A small sacred enclosure — a temenos — at the heart of the Altis, built around the supposed tomb of Pelops, the mythological hero who gave the Peloponnese its name. The cult of Pelops was among the oldest at Olympia, predating the great temples, and his hero shrine continued to receive offerings even as Zeus came to dominate the sanctuary.
The enclosure is marked by a pentagonal palisade wall and contains a pit used for ritual offerings. The site is modest in scale but sits at the symbolic heart of the sanctuary, between the Temple of Hera and the Temple of Zeus. Pausanias described white poplars growing inside — a sacred tree associated with the underworld.