Ruins of Temple of Zeus
Ruins of Temple of Zeus
The image shows the remaining column of Temple of Zeus that was built to honor Zeus, the king of the Greek gods. The construction of this temple began in 472 BCE and completed in 457 BCE and was the main attraction of Olympia for about 800 years.
The Temple of Zeus was a Doric style building oriented along the east-west direction with the following dimensions: height – 68 feet, width – 95 feet, and length – 230 feet. It had three main areas, a porch in the in the front, a similar arrangement in the back, and a cella in the middle and stood on a platform with three unequal steps. There were 6 columns on the front, 6 columns on the back, and 13 columns on each side. Located above the columns were the Doric friezes with 12 metophes. On the front and back of the temple, there were pediments above the frieze. The lion-headed water sprouts ran along the temple.
The figures on the pediments were identified by Pausanias, the Greek historian who visited the Temple of Zeus in the 2nd century BCE.
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