The Temple of Olympian Zeus, Athens: the most substantial surviving part of the temple.

The Temple of Olympian Zeus (Greek: Ναός του Ολυμπίου Διός or Naos tou Olimpiou Dios) is a temple in Athens. Although begun in the 6th century BC, it was not completed until the reign of the Emperor Hadrian in the 2nd century AD. In the Hellenistic and Roman periods it was the largest temple in Greece. I took this myself File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... I took this myself File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Athens (Greek: Αθήνα, Athína IPA: ) is the capital and largest city of Greece. ... Publius Aelius Traianus Hadrianus (January 24, 76 – July 10, 138), known as Hadrian in English, was Roman emperor from 117 – 138, and a member of the gens Aelia. ... The term Hellenistic (established by the German historian Johann Gustav Droysen) in the history of the ancient world is used to refer to the shift from a culture dominated by ethnic Greeks, however scattered geographically, to a culture dominated by Greek-speakers of whatever ethnicity, and from the political dominance... The Roman Empire is the name given to both the imperial domain developed by the city-state of Rome and also the corresponding phase of that civilization, characterized by an autocratic form of government. ...

The temple is located about 500 m south-east of the Acropolis, and about 700 m south of the centre of Athens, Syntagma Square. Its foundations were laid on the site of an earlier temple by the tyrant Pisistratus in 515 BC, but the work was abandoned when Pisistratus's son, Hippias, was overthrown in 510. The Acropolis of Athens, seen from the hill of the Pnyx to the west. ... Syntagma Square (Πλατεῖα Συντάγματος; Constitution Square), is located in central Athens, Greece. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Pisistratus Peisistratos is the name of a major Athenian ruler, as well as a minor character in the Odyssey. ... Hippias was one of the sons of Pisistratus, and was tyrant of Athens in the 6th century BC. Hippias succeeded Pisistratus in 527 BC, and in 525 BC he introduced a new system of coinage in Athens. ...

During the years of Greek democracy, the temple was left unfinished, apparently because the Greeks of the classical period thought it hubristic to build on such a scale. In the Politics Aristotle cited the temple as an example of how tyrannies engaged the populace in great works for the state and left them no time, energy or means to rebel. Hubris or hybris (Greek ), according to its modern usage, is exaggerated self pride or self-confidence, often resulting in fatal retribution. ... Aristotle (Greek: Aristotélēs) (384 BC – March 7, 322 BC) was an ancient Greek philosopher, a student of Plato and teacher of Alexander the Great. ...

The work was resumed in the 3rd century BC, during the period of Macedonian domination of Greece, under the patronage of the Hellenistic king Antiochus IV Epiphanes, who hired the Roman architect Cossutius to design the largest temple in the known world. When Antoichus died in 164 BC the work was delayed again. Coin of Antiochus IV. Reverse shows Apollo seated on an omphalos. ...

In 86, after Greek cities were brought under Roman rule, the general Sulla took two columns from the unfinished temple to Rome to adorn the Temple of Jupiter on the Capitoline Hill. These columns influenced the development of the Corinthian style in Rome. Lucius Cornelius Sulla Felix (Latin: L·CORNELIVS·L·F·P·N·SVLLA·FELIX)[1] ( 138 BC–78 BC) Roman general and dictator, was usually known simply as Sulla. ... Nickname: The Eternal City Motto: SPQR: Senatus PopulusQue Romanus Location of the city of Rome (yellow) within the Province of Rome (red) and region of Lazio (grey) Coordinates: Region Lazio Province Province of Rome Founded 21 April 753 BC Mayor Walter Veltroni Area    - City 1,285 km²  (496. ... Temple of Jupiter Capitolinus on Capitoline Hill, 6th-1st century BC. The Temple of Jupiter in the ancient Pompeii. ... Piazza del Campidoglio, on the top of Capitoline Hill, with the façade of Palazzo Senatorio. ...

In the 2nd century, the temple was taken up again by Hadrian, a great admirer of Greek culture, who finally brought it to completion in AD 129 (some sources say 131).

The temple was built of marble from Mount Pentelus, and measured 96 metres along its sides and 40 metres along its eastern and western faces. It consisted of 104 Corinthian columns, each 17 meters high, of which 48 stood in triple rows under the pediments and 56 in double rows at the sides. Only 15 of these columns remain standing today. A 16th column was blown down during a gale in 1852 and is still lying where it fell. The Corinthian order as used for the portico of the Pantheon, Rome provided a prominent model for Renaissance and later architects, through the medium of engravings. ...

Hadrian dedicated the temple to Zeus (known to the Romans as Jupiter), the king of the gods. He erected a giant gold and ivory statue of Zeus in the cella, and placed an equally large one of himself next to it. Nothing remains of these or anything else from the interior of the temple. It is not known when the building was destroyed but, like many large buildings in Greece, it was probably brought down by an earthquake during the mediaeval period, and the bulk of its ruins taken away for building materials. The Statue of Zeus at Olympia Phidias created the 12-m (40-ft) tall statue of Zeus at Olympia about 435 BC. The statue was perhaps the most famous sculpture in Ancient Greece, imagined here in a 16th century engraving In Greek mythology, Zeus (in Greek: nominative: Ζεύς Zeús, genitive... Jupiter et Thétis - by Jean Ingres, 1811. ... A cella, in Ancient Greek and Roman temples was the central room that housed cult statues. ...

The temple was excavated in 1889-1896 by Francis Penrose of the British School in Athens (who also played a leading role in the restoration of the Parthenon), in 1922 by the German archaeologist Gabriel Welter and in the 1960s by Greek archaeologists led by Ioannes Travlos. The temple, along with the surrounding ruins of other ancient structures, is a historical precinct administered by Ephorate of Antiquites of the Greek Interior Ministry. It is open to visitors from Tuesday to Sunday. Francis Cranmer Penrose FRS (29 October 1817 - 15 February 1903) was an British architect, archaeologist and astronomer. ... The Parthenon seen from the hill of the Pnyx to the west. ...

Picture Gallery

Temple of Olympian Zeus Image File history File links The Temple of Zeus in Athens. ...

The Temple of Olympian Zeus, Athens: one of the columns, showing the typical Corinthian capital. In the background, the Acropolis topped by the Parthenon. I took this myself File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ...

The Temple of Olympian Zeus, Athens: the massive scale of the columns can be seen. Temple of Olympian Zeus Photo taken by Adam Carr, April 2002 File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ...

Links

• Hellenic Ministry of Culture: Temple of Olympian Zeus website