The Ancient Greek Temples built some magnificent temples which draw some scholars and tourists to the present day. Amongst them, the temple of Zeus is a very significant temple. This temple was constructed in the sanctuary in Olympia. There were many temples built in this sanctuary. They were all dedicated to Pan Hellenic deities.

Ancient Greek Temples

About Zeus:

The ancient Greek people believed Zeus to be the most superior God who ruled over all the other gods. He stayed on top of Mount Olympus. He rules over the sky and thunder. The ancient Greeks described him as the one who gathered monsoon clouds. Several stories have been constructed which has reference to Zeus.

The stories of the Trojan War also contain information about Zeus. This temple was built in honor of Zeus and the ancient Greek people paid their homage to the king of Gods in this temple.

The architecture of this Temple:

Those who took part in the Olympics paid a visit to the temple. The Olympics were held every 4 years. The games were dedicated to Zeus. The temple consisted of a very simple architecture. But they realized that the temple should be made bigger and the architecture should be improved.

They wanted to show their love for their most superior god. Therefore, another temple was built around the year 470 BC. The temple was built with limestone derived from the local deposits. Limestone was not attractive to look at. So in order to make it look attractive, the outer surface was coated with Scutto.

The statue of Zeus that was placed inside the temple

After the construction of the temple was complete, it was found that it was rather simple. So the sculptor thought that the statue inside must be gorgeous. The statue of Zeus is placed at the western end of the temple. It was built so tall that the statue touched the roof of the temple. The statue was placed on a throne of gold. The statue was made from ivory and robes of gold were placed on it.

The ancient temple of Zeus is in relics. Some French archaeologists discovered the temple in 1829 AD. The site where the temple once stood was again excavated by a German team. The temple got destroyed by floods, wars and by the invasion of the Romans. It is beyond man’s capacity to construct this temple again.