STATUE OF ZEUS at Olympia, Greece

Phidias

Why this ancient Seven
Wonders statue was special?

The statue of the Greek god Zeus at Olympia was one of the world's greatest statues. It was created in about 450 BC by the renowned Greek sculptor Phidias, the same artist who created the famed statue of the goddess Athena for the Parthenon in Athens.

Zeus's seated figure (see picture) was 12 meters (50 feet) high. His body was ivory and his robe, hair and beard, gold. The throne was cedar inlaid with precious jewels. Zeus's outstretched right hand held a small statue of Nike, the goddess of victory.

The statue's head nearly scraped the ceiling of the Temple of Zeus. Phidias wanted to emphasize Zeus's mightiness.

The Statue of Zeus was housed in the 64 meter (210 foot) long Temple of Zeus, which could be called a wonder on its own merits. Its 72 exterior Doric columns made a stunning architectural statement. And, its pediments and metopes were ornamented with outstanding sculptured artwork.


The statue inhabited the Temple of Zeus for about 850 years (from around 450 BC to about 400 AD) when some Greeks moved it to Constantinople (modern Istanbul). It was fortunate they did because the Temple of Zeus was destroyed shortly thereafter. However, this was only a temporary reprieve. The statue's new home burned down in 462 AD. The Statue of Zeus was no more, forever.

During the statue's long life span, a variety of copies were made. All have vanished in time, so we do not have an accurate idea of what the Statue of Zeus really looked like. We have to rely mainly on written records.
The ancient Greeks decided to hold the first Olympic Games at Olympia in 776 BC because it had a Zeus shrine. That sanctuary was small, yet the Greeks did not get around to building a grand temple to honor Zeus appropriately until several centuries later.

Today, the Temple of Zeus consists of a fractured foundation blocks and other remnants that are mostly of interest to scholars.

The workshop where Phidias made the Statue of Zeus is next to the temple. It was excavated in the 1950's and is open to visitors. It's an interesting attraction.

I was just about the only visitor at the ruins of the Temple of Zeus during my trip because Olympia is off the beaten tourist track. The on-going restoration of the Olympic Games site should boost tourism.