Dion exists because of Zeus: the city's very name comes from «Dios», «of Zeus». In the sanctuary of Zeus Olympios the Macedonian kings sacrificed before great undertakings and celebrated the «Olympia», athletic and dramatic games in the god's honour.
Nearby, the sanctuary of Zeus Hypsistos («the Highest») flourished in Roman times; its cult statue of the enthroned god was found here and now greets visitors in the museum, while marble eagles — the god's sacred bird — marked the precinct.
Standing between the two sanctuaries with the peaks of Olympus rising behind, you understand why the ancients placed the gods exactly here.