This large, rectangular plot of dirt is maybe the least impressive part of the site, although since it was where the competitions took place, it was one of the most important.
And apparently it wasn't any more impressive 2500 years ago; apart from the stone structure on the right which was where the officials sat, it probably hasn't changed that much. If you had asked me what I expected to see here I would have guessed something like a Roman amphitheatre, but this stadium wasn't round, and didn't offer any seats for the spectators. (Though it is very large—the woman walking at the far end gives you some idea of the scale.) Events like wrestling, long jump, and javelin throw were done here.
And races. There was no track—the athletes just ran from one end of the stadium to the other. And if there were multiple laps, they just stopped at the end and ran back in the other direction, like swimmers in the modern Olympics.
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