Facts about the Temple of Zeus for Kids |
Fact 1 about the Temple of Zeus: | Location: It was erected in the sanctuary dedicated to the king of the gods at Olympia, on the western coast of Greece, where the ancient Olympic Games were held every four years |
Fact 2 about the Temple of Zeus: | Does it still exist? Only remains of the Temple have survived. |
Fact 3 about the Temple of Zeus: | How big was it? The temple was 68 feet high, 95 feet wide and 235 feet long |
Fact 4 about the Temple of Zeus: | Design: The Temple of Zeus followed a design used on many large ancient Greek temples and was similar in design to the Parthenon in Athens and the Temple of Artemis in Ephesus. |
Fact 5 about the Temple of Zeus: | Who built it? The name of the architect was Libon of Elis. Elis was an ancient district in southern Greece on the Peloponnesos peninsula. The city of Elis financed the building after defeating the rival city of Pisa. The booty gained during the war that paid for the temple and ensured that Elis had control over the Olympic Games. |
Fact 6 about the Temple of Zeus: | When was it constructed? It was built between 472 and 456 BC. It was completed by 457BC. The completion date is verified because the Spartans hung a shield from the peak of the gable commemorating their victory over the Athenians at Tanagra in the same year. |
Fact 7 about the Temple of Zeus: | How long did it take to build? It took 14 years to build, but many repairs and improvements were made in following years |
Fact 8 about the Temple of Zeus: | What was it made of? It was made from white stone, using a local limestone. The Stone structure was coated with a thin layer of stucco which give the temple an appearance of being made of marble. All the sculptural decoration on the temple was made of Parian marble. The roof tiles were made of Pentelic marble. |
Fact 9 about the Temple of Zeus: | Why was it made and what was its function? As a shrine to Zeus, the king of the gods and a place of worship and various rites and ceremonies, many relating to the ancient Olympic games. It was also used as a treasury to store expensive gifts |
Fact 10 about the Temple of Zeus: | The interior was divided into three separate rooms, the Proanos, the Cella and the Opithodomos - The Proanos: The entrance room called the proanos, the inner area leading from the portico. The proanos was equipped with two bronze doors that opened to the outside
- The Cella or Naos: The cella, also called the Naos, was the inner part of a temple, the main room at the centre of the building which contained the colossal statue of Zeus
- The Opithodomos: The third room was called the opithodomos which had little decoration, but was lined with a stone bench to provide a place for the public to convene after visiting the temple. It was open at the end of the room which served as the exit
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Fact 11 about the Temple of Zeus: | The cella (naos) contained the massive statue of Zeus which was 13m (42 ft) tall and 6m (21 feet) wide |
Fact 12 about the Temple of Zeus: | The cella (naos) had a wooden ceiling and a double colonnade of columns with seven columns on each side which supported a wooden viewing gallery |
Fact 13 about the Temple of Zeus: | The viewing gallery allowed visitors to see the great statue of Zeus from a high vantage point. |
Fact 14 about the Temple of Zeus: | The viewing gallery was accessed via two spiral staircases |
Fact 15 about the Temple of Zeus: | The floor was originally made from limestone tiles but was later replaced with marble. Mosaics were added by the Romans to both the floor of the cello and the Proanos (entrance room). A reflecting pool was also built on top of the marble floor in order to mirror the Statue of Zeus. |
Fact 16 about the Temple of Zeus: | An altar dedicated to Zeus was erected outside the temple where sacrifices took place |
Fact 17 about the Temple of Zeus: | The foundations were 2.5 meters deep |
Fact 18 about the Temple of Zeus: | The temple was built on a raised, rectangular platform and access was via an entry ramp |
Fact 19 about the Temple of Zeus: | The portico: The portico was a porch outside the entrance of a building with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by the columns |
Fact 20 about the Temple of Zeus: | | The architectural design and style was of the Doric order- 13 large Doric columns supported the roof along the long sides of the temple
- 6 Doric columns supported the shorter front and rear ends of the temple
- The pillars were tapered - narrower at the top than the bottom
- The pillars featured 20 fluted grooves
- The capitals (tops) of the pillars were simple unlike the later Ionic and Corinthian columns
The corner columns were always counted twice when describing such buildings (see the pictures of the temple) |
Fact 21 about the Temple of Zeus: | The Pediment: A pediment is a classical architectural element consisting of the triangular section found above the horizontal structure (entablature), supported by columns The pediments were filled with a frieze containing sculptures and referred to as the East Pediment, which was the entrance to the temple and the West pediment, which served as the exit. Details of the decorations in the pediments and friezes are detailed below. Ancient Greek Frieze |
Fact 22 about the Temple of Zeus: | The Metopes: Under the pediments, in the metopes, were sculptures depicting the 12 labors of Heracles (Hercules). There were six metopes on either end of the temple. |
Fact 23 about the Temple of Zeus: | The sculptural decorations on the metopes and pediments were made from Perian marble Ancient Greek Metope |
Fact 24 about the Temple of Zeus: | There were 40 lion-shaped marble gargoyles on the roof which served as water spouts |
Fact 25 about the Temple of Zeus: | Various gilded sculptures were added to the temple including a gilded figure of Victory, with a gold shield which was set upon the apex of the gable, gilded vases at the extremities these were traditional prizes given during athletic games. In 146 BC gilded shields were fastened all along the architraves by the Roman general Lucius Mummius from the spoils of Corinth |
Facts about the Temple of Zeus for Kids |