Temple of Zeus at Olympia
A massive Doric temple built at Olympia between 472 and 456 BCE that housed one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, the chryselephantine statue of Zeus by Pheidias
The Meaning of Temple of Zeus at Olympia
The Temple of Zeus at Olympia was the most important religious building at the sanctuary where the ancient Olympic Games were held. Designed by the architect Libon of Elis, the temple was constructed between 472 and 456 BCE in the Doric order, measuring roughly 64 by 28 metres at its base. Its sculptural programme was magnificent: the east pediment depicted the chariot race between Pelops and Oenomaus, while the west pediment showed the battle between the Lapiths and the centaurs at the wedding of Pirithous. The twelve metopes above the inner porches depicted the Twelve Labours of Heracles. Inside the temple stood the colossal seated statue of Zeus, crafted by Pheidias from ivory and gold. Standing roughly 13 metres tall, it was counted among the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. The statue depicted Zeus enthroned, holding a figure of Nike in his right hand and a sceptre topped with an eagle in his left. The temple was damaged by earthquakes and finally destroyed in the sixth century CE, but its fallen columns still lie at the site today.
Parents
None recorded
Symbols
Fun Fact
The fallen column drums at the site are so massive that each one weighs approximately nine tonnes and stands taller than a person
Explore Further
Chryselephantine Statues
💭 conceptart, worship
Monumental 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.
Amyclae Throne
💭 conceptart, worship
The colossal throne-statue of Apollo at Amyclae near Sparta, one of the most sacred objects in the Greek world, combining sculpture, relief, and architecture.
Didyma
🏛 placegeography
A grand oracular sanctuary of Apollo near Miletus, home to one of the largest temples ever built in the ancient world.
Parthenon Frieze
💭 conceptClassical relief sculpture
A continuous low-relief marble band running around the inner chamber of the Parthenon, depicting the grand Panathenaic procession in honour of Athena
Nike of Samothrace
💭 conceptHellenistic sculpture
A monumental winged marble sculpture of Nike, the goddess of victory, carved around 190 BCE and displayed at the Louvre since 1884
Elgin Marbles
💭 conceptClassical sculpture
A collection of Classical Greek marble sculptures removed from the Parthenon in Athens by Lord Elgin in the early nineteenth century, now housed in the British Museum
Sacred Way
🏛 placepilgrimage, offering
The processional road ascending to Apollo's temple at Delphi, lined with treasuries and monuments dedicated by Greek city-states from their military victories.
Delphi Treasury of Athens
🏛 placevictory, piety
The marble treasury built by Athens at Delphi from Marathon spoils, the best-preserved building on the Sacred Way and a permanent advertisement of Athenian victory over Persia.
Laocoön and His Sons
💭 conceptHellenistic sculpture
A monumental marble sculpture depicting the Trojan priest Laocoön and his two sons being strangled by sea serpents sent by the gods
Hermes of Praxiteles
💭 conceptClassical sculpture
A marble statue found at Olympia in 1877 depicting Hermes holding the infant Dionysus, attributed to the sculptor Praxiteles and dating to the fourth century BCE
Olympia
🏛 placeSite of the Olympic Games
Olympia was the sanctuary in the Peloponnese where the ancient Olympic Games were held every four years for over a thousand years — the most important athletic and religious festival in Greece.
Shield of Achilles
💭 conceptArtefact
The divinely crafted shield described in the Iliad, depicting the entire cosmos and human civilisation