Originally constructed as a wooden stadium in 330 BC for the ancient Panathenaic Games, the Panathenaic Stadium was rebuilt entirely in Pentelic marble by Herodes Atticus in AD 144, creating one of the grandest arenas of the Roman world. After centuries of neglect and abandonment, the historic site was painstakingly restored from its ruins to host the opening and closing ceremonies of the first modern 1896 Olympic Games.