Statue of Zeus at Olympia Seven Wonders. Travels from A to Z

The town of Olympia is located on the Peloponnese peninsula, 150 km west of Elis.

The famous archaeological complex at the foot of Mount Kronos welcomes tourists all year round who come to see the site of the first Olympic Games and its main attraction - the Temple of Zeus, where once, many centuries ago, an incredible statue of the Thunderer stood, striking the eyes.

Temple of Zeus at Olympia, built 471–456 BC. e. architect Libo, is an excellent example of an early classical Doric temple, strict in its architecture.

The first religious buildings appeared in this area back in the third millennium BC, from 884 BC. e. Olympics began to be held here in honor of the supreme deity.

Olympia reached its peak by the 5th century BC. e. By this time, the Persian wars had ended with the victory of the Greeks and interest in conducting Olympic Games. Thanks to the construction of a new temple in honor of Zeus, this area of ancient Greece became a pan-Hellenic religious center that attracted many pilgrims.

Despite the fact that the Temple of Zeus was subsequently completely destroyed, a description by the ancient Greek historian Pausanias and a fairly large number of fragments remained. The work of archaeologists and historians to study them made it possible to reconstruct the appearance of the structure with a high degree of accuracy.

The temple was a Doric peripterus: 6 columns in width and 13 along the length of the base, built from solid shell rock. Marble was used in the decoration of the walls and roof.

The pediments were decorated with multi-figure sculptural compositions, and the entrance to the inner sanctuary - the cella, hidden behind the external columns of the facades, was decorated with a frieze with metopes dedicated to the exploits of Hercules.

In the cella itself there was a grandiose figure of Zeus, hidden from prying eyes by a curtain; it was revealed to enthusiastic spectators only at special moments of the festivities.

The sculpture of the deity sitting on the throne was no less than 15 meters in height and evoked in everyone who saw it a feeling of reverence for his power.

This magnificent work of ancient Greek art was included in the famous list of 7 wonders of the world.

In the Archaeological Museum in the park today you can see the main preserved values and sculptural works of the temple.
In total, 21 more or less well-preserved parts have survived to this day, including 3-meter figures from the pediments of the temple, parts of the sanctuaries of other deities.
In the museum you can also see a painting in which the artist tried to recreate the statue of Zeus, some works of the great Phidias, which miraculously survived to this day, and other finds of archaeologists.

The museum is open from 9.00 to 19.00, but new visitors are usually not allowed in after 15.00.

Statue of Zeus at Olympia - a wonder of the world

The figure of Olympian Zeus served as the center of the entire architectural composition of the temple. Made by the great sculptor of antiquity, Phidias, using a complex technique of combining ivory and gold, it was an outstanding work of classical art of ancient Greece.

The remains of the temple were discovered in 1875, and in 1950 the workshop of Phidias was found, built in the image of the temple itself, where Great master and created his masterpiece.

The base of the statue of Olympian Zeus was made of wood and covered with plates of polished ivory, the clothes were made of gold, and precious stones served as the eyes.

Zeus sat on a luxurious golden throne, decorated with precious stones and numerous sculptural images.

In his right hand he held a statue of Nike, human height, and in his left hand a golden scepter with an eagle sitting on it.

It is believed that 200 kg of gold were required to create this great creation.

According to the reconstruction, the armrests of the throne and the right palm of Zeus were at the level of the capitals of the first tier of columns.
If Zeus had to stand up to his full height, he would have pierced the ceiling of the temple with his head.

The ivory plates required special care: to protect them from humid air, the priests of the temple lubricated it with olive oil, which flowed into a recess in the black marble that lined the floor space in front of the statue.

It was believed that every Hellene must see this sculpture once in his life, so as not to consider his life lived in vain.

Not much is known about the fate of the great statue. Some sources believe that according to the edict of Theodoric, who ordered the destruction of all evidence of the pagan faith, the statue of Phidias Zeus Olympian in 394 AD e. was destroyed along with the temple.

Others report that before 475 AD. e. the sculpture was exhibited in one of the palaces of Constantinople and was lost during a fire.

One way or another, this greatest work of human genius, like many others, unfortunately disappeared forever.

Today, tourists who come on an excursion to the Temple of Zeus first visit the archaeological museum of the complex.
The short road from the museum to Ancient Olympia passes in the shade of cypress, olive, apple and plum trees, as well as past flower beds covered with bright flowers.

The entrance price to the territory of Olympia is 6 euros, the same price for visiting the museum, but it is possible to purchase a comprehensive ticket for 9 euros.
The entrance gates to the complex are open from 8.00 to 19.00 - at summer season(May–October) and from 8.00 to 17.00 in winter (November–April).
On weekends – from 8.30 to 15.00.

After the tour, you can relax and have a snack in the cafe.
During hot hours, it is advisable to have sun protection and water. You will need 3-4 hours to examine ancient building was not fluent and superficial.
There is a drinking water fountain at the entrance.

This is one of the most visited historical monuments in Greece.

Temple pediments

The upper part of the Temple of Zeus, along its narrower side, ends at the top with a triangular pediment, bounded on both sides by roof slopes.

The western pediment is dedicated to the centauromachy: scene of the battle between the Lapiths and the centaurs.

The mythical tribe of Latifs, inhabitants of Thessaly, invited the neighboring tribe of centaurs to celebrate the marriage of their king Pirithous to Hippodamia.

Having drunk too much, one of the centaurs decided to kidnap the bride, which led to the start of a fierce battle.
The Lapiths, not without the help of Theseus, a friend of Pirithous, won the victory.

In the understanding of the ancient inhabitants of Hellas, this myth symbolized the victory of the developed culture of civilized human tribes over the wild natural principle of the centaurs.

The sculptural images of the western pediment are perceived as real, the whole scene is full of violent movement, in which, however, there is no chaos.

The artist balanced both parts of the composition with the central figure of a young, beautiful Apollo, watching what was happening with a slight smile on his lips.

His imperious figure, filled with calm superiority, leaves the audience no doubt about the outcome of the battle.

The eastern pediment is dedicated to the visualization of the myth of Pelops and King Oenomaus, to whom the Delphic oracle predicted death at the hands of his son-in-law.

Oenomaus's father, the god of war Ares, left him a legacy of fabulously fleet-footed horses and to all applicants for the hand of his daughter Hippodamia, Oenomaus offered a chariot competition.
No one could compare in speed with the horses of Ares, and all losers were overtaken by death at the hand of the king.

Pelops (the name of the Peloponnese peninsula comes from his name) turned out to be the most cunning, he persuaded the driver and he replaced one of the chariot axles with a wax one. During the race it melted and Oenomaus died.
Pelops received the girl and the kingdom.

The sculptural composition of the eastern pediment is devoid of violent movement, all images are static and more isolated from each other.

Two groups of courageous figures, perfectly in harmony with the rhythm of powerful Doric columns, are symmetrically located relative to the central image of the supreme god Zeus.

Such a noticeable difference in the dynamic solution of the compositions of the two pediments led historians to believe that they were made by different masters.

The sculptural compositions of both pediments show us two different approaches by artists of the 5th century BC. e. to an attempt to create a universal monumental image.

It is worth adding that these magnificent works art, like many ancient greek sculptures, were polychrome.

The surviving fragments are in the Archaeological Museum of Olympia.

They are fixed in such a way as to recreate as accurately as possible their real position, as it was on the pediment of the ancient temple.

Metopes

Along its entire length, the upper part of the ancient temple above the columns is decorated with a frieze consisting of alternating stone slabs and triglyphs (three parallel lines).

Such stone slabs are called metopes, they were often decorated with reliefs.

Most of the surviving images from the sanctuary of Zeus are kept in the Louvre, and only a few are in the Olympia Museum.

The twelve metopes of the temple depict the labors of Hercules.

The choice of plot is due to the fact that in the minds of the Hellenes, the image of this hero personified the fight against the dark forces of chaos surrounding them and symbolized the victory of the rational human mind over the mythical forces of evil, for which the ancient Greeks did not yet have an explanation.

This theme served as a continuation of the heroic pathos set by the sculptural compositions on the pediments and prepared for the contemplation of the statue of the supreme deity.

The metopes were located in accordance with the movement of pilgrims around the temple.

The first feat: the battle with the Nemean Lion, was depicted on the metope in the left western corner, and the last feat, the cleaning of the Augean stables, was dedicated to the metope in the right corner of the eastern side.

The height of the metopes is 1.6 m, width 1.5 m.

Some of their elongation in height is consistent with the general plan of the architect, who sought to give the temple maximum majesty.

In the relatively small space of the metope, the artist managed to fill the sculptures with the dynamics of authentic life, while maintaining their harmony with a clear architectural form.

The Temple of Zeus at Olympia is one of the most significant ancient Greek architectural monuments.

Here, for the first time, the principle of synthesis of architecture and sculpture was most fully embodied, which later became classical and is still considered unsurpassed.

The history of the appearance of the statue of Zeus in Olympia is connected with sports games, which, according to tradition, were held once every 4 years. At this time the earth Ancient Hellas turned into a special territory, because the task of the Olympic Games was not only competitions - one of their goals was to unite disparate city-states.

Their residents became participants in competitions that competed only with the strongest opponents. Since the Olympic Games were a large-scale event and brought together representatives from Egypt, Syria, Asia Minor and Sicily, a more spacious building was required to host them. Based on this need, the authorities of Olympia decided to build a large temple that could freely accommodate all those present, because the first sanctuary of Zeus, built 150 km from the city of Athens, was no longer suitable for such a purpose.

The construction of the new temple took about 15 years, and the architect Lebon supervised the construction work. Finally, in 456, the Temple, or House of Zeus, appeared on view to the townspeople. The temple was built in the spirit of the famous sanctuaries of Olympia, but it was significantly superior to all of them combined both in size and design. Thus, the building of Zeus stood on a rectangular platform, and its roof was supported by 13 columns with a 2-meter diameter. They reached a height of up to 10 m. In total, 34 columns were needed to decorate the new design.

However, no matter how majestic the temple was, it simply could not be complete without its deity, and another famous master, the sculptor Phidias, hurried to Athens at the invitation of the government. The task before him was to create a statue of Zeus in at its best, and the sculptor did not disappoint.

Description of the statue of Olympian Zeus

When the master’s work was completed, the residents of Olympia gasped - in front of them stood a huge statue of Zeus (according to various sources, the height of the sculpture of the Thunderer was from 12 to 17 m). It took about 200 kg of gold to make the structure of unprecedented beauty. If we convert them into monetary equivalent, then today this amount of precious metal can be valued at $8 million, or even more.

The deity revered by the Olympians occupied a throne made of ivory, gold, precious stones and ebony. The head of the Thunderer was crowned with branches of an olive tree - a symbol of peace. The statue itself was made of pink ivory, so it seemed alive and realistic. In one hand Zeus held a figurine of the goddess Nike, and with the other he leaned on a scepter decorated with a golden eagle.

Installed on a hill, the statue of the deity corresponded in height to a 4-story building. It is amazing how accurately Phidias was able to calculate the size of the sculpture, because it almost rested on the ceiling, but still did not touch it. The majestic Zeus sat on the throne naked to the waist, but his body was covered by a golden cape decorated with designs of flowers and animals. The feet of the thunder god stood on the bench. The throne was installed on a pedestal, the dimensions of which were also impressive (9.5 x 6.5 m).

The master approached the decoration of the throne no less responsibly - he filled it with images containing mythological scenes of the ancient Greek land. There were 4 goddesses Nike on the legs of the throne. Scenes of sports competitions or wars were depicted on the crossbars connecting the legs. Master Panenom, brother of Phidias, was responsible for the quality of the painted work on the throne. The scenes conveyed through his skill involved images of deities known to the Greeks: Prometheus, Apollo, Achilles, Poseidon, Hercules, Hera, Artemis, Athena, Aphrodite and the thunder god himself.

The admiration of the parishioners of the House of Zeus knew no bounds, because the frame of the statue was covered with ivory plates that acted as leather, and the so-called robe was made of pure gold. But the joints between the materials were hidden so carefully that the statue of Zeus at Olympia looked like a monolithic object. When looking at the deity, people thought that if it suddenly rose from the throne, it would break through the roof of the temple. The builders knew that there would be countless people wanting to see Zeus, so along each wall of the temple they built special platforms for spectators. So every person who came to the temple got the opportunity to see the face of the deity as close as possible.

According to the order of Phidias, a pool was built at the foot of the statue and first filled with water, and then with olive oil (from above). The light that penetrated through the open doors of the structure and fell onto the pool was reflected in the oily dark surface of the water, mysteriously enveloping the face and shoulders of the sculpture. The entire figure of the Thunderer shone due to regular treatment with olive oil. This was done to avoid the formation of cracks on the ivory - it was sensitive to moisture. This activity was performed by the priests every day. According to Pausanias, the oil was extremely useful for the statue of Olympian Zeus, since it protected it from damage that the swampy air of Altis could bring. The floor in front of the statue was paved with black marble, and this separated space was bordered by a raised strip made of Parian marble. It stopped the draining oil.

The majesty of the statue was so amazing that the person standing nearby experienced two opposite feelings at the same time. On the one hand, it was an animal fear of the deity, on the other, awe. The most impressionable pilgrims fell at the feet of the deity and did not raise their heads for a long time - they were afraid to feel the stern gaze of their god.

And what about the famous Phidias? Feeling proud of his creation, he often observed the reaction of visitors, but did this secretly, hiding in the depths of the temple. He was especially pleased to see gifts being presented to the statue. There was no special place for this purpose, so the gifts were directly hung on the throne or even on the sculpture itself. The news about the beautiful statue, which became one of the seven wonders of the Ancient World and a landmark of Olympia, was passed from mouth to mouth and quickly spread throughout the ancient people.

The fate of the statue of Zeus

The following can be said about whether there were attempts on the statue of amazing beauty. Knowing about the existence of the masterpiece sculpture, Emperor Caligula gave his subordinates the order to bring from Greece a statue of Zeus and images of other gods that had artistic value. His plans included taking away the heads of the deities and putting his own in their place. A conqueror of Greece named Paulus Aemilius also planned to take the statue of Zeus with him to Rome. However, neither Caligula nor Paul succeeded - the giant sculpture remained in its place. If you believe the legend, the statue simply burst out laughing when it was attempted to be stolen, and the frightened workers sent by the overlords fled in horror.

IN different times the sculpture of the deity underwent restoration. For example, the sculptor Damathon of Messenia restored it in the Hellenistic era, and under Julius Caesar it was restored after being damaged by lightning. The history of the statue of Zeus also includes several attempts to steal some of its parts. The facts of the disappearance of two golden locks of Zeus and the theft of the figure of an athlete were described at one time by Lucian and Pausanias.

In general, the statue of Zeus at Olympia delighted the eyes of temple parishioners for almost 800 years. But when Theodosius I, a Roman emperor who converted to the Christian faith, eventually came to power, sports competitions in Olympia were banned as a pagan event. This explains the closure of the Temple of Zeus in the middle of the 3rd century. It ceased to be of cultural value, and looters went on a rampage, stripping the statue of precious stones, gold and ivory. Those in power decided to keep the valuable statue, and in 363 it was safely moved to Constantinople. But in the 5th century, during a fire in the Byzantine palace of the Roman emperor, the unique creation of the talented Phidias burned down.

In 1829, a group of French archaeologists carried out excavations at the supposed location of the Temple of Zeus. They managed to find the outlines of the temple itself and some fragments of sculptures and bas-reliefs depicting the labors of Hercules. Today, the recovered artifacts of historical value can be seen in the Louvre Museum in Paris.

46 years later, German archaeologists visited Olympia, who were a little luckier - they had already found many more fragments of legendary sculptures than their predecessors, the foundation of the temple and even a pool, which was filled with water and olive oil for the revered Zeus.

To this day, the ruins of the Temple of Zeus remain attractive to numerous tourists, but one does not feel the former mystery and mystery when being in this legendary place. All that has come down from antiquity to our contemporaries are a few pillars, half destroyed.

The statue of Olympian Zeus is the work of Phidias. Outstanding work antique sculpture, one of the former Seven Wonders of the World. It was located in the Temple of Olympian Zeus, in Olympia - a city in the Elis region, in the north-west of the Peloponnese peninsula, where from 776 BC. e. to 394 AD e. Every four years the Olympic Games were held - competitions between Greek and then Roman athletes. The Greeks considered those who did not see the statue of Zeus in the temple unfortunate.

Creation of a temple

The Olympic Games have been held for over 300 years. They were very popular among the people. They were held in honor of the god Zeus. But in Greece, the main temple in honor of Zeus has not yet been erected. In 470 BC. e. in Greece they began to collect donations for the construction of this temple. Construction of the temple began in 470 BC. e. and ended in 456 BC. e. The construction was supervised by the architect Libon, information about whom has not reached us.

Description of the temple

According to legend, the temple was magnificent. The entire temple, including the roof, was built of marble. It was surrounded by 34 massive columns made of shell rock. Each was 10.5 meters high and more than 2 meters thick. The area of the temple was 64x27 m. On the outer walls of the temple there were slabs with bas-reliefs depicting the 12 labors of Hercules. Bronze doors, 10 meters high, opened the entrance to the cult room of the temple. In the 5th century BC. The citizens of Olympia decided to build a temple of Zeus. The majestic building was erected between 466 and 456. BC. It was built from huge stone blocks and was surrounded by massive columns. For several years after construction was completed, the temple did not have a worthy statue of Zeus, although it was soon decided that one was necessary. The famous Athenian sculptor was chosen as the creator of the statue.

Making a statue

Construction of the temple took about 10 years. But the statue of Zeus did not appear in it right away. The Greeks decided to invite the famous Athenian sculptor Phidias to create a statue of Zeus. By this time, Phidias had managed to create two famous statues of Athena (“Athena Promachos” and “Athena Parthenos.” Unfortunately, none of his creations have survived to this day). By his order, a workshop was built 80 meters from the temple. This workshop exactly matched the size of the temple. There he, with his two assistants, who he needed only as garbage collectors, behind a huge purple curtain, created a statue of the Thunder God using the chrysoelephantine technique. Phidias himself was very picky about the material that was delivered to him. He was especially picky about the ivory from which he created the body of the god. Then, under heavy security, precious stones and 200 kg of pure gold were brought into the temple at the feet of the Thunderer. According to modern prices, the cost of gold alone, which was used to decorate the statue, was about $8 million.

Description of the statue

Gold covered the cape that covered part of Zeus’s body, the scepter with an eagle, which he held in his left hand, the statue of the goddess of victory - Nike, which he held in his right hand, and the wreath of olive branches on Zeus’s head. Zeus's feet rested on a stool supported by two lions. The reliefs of the throne glorified, first of all, Zeus himself. Four dancing Nikes were depicted on the legs of the throne. Centaurs, lapiths, the exploits of Theseus and Hercules, and frescoes depicting the battle of the Greeks with the Amazons were also depicted. The base of the statue was 6 meters wide and 1 meter high. The height of the entire statue together with the pedestal was, according to various sources, from 12 to 17 meters. The impression was created “that if he (Zeus) wanted to get up from the throne, he would blow the roof off.” Zeus's eyes were the size of an adult's fist.

“God sits on a throne, his figure is made of gold and ivory, on his head he has a wreath, as it were, made of olive branches, on his right hand he holds the goddess of victory, also made of ivory and gold. She has a bandage and a wreath on her head. In the left hand of the god is a scepter, decorated with all kinds of metals. The bird sitting on the scepter is an eagle. The god's shoes and outer clothing are also made of gold, and on the clothes there are images of various animals and lilies of the field" ( Pausanias. "Description of Hellas".)

Zeus the Thunderer was the main god of the ancient Greeks. Together with his wife Hera and children, he, according to legend, lived on the top of Olympus - the very high mountain in the Balkans, located in Northern Greece. Hence the name of the classical gods of ancient Greece - “Olympian”. Following Mount Olympus, the name Olympia was also given to a city on the Peloponnese peninsula, where sports competitions were held in antiquity. The Greeks believed that Zeus himself bequeathed them to compete in strength, speed and dexterity. At first, only the inhabitants of Elis participated in the games, but very soon the fame of the Olympic Games spread throughout Greece, and warriors began to come here. But armed people were not allowed near Olympia, explaining to them that they needed to win with strength and dexterity, and not with iron.

During the Olympic Games, wars stopped in Greece.

In the 5th century BC e. the residents of Olympia decided that there was no need for Zeus to watch the competitions from the top of the mountain, but it would be good for him to move closer to the sports capital. Therefore, they erected a temple in honor of the Thunderer in the city square. The building turned out to be large and beautiful. It reached 64 in length, 28 in width, and inside the height, from floor to ceiling, was 20 meters. The Greeks themselves did not consider this building outstanding: there were many other beautiful buildings in their country. Famous sculptor Phidias carved the figure of the god from wood and covered it with slabs of pink ivory, and therefore the body seemed alive. The Thunderer sat on a huge gilded throne. In one hand he held a symbol of power - a scepter with an eagle; on the open palm of the other hand stood a figurine of Nike, the goddess of Victory.

According to legend, when Phidias finished his work, he asked: “Are you satisfied, Zeus?” In response, there was a clap of thunder, and the floor in front of the throne cracked.

For seven centuries, Zeus, smiling benevolently, watched the athletes, until in the 2nd century. n. e. did not happen powerful earthquake, which severely damaged the statue. But the games in Olympia still continued: the athletes believed that they were being helped, if not by a temple statue, then by God himself, sitting on the top of the mountain. The end to sports competitions was put in 394 by the Christian Emperor Theodosius I, who banned all pagan cults two years earlier.

After the Olympic Games were banned, thieves stripped the statue of Zeus, stealing gold and ivory. All that's left of famous sculpture Phidias was taken from Greece to the city of Constantinople, but there the wooden sculpture burned down during a strong fire. This is how the third wonder of the world perished, but the Olympic Games, founded, according to legend, by the Thunderer, were restored at the end of the 19th century and now gather athletes from all over the world, ready to measure their strength in a variety of sports.

Unveiling of the statue

In 435 BC. e. The grand opening of the statue took place. The most influential people in Greece came to see Zeus. They were amazed by what they saw. The Thunderer's eyes sparkled brightly. It seemed as if lightning was being born in them. The whole head and shoulders of the god sparkled with divine light. Phidias himself went into the depths of the temple and from there watched the enthusiastic audience. In order for the head and shoulders of the Thunderer to sparkle, he ordered a rectangular pool to be cut down at the foot of the statue. Olive oil was poured on top of the water in it: a stream of light from the doors falls onto the dark oily surface, and the reflected rays rush upward, illuminating the shoulders and head of Zeus. There was a complete illusion that this light was pouring from God to people. They said that the Thunderer himself descended from heaven in order to pose for Phidias. The fate of Phidias himself still remains unknown. According to one version, 3 years later he was convicted and thrown into prison, where he died soon after. According to another version, he lived another 6-7 years, becoming an outcast in his old age, and died in oblivion.

A contemporary wrote :

“Did God come down to earth and show you, Phidias, his image,
Or did you yourself ascend to heaven to see God?”

The fate of the third wonder of the world

Around 40 AD e. The Roman Emperor Caligula wanted to move the statue of Zeus to his home in Rome. Workers were sent for her. But, according to legend, the statue laughed, and the workers fled in horror. The statue was damaged after an earthquake in the 2nd century BC. e., then it was restored by the sculptor Dimophon. In 391 AD e. The Romans, after adopting Christianity, closed the Greek temples. Emperor Theodosius I, who affirmed Christianity, banned the Olympic Games as part of a pagan cult. Finally, all that remained of the Temple of Olympian Zeus was the base, some columns and sculptures. The last mention of it dates back to 363 AD. e. At the beginning of the 5th century AD. e. The statue of Zeus was transported to Constantinople. The statue was burned in a temple fire in 425 AD. e. or in the fire in Constantinople in 476 AD. e.

When I read about the Seven Wonders of the World as a child, I was incredibly sad that such great monuments disappeared practically without a trace (except perhaps the pyramids). And the feeling of some kind of fantastic and alien nature of all these creations did not leave me. You know, like in a science-fiction film: the landscape of the planet, savages are walking and the camera shows a huge statue with a sword, for example - and you understand that these savages could not have built this huge structure. This is exactly how I reacted to the illustrations of the Wonders of the World.

Let's remember what we know about them? Let's start with Zeus...

Photo 2.

The town of Olympia is located on the Peloponnese peninsula, 150 km west of Athens, Elis region.

The first religious buildings appeared in this area back in the third millennium BC, from 884 BC. e. Olympics began to be held here in honor of the supreme deity.

Olympia reached its peak by the 5th century BC. e. By this time, the Persian Wars had ended with the victory of the Greeks and interest in holding the Olympic Games had increased unusually. Thanks to the construction of a new temple in honor of Zeus, this area of ancient Greece became a pan-Hellenic religious center that attracted many pilgrims.

Photo 3.

If you believe the legend, the temple was built on the site of the sanctuary of the mythical Deucalion, the forefather of the Greek people. Construction of the temple began during the tyranny of Pisistratus, in 515 BC. Peisistratus was the son of Hippocrates and led Athens for a long time. When Hippias, the son of Pisistratus, was overthrown after 5 years of his reign, work on the structure was abandoned. With the advent of the period of Athenian democracy, the temple remained unfinished. At that time, the Greeks believed that the construction of such grandiose building was an act of arrogance. Themistocles, the great Greek commander and statesman of the Greco-Persian Wars of 500-449 BC, even used parts of it to build defensive walls that connected Athens with Piraeus. An excavated section of one of the walls can be seen next to the temple.

Photo 4.

Work on the temple was continued only after Alexander the Great took control of Athens in the 3rd century BC. Antiochus IV Epiphanes, king of the Hellenistic dynasty, entered into a contract with the Roman architect Cossutius to build the largest temple in the world. However, in 164 BC Antiochus died and work stopped again.

In 84 BC, the Roman dictator Sulla, who loved to take everything he liked to Rome, removed several luxurious carved capitals from the columns of Zeus and used them to build the temple of its Roman counterpart - Jupiter Capitolinus. And only in the second century AD the construction of the temple was , finally completed by the Roman Emperor Hadrian. The emperor was a great admirer of Greek culture and even, contrary to the then Roman fashion, grew a beard. This happened already in the second century AD from 129 to 131.

Photo 5.

The Temple of Zeus stood on a three-stage terrace measuring 107.7 meters by 41.1 meters. Its elongated rectangular building was once surrounded by two rows of columns placed close to each other, there were 104 of them in total. On the end sides, columns of porticos were added to the main columns. It was a real marble “forest of columns”, overwhelming the viewer with its size.

The temple was a Doric peripterus: 6 columns in width and 13 along the length of the base, built from solid shell rock. Marble was used in the decoration of the walls and roof.

Photo 6.

ABOUT interior decoration There is not much reliable information about the temple. But it is known for certain that once there stood a gigantic statue of Zeus covered in gold and ivory, which was a copy of the statue of Olympian Zeus by Phidias. The statue was considered one of the seven wonders of the world ancient world. The statue was truly beautiful.

The Greeks considered those who had never seen this statue of Zeus unfortunate. They say that when Caligula wanted to move the statue of Zeus to his home in Rome, the statue laughed and the workers fled in horror. Next to the statue of Zeus stood a statue of Emperor Hadrian, also made of gold and ivory. Unfortunately, neither the statue of Zeus nor the statue of Hadrian, the statue has survived to this day

Photo 7.

The grandiose figure of Zeus was hidden from prying eyes by a curtain and it was revealed to enthusiastic spectators only at special moments of the festivities.

The sculpture of the deity sitting on the throne was no less than 15 meters in height and evoked in everyone who saw it a feeling of reverence for his power.

Photo 9.

The remains of the temple were discovered in 1875, and in 1950 Phidias’s workshop was found, built in the image of the temple itself, where the great master created his masterpiece.

The base of the statue of Olympian Zeus was made of wood and covered with plates of polished ivory, the clothes were made of gold, and precious stones served as the eyes.

Photo 10.

Zeus sat on a luxurious golden throne, decorated with precious stones and numerous sculptural images.

In his right hand he held a statue of Nike, human height, and in his left hand a golden scepter with an eagle sitting on it.

It is believed that 200 kg of gold were required to create this great creation.

Photo 11.

It was believed that every Hellene must see this sculpture once in his life, so as not to consider his life lived in vain.
Not much is known about the fate of the great statue. Some sources believe that according to the edict of Theodoric, who ordered the destruction of all evidence of the pagan faith, the statue of Phidias Olympian Zeus in 394 AD. e. was destroyed along with the temple.

Others report that before 475 AD. e. the sculpture was exhibited in one of the palaces of Constantinople and was lost during a fire.

One way or another, this greatest work of human genius, like many others, unfortunately disappeared forever.

Photo 12.

Phidias was famous not only for the statue of Olympian Zeus, but also for the statue of Athena in the Parthenon and the reliefs on its walls. Together with Pericles, Phidias developed a plan for the reconstruction and decoration of Athens, which, however, cost Phidias dearly: the enemies of his powerful friend and patron became the enemies of the sculptor. Their revenge was banal and dirty, but the townsfolk craved a scandal: Phidias was accused of concealing gold and ivory during the construction of the statue of Athena in the Parthenon.

The fame of the sculptor turned out to be stronger than the spiteful critics. The inhabitants of Elis paid bail for the prisoner, and the Athenians considered this excuse sufficient to release Phidias to work in Olympia. Phidias remained in Olympia for several years, constructing a statue - syncretic in material and known to us from descriptions and images on coins.

Photo 13.

The statue of Zeus was in the temple, the length of which reached 64 meters, width - 28, and height interior space was about 20 meters. Zeus, sitting on a throne at the end of the hall, supported the ceiling with his head. The topless Zeus was made of wood. His body was covered with plates of pinkish, warm ivory, his clothes were covered with gold sheets, in one hand he held a golden statue of Nike, the goddess of victory, and with the other he leaned on a high staff. Zeus was so majestic that when Phidias completed his work, he approached the statue, as if floating above the black marble floor of the temple, and asked: “Are you satisfied, Zeus?” In response, there was a clap of thunder, and the floor at the feet of the statue cracked. Zeus was pleased.

There are descriptions of the chair of Zeus, which was decorated with ivory bas-reliefs and golden statues of the gods. The side walls of the throne were painted by the artist Panen, a relative and assistant of Phidias.

The unique decoration of the sculpture and the trick described above allowed the rays of the sun to be reflected so that it seemed as if the light was coming from the statue of Zeus itself. At the opening, Phidias stood in the depths of the temple, enjoying the shock of the spectators. The fate of the architect is not known for certain. As for the described wonder of the world, it stood for about 800 years. At the beginning of the 5th century AD, when Christianity was established as the state religion in the Roman Empire, all pagan temples were closed.

Subsequently, the Byzantine emperors transported the statue to Constantinople with all precautions. Although they were Christians, no one raised a hand against Zeus. Even Christian fanatics, enemies of pagan beauty, did not dare to destroy the statue. At first, the Byzantine emperors allowed themselves to appreciate high art. But, to the deep satisfaction of Christian preachers, God punished his pagan rival, thereby punishing the emperors who had strayed from the righteous path. In the 5th century AD, the palace of Emperor Theodosius II burned down. The wooden colossus fell prey to fire (in 425): only a few charred bone plates and sparkles of molten gold remained from the creation of Phidias.

And so the seventh wonder of the world perished...

When no trace remains of a monument, there is a temptation (often motivated) to attribute its existence to human imagination. The statue of Zeus did not escape a similar fate, especially since no copies of it survived.

In order to make sure that the statue existed and was exactly as contemporaries described, it was necessary to find at least indirect evidence of its creation.

Already in our time an attempt was made to find the workshop of Phidias. The construction of such a statue required many years of work, and therefore Phidias and his many assistants needed a solid room. The statue of Zeus is not a block of marble that can be left in the open air for the winter.

The attention of German archaeologists conducting excavations in Olympia was attracted by the remains of an ancient building, rebuilt into a Byzantine one. Christian Church. Having examined the building, they were convinced that this was where the workshop was located - stone structure, slightly inferior in size to the temple itself. In it, in particular, they found the tools of sculptors and jewelers and the remains of a foundry “shop”. But the most interesting finds were made in the vicinity of the workshop - in a pit where, for many hundreds of years, craftsmen dumped waste and rejected parts of statues.

There they managed to find cast forms of Zeus's toga, many ivory plates, chipped semi-precious stones, bronze and iron nails - in general, complete and indisputable confirmation that it was in this workshop that Phidias made a statue of Zeus, and exactly as the ancients said. And to top off all the evidence, in a pile of garbage, archaeologists found the bottom of a jug on which the words “Belong to Phidias” were scratched.

Photo 17.

One might think that fate was especially unkind to the wonders of the world, whose fate was so tragic. This is wrong. Piles of garbage, tall hills rising in the Middle East, in Central Asia, in India, China - traces of cities that once existed there and completely disappeared from the face of the earth, from which not a single house or temple, and often even a name, remains. Every year brings news of new remarkable discoveries by archaeologists, which usually carry a note of sadness. Wall paintings in Penjikent told of a palace in this city that no one will ever see; a statue of a reclining Buddha, discovered in Central Asia, told many stories Buddhist temples, of which not a trace remains; lion capitals of columns and the remains of massive altars in the temple city found in Colchis tell of buildings and sculptures that were lost forever...

If we bring together all the outstanding monuments of antiquity, it turns out that hardly one in a hundred has survived to this day.

Fortunately, this has never stopped people from new attempts to build, sculpt, carve, paint - to express themselves and their time in high art.

And the little that has survived to this day makes it possible to imagine the art of the East, gives us the right to be proud of the great masters of the past, wherever they worked - in India, Syria, Japan, Burma, Ethiopia...

Photo 23.

The statue of Olympian Zeus is the only wonder of the world that ended up on the European continent.

None of the temples of Hellas seemed to the Greeks worthy of the title of miracle. And, choosing Olympia as a miracle, they remembered not the temple, not the sanctuary, but only the statue that stood inside.

In the museum you can also see a painting in which the artist tried to recreate the statue of Zeus, some works of the great Phidias, which miraculously survived to this day, and other finds of archaeologists.

The entrance price to the territory of Olympia is 6 euros, the same price for visiting the museum, but it is possible to purchase a comprehensive ticket for 9 euros.
The entrance gates to the complex are open from 8.00 to 19.00 in the summer season (May-October) and from 8.00 to 17.00 in the winter season (November-April).

Residents were considered unhappy Ancient Greece Who hasn't seen this statue of Zeus in Olympia. Antipater of Sidon included the main decoration of the Temple of Zeus in the 3rd century BC to the list of 7 wonders of the world. The most memorable work of the sculptor Fidia shocked all his contemporaries who saw it.

Zeus statue in Olympia. Story

The author of the statue was the famous Athenian sculptor Phidias. For creating main statue Greece even needed to build a special room corresponding to the size of the temple. The student Kolot and brother Panen helped in the process of creating the statue. The statue of Zeus appeared before the public in 435 BC. According to the stories, Phidias personally monitored the reaction of the people who came, surprised by the greatness of the Thunderer. There was even an opinion that Zeus himself personally went down to the sculptor to pose. So the main religious center of Greece acquired another attraction.

Throughout its existence, the statue was restored several times. The statue of Zeus in Greece was damaged by lightning, earthquakes, and there were cases of theft of its gold parts. The Romans paid special attention to it. Thus, in the year 40, Emperor Caligula was going to bring to Rome sculptures and images of all the significant monuments of conquered Greece; the statue of Zeus also fell under this list. But according to legend, during the work the statue burst out laughing, and everyone fled in wild fear, but the statue still remained in Olympia. The last time it was mentioned was in 363 AD. After the adoption of Christianity in 391, all pagan temples were closed and the Temple of Zeus was destroyed. There are references that the statue of Zeus was transported to Constantinople somewhere at the beginning of the 5th century, where, according to the Byzantine historian Kedren, it was completely destroyed in a fire in 475.

Zeus statue in Olympia. Short description

The statue was covered with a huge woolen curtain, dyed Phoenician purple. The curtain, contrary to all established traditions, did not move apart or rise, but rather fell down on ropes, revealing the majestic image of Zeus to the view of the temple visitor.

The statue of Olympian Zeus was made of gold and ivory, using the so-called chrysoelephantine technique. To decorate the statue, 200 kilograms of pure gold were brought. According to the description of contemporaries, Zeus was sitting on a throne, his head was decorated with a wreath, in his right hand he held the goddess of victory Nike, in his left - a scepter crowned with an eagle. Zeus' cloak was decorated with images of animals and flowers. Zeus's feet rested on the bench. The throne stood on a huge pedestal - 9.5 by 6.5 meters.

Special attention was paid to decorating the throne of the wonder of the world, the statue of Zeus in Olympia. It was made of ebony, gold, ivory and precious stones. The throne was abundantly filled with images of scenes from ancient Greek mythology. Each leg of the throne contained four Nikes; on the crossbars between the legs scenes of the war between the Greeks and the Amazons and sports competitions were presented. The throne was painted by Phidias's brother, the artist Panenom. The scenes contain images of the famous Hercules, Theseus, Prometheus, Achilles, Apollo, Artemis, Helios, Hera, Hermes, Aphrodite, Athena, Poseidon. Of course, Zeus himself is personally present among these paintings.

But what was most striking, of course, was the size of the statue of Zeus in Ancient Greece. The right palm was at the height of the columns of the first tier of the temple, the head was at the level of the second tier. Strabo even got the impression that if Zeus had risen from his throne, the roof of the temple would have been broken. According to modern opinions, the total height of the statue is estimated at between 12 meters and 17 meters.

Zeus statue in Olympia. Interesting Facts

To preserve the ivory, the priests anointed the statue with oil. This protected her from the “swampy air.” In the Athenian Acropolis, on the contrary, due to the dry air, the statue of Athena was moistened with water. The floor of the statue was covered with black marble with an artificial depression, similar to a pool, into which oil flowed. Another purpose for the pool was associated with the illusion of light - the light from the door reflected from the oil and illuminated the head and shoulders of the statue, creating the impression that it was God who was emitting light to people.