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According to tradition, the establishment of the sanctuary goes back to the time of mythical Deucalion. In ca. 515 B.C., Peisistratos the Younger, began the construction of a monumental temple which was not finished because of the fall of the tyranny in Athens. It was finally completed by the Roman emperor Hadrian, in AD 125. Inside the temple, it is thought that a a colossal chryselephantine (gold and ivory) statue of Zeus stood.
The site also includes Roman Baths, and a collection of smaller (though appaerently not less important) ruins. Access is 'free' to the holders of the EUR 12 Acropolis ticket, but access to the site can also be purchased at the gate.
In terms of majesticity and inherent beauty, I am of the opinion that this site is the second-best in Athens, directly behind (of course) the Acropolis. A must-must-must-see.
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The building of the Temple of Olympian Zeus actually began in the 6th Century by Peisistratos but work was stopped either because of a lack of money or because Pisistratus's son, Hippias, was overthrown in 510 BC. The temple was not finished until the Emperor Hadrian completed in 131 AD, seven hundred years later. There were other attempts to continue the building. The Classical Greeks (487-379)left it unfinished because they believed it was too big and symbolized the arrogance of people who believed they were equal to the Gods. During the Third Century when the Macedonians ruled Athens work was begun again by Antiochus the IV of Syria who wanted to build the world's largest temple and hired the Roman architect Cossotius to complete the job, but this ended when Antiochus died. In 86 BC, during Roman rule the general Sulla took two columns from the unfinished temple to Rome for the Temple of Jupiter on the Capitoline Hill which influenced the development of the Corinthian style in Rome.
Originally there were 104 Corinthian columns of which only 15 remain standing. One of the columns actually blew down in a storm in 1852. Hadrian had erected a giant gold and ivory status of Zeus inside the temple with an equally large one of himself next to it. Nothing remains of these statues. It is not known when the temple of Zeus was destroyed but it probably came down in an earthquake during the mediaeval period. Like other ancient buildings much of it was taken away for building materials. In the early 1800s a stylite (a group of ascetics who spent long periods sitting or standing on top of pillars or columns. The word comes from the Greek stylos for column.) built his dwelling on top of one of the columns of the temple and it can be seen in early paintings and drawings.
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Every guide book I read stated that The Temple of Olympian Zeus was the largets temple in Ancient Athens exceeding even The Parthenon in size. When I was on the Acropolis I saw the remains of this temple in the distance. When you walk to the temple and see it close up you do realize the magnitude of its size. There are only a few columns remaining, but the space the temple occupied is blocked out so you can realize the size. The temple was started in the year 515 BC but not completed until 132 AD. There were many attempts to complete it over the years. The columns are of Corinthian design. I have a close up of the top of one of the columns in the group of pictures with this tip.
The admission is included in the price of the ticket for The Acropolis. Leave a Comment
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Although not well preserved this was the largest temple in greece. It was begun in the 6th century BC but not completed until 132 AD when the Roman Emporer Hadrian provided the required funding. Leave a Comment
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The Temple of Olympian Zeus (or Naos tou Olimpiou Dios), also known as the Olympieion, is a colossal ruined temple that was formerly dedicated to Zeus, king of the Olympian gods. Construction considered beginning in the VI-th century BC, but it was not completed until the reign of the Roman Emperor Hadrian in the 2nd century AD. During the Roman periods it was renowned as the largest temple in Greece and housed one of the largest cult statues in the ancient world.
You may watch my high resolution photo of Athens on the Google Earth according to the following coordinates 37º 58' 8.40" N 23º 44' 2.20" E or on my Google Earth Panoramio Temple of Olympian Zeus .
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This temple, which is a short walk east of the Acropolis, was the largest temple ever built in Greece. It was constructed under the emperor Hadrian in 131 AD. Sadly, only 15 of the original 104 columns remain. But, with a little extrapolation, you should be able to concieve just how big this temple would have been in its glory. It is worth the short walk from the Acropolis.
It is included in the Acropolis ticket pack. Leave a Comment
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The temple of Olympian Zeus, known as the Olympieion, has probably the longest history of all ancient temples: construction began under Peisistratos but remained unfinished despite the efforts for its completion in the Hellenistic period. Ultimately, it was completed by the Roman Emperor Hadrian in AD 130. To honour the emperor, the Athenians erected Hadrian's Gate, close to the temple, a triumphal arch under which the emperor passed at the celebratory inauguration of the temple in AD 131. Leave a Comment
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The Temple of Olympian Zeus is just behind the Arch of Hadrian from where you can see the ruins of the Temple. You can see it from here for free but you have to be close to it to "feel" the size of the temple. Especially in those times buildings like this were really large for the people that live in small houses and not big skyscrapers...
It was the largest of the ancient greek temples but in our days is just one major tourist attraction. Although it started to built by Pisistratos back in the 6th century BC finally finished in 131AD, thanks to the money of Hadrian for one more time! :) In the area you can see 15 columns standing there but originally it had more than 100 corinthian columns.
The entrance fee is 2 euro or you can just enter with the 12euro ticket for Acropolis (better option in any case because it includes other sites too) Address: the entrance is at Vas.Olga AvenuDirections: only 700m away from Syntagma square
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Being that Hadrian finished the Temple of Zeus, and the fact that emperors don't usually like to give all the glory to some other person, Hadrian built an arch near the entrance and named it after himself. It was under reconstruction when I was there, but you could still see how impressive the structure is from underneath the scaffolding.
The arch is free to see, along your way to the Temple of Zeus. Leave a Comment
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I heard one English speaking Greek tour guide call this place the "Temple of Godzeus"
There used to be 104 Corinthian columns when Roman ruler Hadrian completed it in 131 but today only 16 remain; 15 standing and one that fell down during a storm in 1852.
In 2001, the temple was chosen by the Culture Minister as the controversial setting for the Mythodea musical extravaganza by Vangelis (the "Chariots of Fire" musician), as Athens celebrated the Mars Odyssey mission. Local archaeologists cringed while trucks and cranes transported equipment onto the 2,500-year-old temple site to set up a temporary amphitheatre, scaffolding and tents.
It was believed that publicity from the event would boost the number of visitors to the Temple of Olympian Zeus, yet some tourists are still content to simply take photos through the fence. Leave a Comment Phone: 210 9226 630Directions: Across the street from Royal Olympic Hotel, between the Athens Tennis Club and Hadrian's ArchOther Contact: Open daily 08:30 - 15:00
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