Temple of Zeus at Olympia

Temple of Zeus at Olympia

Explore the webpages developed in the Perseus Project examining the Olympics. Especially pay attention to the examination of the site. Take the Tour of Ancient Olympia.

Site plan of Olympia with the Temples of Zeus and Hera emphasized in black.

Plan and Sculptural Program of the Temple of Zeus at Olympia: the temple was begun around 470. The construction was funded by the spoils of a local war between Elis and Pisa, whose defeat and destruction occurred about 470 B.C. The temple was apparently completed by 457 when a golden tripod was dedicated by the Spartans on the peak of the gable after their defeat of Athens in the battle of Tanagra in that year.

East Pediment Reconstruction: Oath of Pelops and Oinomaos before their Chariot Race.

East Pediment: Pelops on left, Zeus in center, and Oinomaos on right.

East Pediment: seated boy.

East Pediment: Seer

East Pediment: River God Cladeos.

West Pediment: Battle of Lapiths and Centaurs.

West Pediment

Detail of Apollo in the center of the west pediment.

Detail of Lapith and Centaur.

Metopes: the Labors of Herakles

Explore the website dedicated to Hercules that is part of the Perseus Project.

Reconstruction of the 12 metopes showing the labors of Herakles from the pronaos and the opisthodomos. Metopes from the West end: top row left to right: 1)Herakles Kills the Nemean Lion;2) Herakles Battles the Lernean Hydra; 3) Herakles brings the Stymphalian Birds to Athena; 4) Herakles Captures the Cretan Bull; 5) Herakles Tames the Keryneian Hind; 6) Herakles Kills the Amazon Queen Hippolyte; Metopes from the East end: Bottom row left to right: 7) Herakles with the Erymanthian Boar; 8) Herakles with one of the Mares of Diomedes; 9) Herakles Kills Geryon; 10) Herakles and the Golden Apples of the Hesperides; 11) Herakles and Kerberos; 12) Herakles Cleans the Augean Stables.

Herakles Cleaning the Augean Stables

(The Augean Stables in Elis housed huge herds of cattle, whose dung had not been cleared for thirty years. Herakles wagered Eurystheus, king of Tiryns, that he could clean the stables in a single day. He made two holes in the stable walls, through which he diverted the River Alpheios.

Herakles and the Cretan Bull

Herakles aided by Athena holding up the heavens while Atlas fetches the golden apples.

The Chryselephantine Statue of Zeus by Phidias

The sculptural programme of the Temple of Zeus was completed by the addition of the monumental statue of the enthroned Zeus holding a Nike figure made by Phidias. The statue like the apparently earlier Athena Parthenos in the Parthenon also made by Phidias was a chryselephantine statue made of gold and ivory.