Where is the Temple of Zeus in Athens? Temple of Zeus in Olympia: history, attractions, statue of Zeus, visit to Olympia
The Athens Temple of Olympian Zeus is a unique structure in many aspects. A record for the duration of the construction, half the period of prosperity and the minimum remaining in a vast fenced area, and all this in the very center of the Greek capital. Many will say that there is nothing to see there, but this is not at all true - this is the historical heart of Greece.
At first glance, it’s a little strange to see an area the size of several football fields practically free of buildings. However, the preserved base of the temple and especially the dozen and a half tall columns look impressive.
The standing columns are connected by lintels, and all structural elements are made from marble quarried nearby. The deposit on Mount Pentelikon provided ornamental stone not only for the Temple of Olympian Zeus, but also for the construction of Hadrian's Arch and the restored stands of the Panathinaikos Stadium, where the first Olympic Games in modern history were held.
Among the deities of Ancient Greece, Zeus was the supreme god, commanding all things on earth. His brother Poseidon commanded the waters of the sea and their inhabitants, another brother Hades was in charge of the kingdom of the dead. Zeus had numerous offspring both from his wife Hera and from other goddesses and mortal women. His daughter Athena personified wisdom and patronized artists and craftsmen.
She was also the patroness of Athens, where the Parthenon Temple on Mount Acropolis is dedicated to her. However, the temple of Olympian Zeus was much superior to all other sanctuaries, together with the surrounding territory only slightly inferior to the area of the entire rock of the Acropolis.
To guide future visitors to Athens, the review provides a diagram of the main structures located in the temple area. The intention of the creators of the sanctuary is clearly visible to make the temple the center of attraction for all visitors to this sacred structure.
There is enough space left around the temple to view it from a sufficient distance, because details are visible up close, but the feeling of majesty is lost.
The diagram shows both structures built at the same time as the temple and later, as well as much earlier ones, more than 400 years BC. It was at this time that the construction of the Temple of Zeus began, but it dragged on for six long centuries.
The specification for the above diagram names all surrounding structures and gives the completion dates of their construction. The table shows that the most ancient are the wall of Themistocles, the palace of Apollo of Delphi and the ruins of the ancient courthouse.
The Arch of Hadrian, near which most of those heading to the Temple of Olympian Zeus pass, and other buildings from the time of Hadrian - Roman baths, another sanctuary of Zeus, a residential village and the later palace of Kronos and Rhea, the parents of Zeus, are also indicated.
According to legend, Kronos ate his children because of his mother Gaia's prediction that they would deprive their father of power. However, Rhea hid the child, and the prediction came true.
From the territory of the Temple of Olympian Zeus one can clearly see the majestic Acropolis, built 5 centuries BC, that is, before even the first attempts to build the temple described. At the same time, the religious buildings located on an inaccessible rock, although they are damaged, have been preserved quite completely compared to several columns on the large base of the Temple of Olympian Zeus.
The duration of construction of the Temple of Olympian Zeus is explained by repeated stoppages due to changes in rulers or the death of the architect. The biggest pause occurred during the period when Rome introduced the Christian religion, which led to the rejection of all other beliefs. Only the coming to power of the tolerant Emperor Hadrian made it possible to complete the grandiose unfinished construction.
The jewel of the temple was a giant statue of Zeus seated on a throne, a copy of the work of the great Phidias for the temple in the city of Olympia, which is often confused with Athens, and little of it remained due to the fire. The statue of Zeus was considered by the ancient Greeks to be one of the seven wonders of the world and shared the fate of most of them - after all, only the Egyptian pyramids have survived to this day.
The work of Phidias is described as a miracle made of ivory and gold (allegedly 200 kg of precious metal were needed). The statue was about 15 meters in height; with 17-meter columns, Zeus almost reached the ceiling with his head.
The destruction of the temple was not due to antiquity or mistakes of the builders, it was mainly the work of human hands. The structure had a large margin of safety, which can be seen even today by examining the powerful foundation made of huge thick slabs in several layers.
Columns 2 meters in diameter are installed on additional pads, and hidden fasteners are provided. However, out of more than a hundred columns, only what visitors see during the tour remains.
The oldest versions of the structure were dismantled for the construction of fortifications that protected Athens from raids, and after the accession of the Romans, the rulers, who were in the habit of using the treasures of conquered countries to decorate their own buildings, dismantled the parts they needed.
When Constantine the Great actually legalized Christianity in the 300s AD, he did not introduce a ban on other rituals and beliefs, but Theodosius did, which outlawed the temple and deprived it of state protection.
High seismic activity and plunder quickly turned the unique structure into ruins.
At the top of the columns, they end in decorative capitals, which simultaneously serve as supports for horizontal connecting beams. These structural elements connected the columns in the longitudinal and transverse directions, providing rigidity to the entire structure.
At the same time, the upper horizontal beams served as support for the architraves - the main elements of the floors and roofs of buildings. In addition to their decorative purpose, capitals also had the engineering function of transferring loads between the components of buildings.
In the Temple of Olympian Zeus, capitals of the Corinthian order were used, combining strength and grace.
The stone fence marks the temple area where no other construction took place. Various components found at the site of the destroyed building are collected near the walls. Here there are structural elements and blanks for them of varying degrees of processing, which are displayed on a selection of slides.
Stone blocks were hewn out by hand by ancient stonemasons using simple tools. The presented collection shows the different stages of stone processing, from rough shaping to finishing, ensuring a tight fit to each other without the use of a binder solution.
The final stage is carried out by stone cutters, who are able to embody smooth shapes in solid material.
In addition to the main group of columns connected by upper lintels, which visitors viewed at the eastern end of the Temple of Olympian Zeus, in its western part two single columns miraculously survived and one lies scattered into its constituent elements. The design consisting of separate disks, then connected into a vertical product, becomes clear. The details need to be considered as you come closer.
Ancient Greece, which is the birthplace of modern democracy, a country that gave the world many philosophies, fundamental scientific discoveries and the greatest works of art, was not a brilliant kingdom of truth, but a conglomeration of large and small city-states and tribes, constantly at war with each other.
Computer reconstruction of the Temple of Zeus at Olympia
The most insignificant reasons could cause many years of bloody hostility. However, once every four years an event occurred that forced this boiling cauldron to subside. These were pan-Greek sports competitions, the famous Olympic Games, named after the city of Olympia in the region of Elis (Peloponnese), in which they took place.
Olympia
During the Games in Hellas, all wars ceased. The best athletes of Greece, thousands of fans gathered here, kings, diplomats and other statesmen came here to discuss issues of peace and war. They did not have to fear for their safety, since everyone who arrived at the Games was considered “guests of Zeus.” First of all, they all visited the main and most famous sanctuary of Hellas - the Temple of Olympian Zeus.
Since ancient times, Olympia has been a place of worship of Zeus. The sacred grove, Altis, was surrounded by a wall back in the Mycenaean era. Within the enclosure there were a number of sanctuaries, of which the Temple of Zeus was the most revered. Pilgrims came here from all lands inhabited by the Greeks, including Italy, the Black Sea region, Africa and the Persian possessions. In Altis, numerous statues of gods and winners of the Olympic Games were installed, as well as, according to Greek legend, an arch that exactly matched the height of the founder of the Olympic Games, Hercules.
History of construction
The first altar of Zeus was erected here in the 10th-9th centuries. BC e., and the construction of the now legendary grand temple of Zeus at Olympia began around 472 BC. e. The work was supervised by the local architect Libon. The best craftsmen of Greece took part in the construction. The recent victory over the Persians united all the cities of Hellas in a patriotic outburst, and monetary donations for the construction arrived from all over the country.
No expense was spared during construction. The best types of stone and wood from the entire Hellenic world were brought to Olympia. Even the roof tiles, which were always made of clay, were marble. The main material for construction was local hard shell rock, which was covered with marble plaster. The best sculptors of Greece sent their creations to decorate the temple.
The work was completed in 456 BC. e. After completion of construction, the Temple of Zeus at Olympia appeared as a truly magnificent structure. The main decoration of the temple was the giant statue of Olympian Zeus by the famous Athenian sculptor Phidias. The scale of the statue was so grandiose that the original plan of the building had to be changed for its sake.
Temple architecture
Only ruins remain of the temple, but eyewitness accounts and large quantities of fragments of stone blocks and statues preserved make it possible to reconstruct its appearance.
Reconstruction of the temple
The Temple of Zeus at Olympia was a classic peripterus - a type of quadrangular building surrounded on all sides by columns. A powerful four-meter foundation was buried in the ground, on which a three-stage foundation rested. The size of the upper platform of the base, the stylobate, was 64 by 28 meters.
The temple colonnade consisted of 38 slender Doric columns with 20 flutes (longitudinal grooves). There were 6 columns at the ends of the building, 13 on the sides, their height was 10.43 meters. Some of the columns have been completely recreated, and their appearance suggests that the Temple of Zeus at Olympia is one of the earliest buildings in the classical style. In previous eras, the columns were made somewhat thicker in the middle, as if it was difficult for them to carry the roof and frieze with images of gods and heroes. The columns of the Temple of Zeus have completely smooth, straight silhouettes; they do not succumb under the weight of the roof, but lift it into the sky. This gave the building unprecedented harmony.
Above the end columns there was a row of metopes - marble slabs with images of gods and heroes. Above, on the pediments, scenes from Greek myths were presented. On the eastern pediment there was a sculptural group depicting the competition of the mythical Oenomaus and Pelops, watched by Zeus, and on the western pediment there was a battle between the Lapiths and the centaurs in the presence of Apollo. Numerous sculptures of pediments in varying degrees of preservation have survived to this day and amaze with their expression and art of execution.
The entire structure was crowned by a gilded figure of Victory, installed in the center of the pediment, and gilded bowls stood at the edges. Marble lion heads were mounted on the sides of the roof, serving as amulets for the temple.
Interior
In the interior, the building measured 28 x 13 meters. We went up to the temple not by steps, but by a gentle ramp. Upon entering the naos, the inner hall, the visitor found himself in front of one of the most remarkable works of Greek sculpture, the colossal statue of Olympian Zeus, considered one of the seven wonders of the world.
Zeus was depicted sitting on a throne mounted on a massive stepped pedestal. The pedestal symbolized Olympus, so gilded statues of gods were located on its steps. The Thunderer himself held in one hand a scepter crowned with an eagle, and in the palm of his other hand stood a golden statue of Nike. The height of the statue of Zeus was about 10 meters. It seemed that if God stood up, he would be higher than the temple itself.
The throne was made of ebony, decorated with precious stones and overlays of gold and ivory. The statue itself was made in the so-called chrysoelephantine technique. The frame was made of wood, on which plates of gold and ivory were attached. In this case, the gold parts represented clothing, and the ivory parts represented open parts of the body.
On the sides of the hall there were galleries from which one could see the Thunderer, being literally at the level of his head. To support the powerful roof, 4 more rows of 7 columns were installed in the room, between which statues of gods and heroes were placed.
The fame of the new temple quickly spread throughout the ancient world. Gifts flocked here both from Hellenic cities and colonies, and from barbarian rulers. Poets presented their poems in front of the temple, sculptors exhibited their creations. It was here that the “father of history” Herodotus first read publicly excerpts from his work.
The further fate of the temple
For many centuries the flow of pilgrims to the temple did not dry out. The Romans who conquered Greece highly revered the sanctuary, identifying Zeus with their supreme god Jupiter. All emperors who visited Greece considered it their duty to visit Olympia. In the Roman era, the pediments of the temple were decorated with gilded shields.
Ruins of the Temple of Zeus
The existence of the sanctuary of Zeus, like many others, was put to an end by the spread of Christianity. The zealous Christian Emperor Theodosius in 406 ordered the destruction of all the buildings of Olympia as pagan, and in the 6th century powerful earthquakes completed what Theodosius had begun. The statue of Zeus was taken to Constantinople, where it died in one of the fires that were frequent in those days.
Now there are only ruins on the site of the temple. However, numerous sculptures kept in the Olympia Museum and fairly accurate reconstructions make it possible to imagine how grandiose and majestic the temple of Zeus in Olympia was.
The Temple of Olympian Zeus was the largest temple in Greece, taking more than seven centuries to build. Construction of the Olympion began in the sixth century BC, during the Archaic period. But the temple was finally completed only in the second century AD, during the Roman era. Construction began in 515 BC on the orders of the tyrant Peisistratus, but stopped just five years later when the tyrant's son was overthrown. During the subsequent democratic period, the temple was considered a symbol of oppression and work was stopped.
History of the Temple of Zeus
Construction resumed in 175 BC, under the reign of King Antiochus IV Epiphanes. He hired the Roman architect Cossucius to design the largest temple in the world. Unfortunately, 10 years later (in 164 BC) Antiochus died and work stopped once again. In 132 n. e., during his second visit to Athens, Emperor Hadrian decided to complete the construction of the temple and dedicate it to Olympian Zeus. 
The Temple of Zeus became the center of a new area called Adrianopolis. The Olympion was the largest temple in Ancient Greece, even larger than the Parthenon. The structure was originally designed in the Doric style, with two rows of eight wide columns in width, and two rows of 21 columns in length. Cossucius significantly modified the original design. He added Corinthian pilasters and also changed the arrangement of columns, while maintaining the original number. Emperor Hadrian decided to choose this design and strictly follow it. 
Today, only fifteen of more than a hundred large columns, 17.25 meters high, have survived. The Sixteenth Column was destroyed in a terrible storm in 1852, but its ruins still lie where it fell. The columns, two meters in diameter, were built from marble from the Pentelic quarry. They surrounded the cella, in which were placed two large statues: a gold and ivory statue of Zeus and a statue of the Emperor Hadrian. The statue of Zeus was an exact copy of the statue of Zeus created by the famous Greek sculptor Phidias at Olympia. Unfortunately, none of the statues have survived to this day.
Arch of Hadrian
In 131 AD, the Athenians built a closed arch in honor of Emperor Hadrian. The eighteen-meter-high arch is located northwest of the temple. It is engraved with two sentences. The inscription on the side of the Acropolis reads "This is Athens, the ancient city of Theseus." The other side of the arch overlooks the temple and the part of the city built by Hadrian, and the inscription indicates that “This is the city of Hadrian, not Theseus.” The inscriptions refer to the founders of the new and old city of Athens: the arch symbolically divided the old city (founded by the mythical hero Theseus) and the new city of Adrianopolis, founded by the Roman emperor Hadrian. 
Several other structures in the Temple of Zeus complex were discovered during excavations at Olympaeion, including Roman baths from the 130s and several temples from the same period.
The Temple of Olympian Zeus, also known as the Olympion, is a grand ruined temple in the center of the Greek capital dedicated to Zeus, leader of the Olympian gods. It began to be built in the 6th century. BC e., during the reign of the Athenian tyrant Pisistratus, who planned to create the largest building in the world, but it was never completed until the beginning of the reign of the Roman emperor Hadrian in the 2nd century. n. e., 650 years after the start of work.
The temple is located 500 m southeast of the Acropolis and a few blocks south of Syntagma Square. Construction of the Temple of Olympian Zeus began in 520 BC. e. on the site of the destroyed Temple of Pisistratus. The construction of the Temple was entrusted to the sons Hippiasom and Hipparchosom. They were going to surpass the two famous modern temples, the Heraion at Samos and the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, which was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Designed by the architects Antistates, Kallaeshrous, Antimachides and Porinus, the Temple of Olympian Zeus was to be built from local limestone in the Doric style on a huge platform measuring 41 m by 108 m. It was flanked on two sides by colonnades of eight columns in front and behind, and 21 in sides
Work was suspended when the tyranny was overthrown and Hippias was expelled in 510. Only the platform and some elements of the columns were completed by this time, and the Temple remained in this state for another 336 years. The temple remained unfinished during the years of Athenian democracy, apparently because the Greeks considered it impossible to build on such a scale.
This continued until 174 BC. e., when Antiocus IV Epiphanius, presenting himself as the earthly incarnation of Zeus, revived the project and appointed the architect Decimus Cossutius to lead it. It was then decided to surround the Temple with three rows of eight columns at the back and front of the temple and double rows of twenty columns on the sides, for a total of 104 columns. The columns were supposed to be 17 m high and 2 m in diameter. The building material was also changed to expensive but high-quality marble, and the order was changed to Corinthian. However, the project was suspended until 164 BC. e. due to the death of Antiocus.
In 124-125 AD, when Emperor Hadrian arrived in Athens, a program began to build a number of structures, one of which was the Temple of Olympian Zeus. Cossutius's design was implemented with some modifications and the temple was officially opened by Hadrian in 132 AD. e., receiving the name "Panellenios". The temple and adjacent monasteries were decorated with numerous statues depicting Hadrian and the gods. A statue of Hadrian stood behind the building in honor of the imperial generosity. A statue of Zeus, made of gold and ivory, occupied a central place in the temple. The shape of the statue was unusual, since the use of gold and ivory was considered something archaic for that time. It was initially believed that Hadrian deliberately copied the famous statue of Athena of the Parthenon in an attempt to draw attention to the temple and to himself as the creator.
The Temple of Olympian Zeus was seriously damaged by the sack of Athens in 267. Its reconstruction was unlikely, especially given the extent of the damage. And in 425, the Temple was completely closed by the Christian Emperor Theodos II, when he forbade obedience to the old Roman and Greek gods. The building's building materials were used for the basilica, which was built in the 5th-6th centuries. n. e. By the end of the Byzantine period, the Temple was almost completely destroyed.
Fifteen columns have survived to this day and sixteen more lie on the ground, having fallen during a storm in 1852. Nothing remains of the great statue. The temple was excavated in 1889-1896. Francis Penrose, who also supervised the restoration of the Parthenon, and subsequently in 1922 by the German archaeologist Gabriel Welter and in the 1960s. Greek archaeologist Ioannes Travlos. The temple today is under the control of the Greek Ministry of the Interior.
Ancient Greece was home to two wonders of the world: the statue of Zeus and the Colossus of Rhodes. Both masterpieces have not survived to this day, and a tricky story happened with the statue of the Lord of Olympus. Many believe that it was located in the temple of the same name in Athens, but in fact the legendary statue of Zeus was located in the village of Olympia in the Peloponnese. In honor of the famous thunderer, a monumental palace was erected here, known today as the Temple of Zeus at Olympia. Nowadays, only ruins remain of the building, but even the reconstructions show the highest level of skill possessed by the architectural school of that time.
The grandeur of Greek architecture
Urban planning and architectural features of Ancient Greece served as a kind of ideal of perfection. Just as the Romanesque and Gothic architecture of Western Europe was famous in the Middle Ages, so in the ancient period the ancient kingdom of the Greeks was a role model.
The influence of the Greek school is found in buildings of large and small forms in the states of the Northern Black Sea region, the kingdoms of Arabia, and the Sasanian Empire (Iran). Many elements were borrowed from the Romanesque architecture of Western Europe, including the famous basilicas, monasteries and churches of St. Mary (Santa Maria). Even the Gothic architecture of Eastern and Northern Europe did not stand aside.
And the more ancient cities and tombs with artifacts are explored, the more one senses the level of development of construction that the early Greek kingdom possessed. The Temple of Zeus in Olympia is one of the unattainable buildings of antiquity, the pinnacle of Doric architecture. Excavations of the ruins remaining from the Olympic Sanctuary made it possible to reconstruct the original appearance of the palace and restore the history of the construction of the temple.
Construction of the temple
The small settlement of Olympia in the northwestern Peloponnese was destined to play a significant role in world history.
Since ancient times, a large sanctuary of the goddess Gaia was founded on these lands. Here Hercules laid down the tradition of holding the Olympic Games, which still exists today. But this all happened earlier, and during the heyday of Greek civilization the cult of Zeus reigned, so the new shrine was dedicated to him.
The Temple of Zeus began to be built in 472 BC. Like the Temple of Apollo Epicurius, the Palace of the Thunderer is associated with military actions: its construction was preceded by the legendary battle of the Greeks with the Persians. Inspired by the victory, the inhabitants of Hellas did not skimp on donations, and construction took little time. Building structures from the best materials were selected for the palace, and the work was carried out by the most experienced architects of Greece. The temple was decorated with relief sculptures, monuments and a luxurious statue of Zeus by the great Phidias. The completion of construction dates back to 456 BC.
According to the restored plans of Olympia, the temple was located in the very center of the Sacred Grove (Altis). On the west it was adjacent to Phidias’s workshop, and on the east and north sides the palace was surrounded by sculptures and votive gifts. For the ancient Greeks, the Temple of Zeus was the most important shrine. In terms of importance, only the Byzantine Cathedral of Sophia or the most famous palace in Asia, the Taj Mahal, are comparable to it.
Read also: Temple of Hephaestus in Athens - history, description, information for tourists
The loss of the former grandeur of the ancient palace is associated with the crisis of Greek civilization, and then the decline of the Roman Republic. With the advent of Christianity, the temple was destroyed, and the surviving fragments were hidden under a layer of sand by powerful earthquakes of 520-550. Archaeologists were able to excavate the remains and restore the appearance of the shrine only in the 19th century.
Architectural landmarks
Built by the best architects of Greece, the palace became the largest in the Peloponnese: the length of the base was 64 m and the width was 28 m.
The Temple of Zeus at Olympia represents a Doric perimeter, i.e. The building is surrounded on all sides by a colonnade (by the way, this style would later be partially adopted by the school of Middle Byzantine architecture). There were 6 columns at the ends of the religious building, and 13 on the sides. Moreover, they were all of ideal shape, i.e. this is the very first example of the classical style of Greek architecture.
The decor of the temple is of particular interest to researchers. Sculptural groups depicting mythological subjects were placed on the pediments and metopes. The composition of the eastern pediment tells the story of the competition between Pelops and Oenomaus, which Zeus vigilantly watches. The western pediment shows scenes from the battle of the Lapiths with the centaurs, and the 12 labors of Hercules are depicted on the metopes. Fragments of these sculptural groups were found and partially restored.
The main feature of the temple is the monumental statue of Olympian Zeus, which later became one of the wonders of the world. The majestic statue, made of ebony, ivory, gold and precious stones, amazed those entering the temple. The height of the figure sitting on the throne was 10 meters: it seemed that if the Thunderer stood up, he would rise even above the temple itself. The sculpture was located in the center of the hall, with viewing galleries on the sides. Unfortunately, this masterpiece was lost in ancient times.
The reconstruction of the appearance of the palace of Zeus made it possible to understand that the Greek temples were as majestic as the churches and monasteries of the architecture of Western and Eastern Europe built in the Middle Ages. Although in the XI-XIII centuries the development of construction was at a completely different level.
Today, only ruins remain on the site of the sanctuary, but even a small part of the temple is worth the attention of modern tourists, because it carries the grandeur of ancient times.
How to get to the Temple of Zeus in Olympia
To admire the columns of the ancient sanctuary with your own eyes, you need to go to the Peloponnese, to the town of Olympia.
We warn you once again: do not confuse the temple with the statue of Zeus in Olympia and the Temple of Olympian Zeus, located near the acropolis in Athens!
Olympia is a small settlement, the main part of which is an archaeological complex. There is no own transport here; travelers are brought by tourist buses or public transport from other cities. If you prefer independent trips to excursion packages, then you can get to the Temple of Zeus in Olympia in three ways.
Buses from Athens
From the Greek capital, from Kifisou Street, where Terminal A is located, there are direct flights twice a day to Olympia (via Pyrgos). Bus departure times from Athens are 09:30 and 13:00, the journey will take 5.5 hours, and the ticket will cost 28 euros.
In addition, from the same bus stand there are buses to Pyrgos every hour (from 06:30 to 21:30). Here you need to transfer to the bus to Olympia, which runs hourly.
