Chryselephantine Statues
conceptMonumental cult statues made of gold and ivory over a wooden frame, the most prestigious form of Greek religious art, including the two greatest lost masterpieces of antiquity.
The Myth
Chryselephantine (gold and ivory) statues were the supreme achievement of Greek sculpture, reserved for the most important cult images. Pheidias created the two most famous: the statue of Athena Parthenos inside the Parthenon (completed c. 438 BC) and the statue of Zeus at Olympia (completed c. 430 BC), one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. The Athena Parthenos stood about 12 metres tall, with skin of ivory, drapery of removable gold plates weighing about 1,140 kilograms, and a Nike figure in her right hand. The Zeus at Olympia was even more magnificent — seated on an elaborate throne, the god was so enormous that Strabo remarked if Zeus stood up, he would burst through the temple roof. Thucydides notes that in emergencies, the gold could be removed and melted for currency — Athena's statue was literally Athens' gold reserve, making the Parthenon both a temple and a treasury.
Parents
Pheidias (sculptor)
Symbols
Fun Fact
The two most revered artworks of antiquity — Pheidias's Athena and Zeus — are both completely lost. The Zeus at Olympia was last recorded in Constantinople around the 5th century AD. The Athena Parthenos vanished even earlier. Neither has ever been found. Together they contained enough gold to fund a small war and enough ivory to empty an elephant population. The greatest treasures of Greek civilisation simply disappeared, making them history's most valuable missing objects.
Words We Inherited
English words and phrases that trace back to this myth:
Explore Further
Seven Against Thebes (Detail)
conceptThe doomed military expedition of seven champions against the seven gates of Thebes, organised by...
Athena
godGoddess of wisdom and strategic warfare, born fully armored from the head of Zeus. Patron deity of...
Athena (Warrior)
godAthena was the goddess of wisdom, strategic war, and craftsmanship — born fully armoured from...
Athena Promachos
godAn epithet of Athena meaning "the Champion" or "who fights in front," represented by a colossal...
Athens
placeAthens was the city sacred to Athena, birthplace of democracy, philosophy, drama, and Western...
Nike
godNike was the winged goddess of victory in all domains — war, athletics, art.
Olympia
placeOlympia was the sanctuary in the Peloponnese where the ancient Olympic Games were held every four...
Zeus
godSupreme ruler of the Olympian gods and lord of the sky. Zeus overthrew his father Kronos and...
Zeus (King)
godZeus was the king of the Olympian gods, ruler of the sky, wielder of the thunderbolt — the supreme...
Zeus Xenios
godAn epithet of Zeus as guardian of guests and the sacred law of hospitality (xenia), whose violation...
Actaeon's Transformation
conceptThe hunter who accidentally saw Artemis bathing naked and was transformed into a stag, then torn...
Adamantine Sickle
conceptThe unbreakable sickle forged by Gaia and given to Cronus to castrate his father Uranus, an act...