Athens,- ANSICHT DES PANATHENAISCHEN STADIUMS.

A fine copper engraved view of the 'Panathenaic Stadium', in Athens, from the rare German edition of 'The Antiquities of Athens' by Stuart and Revett, published in Darmstatt 1829/30.
The Panathenaic Stadium  or Kallimarmaro , lit. "beautiful marble") is a multi-purpose stadium in Athens, Greece. One of the main historic attractions of Athens, it is the only stadium in the world built entirely of marble.
A stadium was built on the site of a simple racecourse by the Athenian statesman Lykourgos (Lycurgus) ca?330 BC, primarily for the Panathenaic Games. It was rebuilt in marble by Herodes Atticus, an Athenian Roman senator, by 144 AD and had a capacity of 50,000 seats.
After the rise of Christianity in the 4th century it was largely abandoned. The stadium was excavated in 1869 and hosted the Zappas Olympics in 1870 and 1875. After being refurbished, it hosted the opening and closing ceremonies of the first modern Olympics in 1896, and was the venue for 4 of the 9 contested sports.
It was used for various purposes in the 20th century and was once again used as an Olympic venue in 2004. It is the finishing point for the annual Athens Classic Marathon. It is also the last venue in Greece from where the Olympic flame handover ceremony to the host nation takes place.

James Stuart and Nicholas Revett, are best known for their central role in pioneering Neoclassicism, and were British architects who traveled in Greece from 1751 to 1754 to record and measure the ancient ruins, particularly those of the Acropolis in Athens.
They published their findings in 'The Antiquities of Athens', the first volume of which appeared in 1762. In England, Revett and Stuart prepared their work for publication and found subscribers for 'The Antiquities of Athens'. The project was intended to consist of four volumes, although a supplementary volume also appeared. The illustrations include 368 etched and engraved plates, plans, and maps drawn at scale.
Although their French rival Julien-David Le Roy published his book about ancient Greek monuments 'Les Ruines des plus beaux bâtiments de la Grèce' before 'The Antiquities of Athens', the accuracy of Revett and Stuart's work gives their survey a claim to be the first of its kind in studies of ancient Greece; for example, Revett and Stuart were the first Europeans to describe the existence of ancient Greek polychromy.

The first volume, in which the authors are described as "painters and architects", appeared in 1762/3. Revett gave up his interest in the project after the first volume, but Stuart continued to be involved until his death in 1788. The fourth volume appeared in 1816, the year the Elgin Marbles were acquired by the British government.