The Statue of Zeus in Ancient Olympia

by Maria Gkougkoutsi

Ancient Olympia

In antiquity, the city-state of Olympia hosted the Olympic games and was regarded as a center of religious worship.

Zeus

In order to honor Zeus, the father of the Greek gods, the local rulers decided to have a temple built.

The temple

Libon of Elis designed the temple and constructed it between 466- 456 BC. It was 64

meters high with 72 columns in the Doric style.

The temple’s pediments and metopes were decorated with sculptures inspired by the Greek mythology.

East Pediment

The oath of Pelops and Oinomaos before the chariotrace (wikipedia)

West Pediment

Battle of Lapithos and Centaurs (wikipedia)

In the metopes the Labors of Hercules were depicted

(wikipedia)

The Olympians had envisioned a colossal, awe-inspiring statue of the god of gods, which would have no match. Thus, they

commissioned Phidias, the Athenian sculptor of the Parthenon, renowned for his skill and craftsmanship.

In order to perform this challenging task, Phidias developed a new technique which allowed him to combine wood, gold, ivory,

ebony and precious stones like no one had ever done before. It took him twelve years to complete.

The statue was about twelve meters high placed on a base of two meters. It consisted of a wooden frame covered in ivory and gold

panels. The throne was made of cedar and the jewels in its eyes created the illusion of a deep, penetrating look into the visitor’s

soul.

Zeus held a statue of Nike, the goddess of victory in his left hand, and a scepter with an eagle on the top in his right. He had a

wreath made of an olive branch on his head.

The humidity in ancient Olympia paused a serious threat on the wooden parts of the statue. To prevent deterioration, olive oil had

to be applied regularly. Therefore, a pool filled with oil was constructed right before the throne. The reflection of the gold parts on

it added even more grandeur to Phidias’ masterpiece.

The statue of Zeus was regarded as one of the

Seven Wonders. Everyone who saw it admired

it and acknowledged its uniqueness. Due to its

great beauty the Roman Emperor Caligula tried

to take it to Rome in order to change its face,

but his attempt was unsuccessful. Some claim

that it was moved to a palace in Constantinople

in 450 AD as part of a private collection and

was destroyed along with the palace by a fire.

Others hold that it remained in Olympia until

425 AD, when the temple was burned.

There were no copies of the statue found. The only information we have today comes from the coins on which it was depicted,

written descriptions and some tools used for its construction excavated from Phidias’workshop in Olympia.

If you liked the statue, you can print the picture and color it

References

www.ancient.eu

employees.oneonta.edu

www.softschools.com

en.wikipedia.org