

"This project assumes even greater importance in light of the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens."

The agreement also foresees the establishment of a permanent exhibition area at the Pergamon Museum in order to host various displays of antiquities from Greece and periodically housed at the museum. Prime Minister Simitis continued:

"Greece always follows an open cultural policy that rejuvenates bilateral relations in this sector, leading - without impediments of the past - to normal and legal cultural exchanges that allow millions of people around the world to come in contact with various civilizations … A new Europe, something we are all aiming for and working towards, isn't just an area of a sole unified civilization, but an area where different cultures, ideas and norms of behaviour can emerge."

Mr Simitis also noted that the roots of Greek-German cultural co-operation go back a long way and ensure a fruitful and rewarding future for that relationship.

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The Greek Culture Minister, Evangelos Venizelos, also welcomed the announcement as being significant given the fact that the German museum had legally acquired the pieces but had decided as a matter of cultural and archaeological integrity to return them to the ancient site of Olympia. Mr Venizelos also highlighted the importance of the decision, in light of the Athens 2004 Olympic Games as Ancient Olympia was the focal point and ancient capital of the Olympic Games:

"You do understand how much attitudes and practices have changed in regards to such issues and what they should do or how they should feel - those who have in their possession not legally, but illegally architectural members of monuments with international fame and importance - first among them of course the Parthenon."

It is expected that other items of Greek antiquity will follow and the Pergamon Museum will set aside a space for changing displays of material from Olympia.

The returned fragments from the Pergamon Museum will assist with the restoration of the foundations and columns of the Philippeion.

Future Anglo-Greek co-operation - where now for the Parthenon Marbles?

The unprecedented display of co-operation and cultural collaboration in the case of the Philippeion sculptures is a poignant reminder that the long-running issue of the return of the Parthenon Marbles to Greece must now be discussed and resolved in the context of an Anglo-Greek cultural exchange that can afford to be breathtaking in its vision and boldness.

As the 2004 Olympic Games approach, the gracious and symbolic gesture of the German Government and the Pergamon Museum points the way to a solution that is no longer about restitution or a dispute over legal title. It is about an enlightened and pragmatic resolution which will abandon the shibboleths of the past and focus instead on a dynamic and lasting co-operation between the British Museum and the New Acropolis Museum in displaying the Parthenon sculptures in proximity to their natural and historical context.

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