Olympia-Kyllini (Zeus-at-Olympia) |
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IPTC INFO | Caption | The Statue of Zeus at Olympia was made by the Greek sculptor Phidias circa 432 BC on the site where it was erected in the Temple of Zeus Olympia Greece. It was considered to be one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. For six hundred years after the death of the sculptor people from all over the civilised world travelled to view it as it was thought to be a misfortune to die without seeing this work.__________ The temple of Zeus was built between 466 - 456 B.C. during the height of Classical Greek architecture and artistic endeavors. It was designed by Libon an architect from neighboring Elis. The temple was constructed of local shell stone in the Doric style the predominant architectural style of the time and the same style as the Parthenon in Athens _________ The Zeus was a chryselephantine sculpture made of ivory and gold-plated bronze. No copy in marble or bronze has survived though there are recognizable but approximate versions on coins of nearby Elis and on Roman coins and engraved gems. A very detailed description of the sculpture and its throne was recorded by the traveler Pausanias in the second century AD. The sculpture was wreathed with shoots of olive worked in gold and seated on a magnificent throne of cedarwood inlaid with ivory gold ebony and precious stones. In Zeus' right hand there was a small statue of crowned Nike goddess of victory also chryselephantine and in his left hand a sceptre inlaid with gold on which an eagle perched The statue inspired reverence for over 800 years in its temple home in Olympia. Kings and even Roman Emperors who gazed upon it were known to cry in veneration. In fact the Roman Emperor Caligula even tried to have the statue taken for himself in the late 30's A.D. with no success. In the 450's A.D. it was taken from the temple to Constantinople where it sat in a palace. The palace was destroyed by fire in 462 A.D. and one of the seven wonders of the ancient world was unfortunately lost | Headline | 1 of the 7 Wonders of the Ancient World | Keywords | 7-wonders-of-the-ancient-world | Copyright Notice | en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Statue_of_ Zeus_at_Olympia | URL | http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statue_of_Zeus_at_Olympia |
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Zeus-at-Olympia.JPG |
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12/30/2009 |
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