Since 1974 the Berkeley campus has been conducting a dig at Nemea in Greece which is one of four sites -- together with Olympia, Delphi, and Isthmia -- where the ancient Greeks celebrated the athletic and religious festivals known as panhellenic in ancient time, frequently today labelled "Olympic." Besides the temple of Zeus and various other buildings, the dig has produced the most recently discovered stadium and the only graffiti-covered entrance tunnel and locker room known from antiquity.

The dig has been under the supervision of Professor Stephen Miller of the Classics Department and has been financed with foundation grants and private gifts. Rudy Peterson has given money for a Museum at the site which shows pottery, coins and other items from antiquity. The project has always been a favorite of mine.

The modern Olympics were started in 1896 so on the hundredth anniversary a group of people from the town of Nemea and the Berkeley University community revived the Nemean Games on June 1, 1996. About 8000 people attended and about 500 ran in heats, dressed in Togas. Some photos follow.

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