The South Hall was designed to support multiple functions. Its interior was longitudinally divided by a row of seventeen (17) Corinthian columns. The South Hall functioned primarily as the southern limit of the sanctuary of Olympia and its main entrance from the south.
It was constructed around c. 360–350 BC, making it contemporaneous with the Echo Hall.
The structure remained in use for many centuries.
In the Late Antique period (5th–6th century A.D.), the Hall formed the southern border of the area enclosed by the Late Antique Wall (Spolienmauer).
The building marks an extension of major construction activity outside the Altis during the 4th century B.C.
The Hall was substantial in size, measuring eighty meters long and thirteen and a half meters wide (80 m x 13.5 m).
It was constructed of shell-limestone and erected upon a marble platform.
The structure featured a Doric order exterior and a Corinthian interior, a common architectural combination of the era.
The exterior façade, facing the Alpheios river, included 34 Doric columns along the front and six on each side.
A prominent feature was a protruding portico (seven meters wide) located in the middle of the façade.
The interior space was divided longitudinally by a row of seventeen Corinthian columns.
The Hall was situated outside the Altis enclosure, immediately south of the Bouleuterion.
Its orientation facing south was directed toward the Alpheios river and the presumed location of the Agora (market place).
The area beneath and immediately south of the Hall had historically been used extensively as a commercial market area.
Archaeological investigations uncovered six terracotta kilns and ample 5th-century B.C. pottery (Attic, Corinthian, and local) in this vicinity prior to the Hall’s construction.
The protruding southern portico suggested a role as a central point of reception and/or commerce.
The area near the South Hall and Bouleuterion was a prominent location for the storage and use of official dry measures and bronze weights used for commercial transactions at the festival.
The South Hall was renovated during the Roman period, with at least one major refurbishment attributed to the Augustan era.
Only the foundations and the lower part of its walls are visible in situ today.
The Hall was only partially investigated during early excavations, leaving its west side unexcavated for some time.
Recent cleaning efforts fully revealed the entirety of the building’s ground plan.
Evidence such as a peculiar structure made of stacked roof tiles found beneath the Hall suggests the location was used for temporary merchant booths prior to or immediately after its construction.
The ground upon which the South Hall was erected had a history as a commercial centre. Prior to the building’s construction, the area beneath and immediately south of it was utilized extensively as a market area.
Archaeological evidence confirms commercial and craft activity, with the discovery of six (6) terracotta kilns, along with abundant Attic, Corinthian, and locally made pottery dating from the 5th century B.C. in this vicinity.
Reflecting its continuous importance, the Hall underwent renovation during the Roman period, including refurbishments sometimes associated with the Augustan era.
Although the South Hall was utilized for many centuries , today only the foundations and the lower parts of its walls are visible.
The building was only partially investigated by archaeologists, and its western side remains unexcavated. However, the entirety of its ground plan was revealed following cleaning efforts.
Even in Late Antiquity, the Hall retained its demarcation role, defining the southern limit of the smaller area protected by the Late Antique Wall (Spolienmauer), which extended up to the South Hall’s roof during the 5th-6th century A.D.