statue (Archaeological Museum, Dion). In antiquity, the Olympus massif formed the border between
Thessaly and
Macedon. The history of the surrounding area is consequently of interest in the context of the
Rise of Macedon, the
Chremonidean War and the
Macedonian Wars during the 4th to 2nd centuries BC. In the period of the
Ottoman Empire the mountain was a hiding place and base of operations for
klephts and
armatoloi. It was known as
Semavatevi in Turkish during the nearly 400 years of Ottoman rule.
Ancient and medieval sites The whole region of Pieria's Olympus was declared an archaeological and historical site for the preservation of its monumental and historical character. Five kilometres away from the sea is
Dion, sacred city of the ancient Macedons, dedicated to Zeus and the Twelve Olympians. Its prosperity lasted from the 5th century BC to the 5th century AD. The excavations, continuing since 1928, have revealed numerous findings of the Macedonian, the Hellenistic and the Roman period. Currently there is a unique archaeological park of 200 hectares, with the ancient town and the sacred places of worship, outside its walls. Many statues and other invaluable items are kept in the nearby
Dion's archaeological museum. By the sea, in a strategic position, at Macedonia's gates is located
Platamon Castle, built between 7th and 10th century AD in the ancient town of Heracleia. To the north the ancient
Pydna is located. Here, in 168 BC, the decisive battle between the Macedonians and the Romans took place. Between Pydna and Mount Olympus are a fortified bishop's seat from the Byzantine period called
Louloudies and the Macedonian Tombs of
Katerini and
Korinos.
Christian monuments In the Olympus region, there are also several Christian monuments, among them the
highest-elevation chapel of Orthodox Christianity, dedicated to
Prophet Elias, in Greek tradition
associated with mountaintops, on the summit of the same name (Προφήτης Ηλίας
Profitis Ilias), at 2,803 m. It was built in the 16th century by
Saint Dionysios of Olympus, who also founded the most significant monastery in the region. The Old Monastery of Dionysios (elevation 820 m) lies in Enipeas's gorge On Olympus's southern foot, in a dominant position (820 m) in Ziliana gorge, there is the
Kanalon Monastery, 8 km away from Karya. It was founded in 1055 by the monks Damianos and Joakim and since 2001 it has been restored and operates as a convent. Further west, in the edge of Mavratza stream, at 1,020 m, there is the
Agia Triada Sparmou Monastery, that flourished in the early 18th century, possessed great property and assisted to establish the famous
Tsaritsani' school. It was abandoned in 1932, but in 2000 it was completely renovated and reopened as a male monastery, affiliated to
Elassona's diocese.
Climbing expeditions Archaeological evidence suggests that Mount Olympus was regularly visited in religious pilgrimages through antiquity and the early Middle Ages. For instance, ancient Greek pottery, coins, and evidence of sacrificial ashes estimated to be from 400 B.C. have been found on the summit. The third highest peak of Mount Olympus, called
Agios Antonios (Άγιος Αντώνιος "Saint Anthony", , 2,817 m), is known to have been the site of a sanctuary of
Zeus in antiquity based on archaeological finds discovered in 1961. In the modern era, a series of explorers tried to study the mountain and to reach its summit. Examples include the French archaeologist
Leon Heuzey (1855), the German explorer
Heinrich Barth (1862), and the German engineer Edward Richter. Richter tried to reach the summit in 1911 but was abducted by
klephts, who also killed the Ottoman gendarmes that accompanied him. It was just one year after the liberation of northern Greece from Ottoman rule, on 2 August 1913, that the summit of Olympus was finally reached. The Swiss
Frédéric Boissonnas and
Daniel Baud-Bovy, aided by a hunter of wild goats from Litochoro,
Christos Kakkalos, were the first to reach Greece's highest peak. Kakkalos, who had much experience climbing Olympus, was the first of the three to climb Mytikas. Afterwards, and until his death in 1976, he was the official guide on Olympus. In 1921, he and Marcel Kurz reached the second highest summit of Olympus, Stefani. Based on these explorations, Kurz in 1923 edited
Le Mont Olympe, a book that includes the first detailed map of the summits. In 1928, the painter Vasilis Ithakisios climbed Olympus together with Kakkalos, reaching a cave that he named
Shelter of the Muses, and he spent many summers painting views of the mountain. Olympus was later photographed and mapped in detail by others, and a series of successful climbs and winter ascents of the steepest summits in difficult weather conditions took place. Climbing Mount Olympus is a non-technical hike, except for the final section from the Skala summit to the Mytikas peak, which is a
YDS class 3
rock scramble and due to high exposure to heights, requires resistance to
acrophobia. It is estimated that over 10,000 people visit Mount Olympus each year, most of them reaching only the Skala and Skolio summits. Most climbs of Mount Olympus start from the town of
Litochoro, which took the name
City of Gods because of its location at the foot of the mountain. From there a road leads to Prionia, where the hike begins at the bottom of the mountain. == Climate ==