Excavations in the ancient Greek city of Elis have revealed a high-classical Temple of Nike, dating to the late 4th-century BCE. The sanctuary, located near the gymnasium, was a center for athletes to offer sacrifices before competitions. Archaeologists were stunned to find a cache of intact bronze miniature chariots and laurel wreaths made of hammered gold within the temple's central treasury pit.
The temple's architecture follows a rare amphiprostyle plan with four columns at each end, and the pediment fragments suggest a massive marble representation of the winged goddess in flight. This discovery provides the most complete look at the cult of Nike in the Peloponnese outside of Olympia, emphasizing the deity's role in civil and athletic triumphs.