Airburst Over Olympia, Part Two by Nicholas Costa ©2026

Letrini & The Sanctuary of Artemis Alpheiaia: Distance from Olympia: 22 km (13.7 miles)

Etymology: Named after Letreus son of Pelops. The etymology of the word is considered as ‘unknown’. However the etymology of the name of Atreus, another son of Pelops, is commonly believed to derive from the Greek elements a- (meaning without or not) and trein (meaning to tremble or to fear). The name Letreus evidently contains the second element.

Mythology: Artemis’ title of Alpheiaia refers to the river god Alpheus who fell in love with Artemis; she outwitted him by smearing her face and those of her nymphs with white mud so he could not distinguish them.

Bones of Pelops: While the main Pelopion (shrine of Pelops) was in Olympia, Letrini held a tradition that some of Pelops’ bones were kept there.

Airburst: That the place was linked to an airburst can be directly determined by these references:

Therefore, he says you are about to be burned by them and by the bones of Pelops lying around the city of Laetrina in Elis. (Tzetzes, Ad Lycophronem §52)

‘“Remains of the fire”: what the fire left behind, bones, are called remains of the fire. “Son of Tantalus” the son of Tantalus, Pelops. “They inhabit Laetrina” those lying around Laetrina; Laetrina is a city of Elis. The bones of Pelops were lying there, which the oracle indicated to be brought back.” (Tzetzes, Ad Lycophronem §54)

The Victims of the Airburst?

Etymology: The name of the river Alpheus derives from the ancient Greek word alphos. In ancient medical contexts, the word alphos referred to skin conditions characterized by pale or white lesions.

Medical Context: In ancient Greek medicine, alphos referred specifically to a form of non-contagious leprosy or vitiligo where the skin becomes rough, white, and spotted—as seen with keloids or morphaea. Keloids and, less directly, conditions with morphea-like (scleroderma) are features which can be byproducts of trauma, burns, or inflammatory responses caused by an airburst (an explosion that occurs in the air rather than on the ground).

Thermal Radiation/Flash: An aerial explosion produces an intense flash of thermal radiation that can cause immediate third-degree burns or fourth degree burns on exposed skin. In these severe injuries, the heat or radiation from the blast (often referred to as a flash burn) penetrates through all layers of the skin, including the epidermis and dermis. Appearance: The damaged area often looks waxy white, stiff, or leathery.
Sensation: Because the nerve endings are destroyed at this depth, the white tissue is often painless or numb to light touch.
Physical State: Unlike less severe burns, these areas are typically dry and do not blanch (turn white and then back to red) when pressed.

Treatment: Historical accounts, such as those by Pausanias, describe rituals where those suffering from skin diseases would pray to the nymphs and bathe in the river or its nearby springs and hope for a cure. The Alpheus is often associated with the Anigros River and its nearby thermal springs. These waters were known for their high sulfur concentration, and were considered to be medically effective in treating benign skin diseases.

Significantly some 35 to 40 km (approx. 21.7 to 24.8 miles) distant from Letrini, (founded by Letreus), there was another location named Lepreum, which was named after Lepreus. (Note the similarity of the names).

Letreus and Lepreus: The two sites are separated by the Alfeos River valley. Letrini sat to the northwest of Olympia, while Lepreum sat to the south. Lepreum was not on the Olympian Sacred Way; it was located south of the Alfeos River in the district of Triphylia.

Lepreum was approximately 25 km (approx. 15.5 miles) from Olympia as opposed to Letrini’s 22 km (13.7 miles)

Lepreus: The name derives from the word lepros meaning scaly, scabby or leprous. He was depicted as the son of either Caucon (derived from kaio meaning to burn or scorched) or Pyrgeus (derived from pyr, fire), or understandably in the current context of Poseidon. Caucon’s tomb was historically shown at Lepreum, marking him as a foundational figure for the city’s original population. Either Lepreus or Caucon was killed by Heracles. (Pausanias (Description of Greece 5.5.4) Aelian stated that Lepreus (son of Caucon) originally advised King Augeas to imprison Heracles. Later, after a reconciliation, the two engaged in several contests (discus, bailing water, eating, and drinking). Lepreus lost every match and, in a fit of rage, challenged Heracles to single combat, where he was slain. (Historical Miscellany 1)

Caucon appears in another mythical cycle in which he and his brothers were struck by Zeus’s lightning (divine fire) as punishment for their impiety. Caucon, was depicted as an Arcadian prince, one of the 50 sons of the impious King Lycaon. To test them, Zeus visited them disguised as a peasant. In a reflection of the myth in which Pelops was seemingly butchered c1327 BC, these brothers mixed the entrails of a child into the god’s meal, whereupon the enraged Zeus threw the meal over the table. Caucon was killed, along with his brothers and their father, by a lightning bolt of the god. (Apollodorus, 3.8.1). It has to be pointed out that the butchered child Nictymus (of the night) is generally dated to the c1500’s BC and linked directly to the Flood of Deucalion. The key thing to remember is that the myths in the main do not relate to real people but act as metaphors to devastating events, so to find the same ‘individual’ separated by some 200 or so years should come as no surprise.

Memories of Leprosy:

Notably Pausanias writes: [5.5.5] I have heard some who maintained that Lepreus was founded by Leprea, the daughter of Pyrgeus. Others say that the first dwellers in the land were afflicted with the disease leprosy, and that the city received its name from the misfortune of the inhabitants. The Lepreans told me that in their city once was a temple of Zeus Leucaeus (Of the White Poplar), the grave of Lycurgus, son of Aleus, and the grave of Caucon, over which was the figure of a man holding a lyre.”

(White poplar wood, the material for the sacrifices to Zeus Leucaeus, is notable for being highly flammable and burning very quickly. Think here of the extant images of the airburst above Tunguska in 1908)

The Tomb of Oenomaus: Distance from Olympia: 0.2 km (0.12 miles). Heading out from the Altis (the main sanctuary) and traveling eastward toward the ancient township of Harpina is the River Kladeus (branch). Immediately across the river from the sanctuary stood the Tomb of Oenomaus and the ruins of his stables. According to Pausanias the site featured a mound of earth enclosed by a stone wall. Above the tomb were the ruins of buildings where Oenomaus was said to have stabled his mares. (Description of Greece 6.21.3.) Modern Status: Today, the tomb is considered unlocated or likely destroyed, as specific archaeological remains definitively tied to this description have not been recovered among the existing ruins.

Mythology: Oenomaus had a chariot with divine horses making him invincible. By the time Pelops arrived, Oenomaus had already killed 13 (or 18) suitors and nailed their heads to his palace walls. Pelops as a suitor prayed to Poseidon, his former lover, who gave him a golden chariot and winged horses. Pelops bribed Oenomaus’s charioteer, Myrtilus. Myrtilus replaced the bronze linchpins of the King’s chariot with pins made of wax. During the heat of the race, as Oenomaus drew close to spear Pelops in the back, the wax pins melted from the friction of the spinning wheels. The chariot disintegrated, and Oenomaus was thrown to the ground and died.

Etymology of Myrtilus?: The Flow/Drip Root (myro) The Greek verb myromai means to flow. to trickle, or to shed tears. The Verb tillo : which means to pluck, to pull out, or to tear.

Myrtilus himself was to die in due course. Pelops is depicted as taking him on a journey eastwards. where he treacherously threw him off a cliff into the sea near Cape Geraestus, and area delineated as the Myrtoan Sea. It lay between the Cyclades islands to the east and the Peloponnese peninsula to the west.

The Mound of the Suitors: The Mound of the Suitors (where Pelops buried the fallen competitors of the chariot race) was located exactly beside the settlement of Harpina.

Harpina lay on the right bank of the Alpheius River, roughly 20 stadia (about 3.7 km or 2.3 miles) from the hippodrome of Olympia. It was approximately 21.5 kilometers (13.4 miles) due east of Letrini. Harpina was an ancient town located on the right bank of the Alpheius River, just east of the Olympic hippodrome. The mound was a prominent feature on the high ground in this immediate area. According to the myth Harpina had been founded by Oenomaus and named after his mother. Her name notably originates from Ancient Greek arpina, derived from harpe, meaning “sickle-shaped sword” or “curved blade.”

Mythology: Before he was killed by Pelops, King Oenomaus had challenged every suitor to a chariot race. Losers were decapitated, and their heads were nailed to the pillars of Oenomaus’ palace (Pausanias 6.21.9-11; Pindar, Olympian 1.79.) These and the bones of Pelops are evidently metaphors for meteoric fragments falling to earth.

The Sanctuary of Artemis Cordax: located very near to Harpina. It was a monument dedicated to the goddess Artemis.

Mythology: The Cordax was the name of a provocative dance of the Old Comedy. It was said that the followers of Pelops celebrated their victory over Oenomaus with this dance here, dedicating the sanctuary to Artemis in gratitude for their success in the chariot race. The dance itself was notoriously wild, mimicking the moves of an alcoholic who is so drunk, so unsteady on their feet, and can barely stand with the world seemingly spinning about them (see for example Theophrastus, Characters, 6).

Corybantes (Curetes)

Lucian, wrote: “The comic dance is called the cordax; its movements are lascivious and involve shaking the waist and the belly.” (The Dance, 22). The dance in the current context would be a metaphor for an earth tremor or airburst which would have caused people to wildly flail around like drunkards. Whilst is etymology of Cordax is uncertain the word is reflected in the name of the Corybantes (Curetes) the armed and crested attendants of the Phrygian goddess Cybele. They were famous for their corybantic ritual—a wild, ecstatic dance performed to the clashing of spears and shields, accompanied by drums and flutes. As Curetes these mysterious creatures appeared at the birth of Artemis and stationed themselves on the mountain and created a din of arms by clashing their spears against their shields. This noise frightened Hera and drowned out Leto’s cries, allowing her to safely deliver Artemis and Apollo. Pausanias explicitly states that the Cordax dance originated among the people dwelling around Mount Sipylus in Lydia (Pausanias, Description of Greece 6.22.1) which as noted elsewhere had itself been previously subjected to a devastating overhead airburst c1327 BC.

Bones of Pelops: Pausanias, explicitly states that “not far from the sanctuary is a small building containing a bronze chest, in which are kept the bones of Pelops.” (Description of Greece 6.22.1).

Mount Typaeum: Distance from Olympia: 7.5 km (4.7 miles). Topography: Precipitous cliffs on the north bank of the Alpheios. Mount Typaeum is a towering, precipitous limestone cliff situated on the south bank of the Alpheius. While the sanctuary of Olympia sits on the north bank. Mount Typaeum is part of the mountain range that hemmed in the southern side of the valley. Travelers coming from the south (Scillus) would pass directly under its cliffs, while those on the Sacred Way from Letrini would see it looming across the river as they reached the final crossing point into the Altis.

Etymology: the name Typaeum (Typaion) comes from the Greek verb typto, meaning to strike, to beat, or to hammer. It can be translated the Struck Rock or the Rock of the Striking/Impacting. The ancient Greek word tympanon, which directly translates a drum shares the same root.

Mythology/Law: It was also known as the “Rock of Execution.” Under Elean law (the Nomophylakes) stated that any woman discovered at the Olympic festival (save for the Priestess of Demeter Chamyne) must be cast down from these heights.

Alpheus River: The Alpheus River formed the southern boundary of Olympia.

Mythology: The river god Alpheus was depicted as a hunter who became a river in order to pursue the nymph Arethusa under the Ionian Sea all the way to Syracuse. Her name derives from the Greek verb ardo meaning to water, to flow, or to moisten, and thoos, meaning quick/ swift. The Alpheus notably was the only water permitted to be used in making the ritual paste of ashes on the Great Altar of Zeus at Olympia.

Metaphors for a Tsunami?

These likely appear to be a metaphors relating to a tsunami and airburst (as signified by the ashes). The western Peloponnese has steep underwater slopes. A large airburst could potentially trigger a submarine landslide, which in turn could generate a local tsunami. The sea often recedes dramatically before a tsunami, acting as a natural warning sign. This phenomenon, known as a drawback, occurs when the low-trough of the tsunami wave reaches the shore first, sucking water away from the coastline and exposing the seabed.

Elliptical shape of the Airburst: Notably if there was an airburst its effects would be scattered over a wide area. Given the hypothetical direction of the incoming bolide, the overall shape resulting from it traveling in from the west would have created an elliptical pattern of devastation spreading eastwards. This is supported by the location of Heracles reputed labours in the Peloponnese:

Mount Kronos: Distance from Olympia: 0.4 km (0.25 mile) Topography: A pine-covered hill (the Kronion) overlooking the Altis.

Mythology: Named after the Titan Kronos. Pausanias states that the first games occurred here. It featured a wrestling match between Zeus and Kronos for the throne of the gods:

“Now some say that Zeus wrestled here with Cronus himself for the throne, while others say that he held the games in honor of his victory over the Titans.” (Pausanias, 5.7.10)

At the Altis ( the Sacred Grove). Distance from Olympia: 0 km (0 miles)

Here were:

Temple of Hera (Heraion) : Where the “Sixteen Women” of Elis offered a robe to Hera every four years.

The Pelopion : The procession concluded at the Pelopeion. This was the final sacrificial center for the hero Pelops. The tomb and shrine of the hero Pelops was located in the very heart of the Altis (the sacred grove) at Olympia. Location: It is located directly north of the Temple of Zeus and southwest of the Temple of Hera. Unlike a typical temple, it was a pentagonal enclosure (peribolos) containing a mound of earth, altars, and trees. Access was through a formal stone gateway (propylon).

Ritual: As the founding hero of the Olympic Games, Pelops received a unique blood sacrifice—a black ram—every year. The blood was poured into a sacrificial pit to nourish the hero in the underworld. It was considered the most sacred spot in Olympia after the Great Altar of Zeus. Pausanias (5.13.1) noted that “as Zeus is the most highly honored among gods at Olympia, so is Pelops among heroes.”

The Altis (the Sacred Grove) is the core religious precinct of Olympia. It contained the most significant temples, altars, and votive monuments dedicated to the gods and heroes.

According to Pausanias and archaeological findings, the primary structures included:

1. Major Temples

Temple of Zeus: The largest building, which once housed the Chryselephantine Statue of Zeus (one of the Seven Wonders).

Temple of Hera (Heraion): One of the oldest Doric temples in Greece; today, it is where the Olympic Flame is lit.

2. Hero Shrines & Altars

The Pelopium: The symbolic tomb/shrine of Pelops, a pentagonal enclosure mentioned earlier.

Great Altar of Zeus: Not a building, but a massive mound made of the ashes of sacrificed thighs, located near the Pelopium. Between the two main temples: It is located directly north of the Temple of Zeus and southwest of the Temple of Hera. The Structure: It is not a building with a roof, but a pentagonal stone enclosure (a peribolos). Inside this wall was a raised mound of earth shaded by trees.

Because it is a Heroön (a shrine to a hero) rather than a temple for a god, it was kept as an open-air “grove” to maintain its archaic, earth-bound character. Archaeologists have found that the mound was built over a much older, prehistoric settlement (a “Tumulus”), proving that the site was sacred long before the stone temples of Zeus or Hera were built.

Pausanias (5.13.1) explicitly states: “As Zeus is the most highly honored among gods at Olympia, so is Pelops among heroes.”

Halley’s Comet and the 69/ 70 Altars: Pausanias lists exactly 69 altars (often cited as roughly 70) within the sacred precinct of Olympia. These altars were dedicated to a vast range of gods and heroes, reflecting the diverse religious life of the sanctuary. Once a month, the people of Elis performed a full circuit of sacrifices at every single one of them. Why this number? Was it yet another hitherto unrecognized memorial to Halley’s Comet which at that point in time according to Yeomans calculations that the time between it’s early returns was approximately 69 to 70 years? Thus 1404 BC to 1334 BC: ~70 years; 1334 BC to 1265 BC: ~69 years; 1265 BC to 1196 BC~ 69 years. (Donald Yeomans and Tao Kiang, “The long-term motion of comet Halley,” 1981)

Part Three: Is there any evidence of an airburst above Olympia?

Don’t forget: