THE INFLUENCES: The Temple of Olympian Zeus (or Olympeion; known in Italian as

the Tempio di Giove Olimpico) in Agrigento, Sicily was the largest Doric temple ever
constructed, although it was never completed and now lies in ruins. It stands in the Valle
dei Templi with a number of other major Greek temples.

Temple of Olympian Zeus

THE PHILOSOPHY

The Temple of Olympian Zeus in Athens, also known as the Olympieion, was built over several
centuries starting in 174 BCE and only finally completed by Roman emperor Hadrian in 131
CE. Its unusually tall columns and ambitious layout made the temple one of the largest ever built
in the ancient world.
The Temple of Olympian Zeus in Athens, also known as the Olympieion, was built over several
centuries starting in 174 BCE and only finally completed by Roman emperor Hadrian in 131 CE.
Its unusually tall columns and ambitious layout made the temple one of the largest ever built in
the ancient world.

The Temple of Olympian Zeus, Athens

Historical Overview
Located south-east of Athens' acropolisnear the River Ilissos, the temple would become
the city's largest. The site shows evidence of habitation from the Neolithic
period while Pausanias claimed the ancient sanctuary to Zeus was first created at the site by the
mythical figure of Deukalion. The earliest archaeological evidence of a temple in the area dates
to the 6th century BCE. The tyrant Peisistratos the Younger began to build a new and much
bigger Doric temple in 515 BCE. The plans were devised by the architects Antistates,
Callaeschrus, and Antimachides but work got no further than the limestone base before
Peisistratos was deposed and the project was abandoned.

THE RELIGION
The Temple of Zeus was built on an already ancient religious site at Olympia.
The Altis, an enclosure with a sacred grove, open-air altars and the tumulus
of Pelops, was first formed during the tenth and ninth centuries BC, Greece's
"Dark Age", when the followers of Zeus had joined with the followers of
Hera.
TH MATERIAL
The building material was changed to the expensive but high-quality Pentelic
marble and the order was changed from Doric to Corinthian, marking the first
time that this order had been used on the exterior of a major temple.
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Location: Ancient Olympia

Olympia Temple of Zeus: The ruined Temple of Zeus that stands today in the archaeological site of Olympia
was built to honor the chief of the gods. It was probably constructed at around 470 B.C when the ancient
Olympic Games were at their peak. In fact, there is an interesting story behind the construction of this temple.
In 470 B.C, there was a war between Elis and Pisa, two neighboring powers in the area of Olympia. Finally,
Elean was defeated and as a penalty, the town gave the funds for building a magnificent temple right outside
the stadium of Olympia.

It took almost thirteen years to complete the temple till 457 B.C. When it was completed, the Spartans gifted a
golden tripod for placing it on the top of the gable. This gesture on the part of the Spartans was to celebrate
their victory over Athens in the battle of Tanagra. The architect was named Libon and he made the entire
design of the temple following the Doric style.

The Temple of Zeus in Olympia is a hexastyle building, which was erected over three steps of stylobate. The
entire monument was made of limestone and is covered with stucco. Parian marble was used for making the
sculptures inside the temple and Pentelic marble was used to construct the roof tiles. The temple has thirteen
columns on both sides and six columns each at two ends. Pronaos, Naos and Opisthodomos were its three
compartments.

The construction of the temple was never entirely complete. It went under renovation many times. While, for
example, the floor was initially made of colorful mosaics with pebbles and stones, later these were enveloped
by marble. The sculptures on the pediment and the metopes depicting the 12 labors of Hercules were awesome
but unfortunately, we do not know their sculptors. Three different stories were sculpted on the east pediment,
the west pediment, and the metopes.
However, the most impressive content of the temple was the magnificent golden and chryselephantine statue of
Zeus, which is considered to be one of the seven wonders of the Ancient World. This 13-meters tall statue was
made by Phidias, the most talented sculptor of ancient Greece, in his workshop in Olympia. Unfortunately,
both the temple and the statue of Zeus were destroyed by an earthquake.

THE GEOGRAPHY AND GEOLOGY

Temple of Zeus

Location Olympia, Greece

Construction started c. 489 BC

Completed c. 463 BC

Destroyed 426 (sanctuary), 522,

551