Ruins of Temple of Hera
Temple of Hera
Built around 590 BCE and located on the north-west corner of the Sanctuary of Olympia, the Temple of Hera is one of the oldest temples in Greece. As the name suggests, it was built to honor to Hera, the wife of Zeus and the queen of Greek gods.
The temple had the three distinct areas: 1. Pronaos (Front Porch), 2. Cella (Inner Chamber), 3. Opisthodomos (Back Porch). It had 6 columns each on the front and back and 16 columns each on the sides. The columns were wooden initially, but were gradually replaced by columns made from stones. According to Pausanias, the Greek historian who visited this site in the 2nd century CE, the cella had the statue of Hera on the throne and the statue of Zeus standing next to her.
The Temple of Hera was built during the period when God was considered a woman, which is more than a century before the construction of the Temple of Zeus.
Related Pages
Athens, Olympia, Delphi, Meteora, Crete, Greek Islands, Greece
Ephesus
Minoan Civilization, Mycenaean Civilization
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