The half-ruined Temple of Olympian Zeus is dedicated to the king of the Olympian gods, which explains the name of the monument. It stands a few minutes' walk from the center of Athens, just 500 meters southeast of the Acropolis and 700 meters south of Syntagma Square.
Construction of the temple began in the 6th century BC, and its design was entrusted to the architects Antistatus, Kalleshrus, Antimachus and Porinus. It was originally planned to be built of limestone in the strict Doric style and was to become the grandest of all the temples. However, its construction stopped in 510 BC due to political unrest, when the tyrant Hippias was expelled from Athens.
The temple remained unfinished for the next 336 years. In 174 BC, the Syrian king Antiochus IV Epiphanes began its reconstruction, changing the building material from limestone to high-quality Pentelic marble and the architectural style from Doric to Corinthian. In fact, this was the first time that the Corinthian order was used for the exterior decoration of a temple. However, when Antiochus died, the project was not completed, and the monument again remained unfinished.
In 125 BC, the Roman emperor Hadrian included this temple in his building program for Athens. Numerous statues of gods and Roman emperors adorned the temple, including a huge statue of Zeus made of gold and ivory. In its final form, the temple had 104 columns, each 17 meters high and 2 meters in diameter. Unfortunately, this temple stood in its grandeur for only a couple of centuries. In 267 AD, during the capture of Athens by the Herulae, the temple and much of the city were damaged.
In 425 AD, following the rise of Christianity, the Byzantine Emperor Theodosius II banned the worship of ancient Greek and Roman gods in the temple. In effect, he allowed people to use its precious marble to build churches, houses, and other buildings in the city. By the end of the Byzantine period, in the mid-15th century, only 21 of the 104 columns remained.
The temple suffered further damage during the Ottoman occupation and the early decades of the Hellenic state. In 1852, a severe storm completely destroyed the cella (the main room of the temple) and the large statue of Zeus. By then, only 15 columns had survived, with a sixteenth column lying on the ground.
The temple's excavation and restoration project finally began in the late 19th century by the British School of Archaeology at Athens. The German archaeologist Gabriel Walter excavated the site again in 1922, and was succeeded by Greek archaeologists under the direction of Ioannis Travlos.
Despite the difficulties it had to endure, the Temple of Olympian Zeus is still considered one of the city's finest ancient monuments.
Construction of the temple began in the 6th century BC, and its design was entrusted to the architects Antistatus, Kalleshrus, Antimachus and Porinus. It was originally planned to be built of limestone in the strict Doric style and was to become the grandest of all the temples. However, its construction stopped in 510 BC due to political unrest, when the tyrant Hippias was expelled from Athens.
The temple remained unfinished for the next 336 years. In 174 BC, the Syrian king Antiochus IV Epiphanes began its reconstruction, changing the building material from limestone to high-quality Pentelic marble and the architectural style from Doric to Corinthian. In fact, this was the first time that the Corinthian order was used for the exterior decoration of a temple. However, when Antiochus died, the project was not completed, and the monument again remained unfinished.
In 125 BC, the Roman emperor Hadrian included this temple in his building program for Athens. Numerous statues of gods and Roman emperors adorned the temple, including a huge statue of Zeus made of gold and ivory. In its final form, the temple had 104 columns, each 17 meters high and 2 meters in diameter. Unfortunately, this temple stood in its grandeur for only a couple of centuries. In 267 AD, during the capture of Athens by the Herulae, the temple and much of the city were damaged.
In 425 AD, following the rise of Christianity, the Byzantine Emperor Theodosius II banned the worship of ancient Greek and Roman gods in the temple. In effect, he allowed people to use its precious marble to build churches, houses, and other buildings in the city. By the end of the Byzantine period, in the mid-15th century, only 21 of the 104 columns remained.
The temple suffered further damage during the Ottoman occupation and the early decades of the Hellenic state. In 1852, a severe storm completely destroyed the cella (the main room of the temple) and the large statue of Zeus. By then, only 15 columns had survived, with a sixteenth column lying on the ground.
The temple's excavation and restoration project finally began in the late 19th century by the British School of Archaeology at Athens. The German archaeologist Gabriel Walter excavated the site again in 1922, and was succeeded by Greek archaeologists under the direction of Ioannis Travlos.
Despite the difficulties it had to endure, the Temple of Olympian Zeus is still considered one of the city's finest ancient monuments.
Translated automatically from Ukrainian. View original
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