An elegant, circular edifice erected by the father of Alexander the Great in his own honor at the ancient sanctuary of Olympia is to be restored in time for the 2004 Olympics, following a decision by the Ministry of Culture.

Late on Tuesday, the ministry’s Central Archaeological Council approved a study by Greek and German experts to reconstruct as much as possible of the Philippeion, a rotunda started by Philip of Macedon following his victory over a joint Athenian and Theban army at Chaironeia in 338 BC.

The building is currently a heap of stones, with a few sections of a marble base for statues of Philip and his family still standing.

During reconstruction, sections of the building taken to Germany in the late 19th century will be returned to Greece to be incorporated in the Philippeion, under an agreement reached between the Greek and German governments in the summer of 2001.

Following Philip’s assassination in 336 BC, the Philippeion was completed by his son, Alexander. Just over 15 meters in diameter, it was surrounded by a colonnade of 18 slender Ionian columns.