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The Temple of Olympian Zeus was under construction for over 600 years until Hadrian finished it

Marija Georgievska

One of the greatest monuments in Greece is the Temple of Olympian Zeus or Olympieion, located in Athens. It is a colossal temple dedicated to the Olympian god Zeus and is considered one of the largest temples built in the ancient world. By the orders of the ruler Peisistratos, its construction began in 6th century BC, on the site of a previous outdoor sanctuary dedicated to the Thunder God, but after a short time building stopped for unknown reasons.

Two possibilities are that the construction faltered because of lack of money or because Hippias, Peisistratos’s son, was overthrown. The project was not finished until 131 AD, during the reign of the Roman Emperor Hadrian. Over those centuries, a precinct wall was built around the temple, and several additions were made, including Roman baths and a monumental arch that is known as Hadrian’s Arch. Inside the building, the emperor erected a golden statue of Zeus and next to it soared one of himself of equal size.

 

It is one of the largest temples ever built in the ancient world. Author: Argos. CC BY-SA 4.0
It is one of the largest temples ever built in the ancient world. Author: Argos. CC BY-SA 4.0

The temple’s unusually tall Corinthian columns, 104 in number, and its layout made it the most famous of its time. Unfortunately, the Olympieion’s glory was short because it was damaged by a barbarian invasion in 3rd century AD.

In medieval times, an earthquake destroyed some of the remaining parts. After that, it was a ruin, and no one was motivated to rebuild it. The temple was torn apart for building materials and many surrounding building projects benefited. Only a small part of the temple remains today, just 15 columns of this once grandiose structure.

The building began in the 6th century BC by the orders of the ruler Peisistratos. Author: Marcok di it.wikipedia. CC BY-SA 2.5
The building began in the 6th century BC by the orders of the ruler Peisistratos. Author: Marcok di it.wikipedia. CC BY-SA 2.5

There was a 16th column, but it collapsed in 1852 in a storm. Today it lies across the site where it fell.

The Olympieion is a significant archaeological site. Historians believe it was designed by the famous Greek architects Callaeschrus, Antistates, Pornius, and Antimachides and built from local limestone in the Doric style.

Of the 104 columns, only 15 remain today, and the 16th is lying on the site after it was blown over by a storm in 1852. Author: Manos Bourdakis. CC BY-SA 4.0
Of the 104 columns, only 15 remain today, and the 16th is lying on the site after it was blown over by a storm in 1852. Author: Manos Bourdakis. CC BY-SA 4.0

In 174 BC a king presented himself as the earthly embodiment of Zeus and his name was Antiochus IV Epiphanes. The king brought the faltered temple back to life and hired the architect Desimus Cossutius to make some changes, including the addition of several more columns, each 55.5 feet high and almost 6.5 feet in diameter.

It was finally finished after 600 years by ruler Hadrian. Author: Andrew Baldwin. CC BY-SA 2.0
It was finally finished after 600 years by ruler Hadrian. Author: Andrew Baldwin. CC BY-SA 2.0

The style changed from Doric to Corinthian, and the columns were made from marble. After the king’s death, the temple was abandoned again, half-finished. In 86 BC, Lucius Cornelius Sulla severely damaged the temple, and it is known that he took some of the unfinished marble columns from the site and reused them as additions to the Temple of Jupiter on the Capitoline Hill in Rome.

The capitals of some of the columns made in Corinthian style.
The capitals of some of the columns made in Corinthian style.

In the 2nd century AD, Hadrian made it a central focus of the city. Besides the great statues of Zeus and Hadrian in the temple, there were many other statues of gods and mythological creatures. It is believed that, with the massive statue of Zeus, Hadrian wanted to draw attention away from the magnificent statue of Athena in the Parthenon.

Today, it is a part of a significant archaeological site in the city, together with the ruins of other ancient temples. Author: Roger. CC BY 2.0
Today, it is a part of a significant archaeological site in the city, together with the ruins of other ancient temples. Author: Roger. CC BY 2.0

Those enormous statues are long gone, and nothing remains of the inner chamber.

Read another story from us: The Temple of Bacchus is one of the best preserved Roman temples in the world

It has been excavated several times in the past two centuries and continues to reveal fascinating information about the people who worked on the temple to the gods.

Marija Georgievska

Marija Georgievska is one of the authors writing for The Vintage News