Scope
Finds from the sanctuary of Zeus at Olympia.
History of the collection
Built to hold the finds of the German excavations begun in 1875, which were conducted under an agreement leaving the material in Greece — a precedent in the history of the discipline.
Collection notes
The arms and armour are dedications of spoils, and many are inscribed with the names of the dedicating state and the defeated. That makes them historical documents as well as objects, including a helmet inscribed as dedicated by Miltiades.
The black-glaze cup inscribed 'I belong to Phidias', found in the workshop, is among the most direct links between a named ancient artist and a surviving building.
The attribution of the Hermes to Praxiteles rests on a passage in Pausanias and is argued; the statue may be a later copy.