Temple of Zeus

The Temple of Zeus at Olympia housed the famous Statue of Zeus which was one of the Seven Wonders of the World.

The temple was constructed circa 435 BCE and designed specifically to house the 30-40 foot chryselephantine Statue of Zeus; the temple was in the Doric style with a colonnade that led to the statue; the temple was decorated with smaller bronze statues of heroes, shields that were carried by the Olympic contestants and the symbolic victory-horses of Kyniska; there was also a winding stairway leading to the roof; the temple was deliberately designed to instill a sense of awe in the worshipers and give the enclosed statue a grandiose proportion that would reflect the grand scale and majesty of the king of the Olympians.

The temple faced the east and would have presumably allowed the morning light to illuminate the gold and ivory which encased the Statue of Zeus in the otherwise dark interior; there were also altars for Zeus on the north and south sides of the temple.

A Temple of Hera and the various treasuries were located to the north of the temple at the foot of the Hill of Kronos (Cronos); the Olympic stadium and the race course were to the front, i.e., on the eastern side of the temple; the temple was approximately 197 x 98 feet (60 x 30 meters); the entire complex covers an area approximately 1,968 x 984 feet (600 x 300 meters).