Temple of Olympian Zeus, Athens

The Olympian (also Temple of Olympian Zeus) in Athens was one of the largest temples in ancient Greece. The building dates back to the 6th century BC, but AD was only under the Roman Emperor Hadrian in the 2nd century completed. The Olympian is located approximately 500 m east of the Acropolis.

History

The oldest excavated building remains at this point probably came from a temple from the first half of the 6th century, which was probably built under the tyranny of Pisistratus. His sons Hippias and Hipparchus left in its place a gigantic temple building, probably along the lines of a short time before begun Dipteroi in Ionia. After the fall of the tyranny of the building lay unfinished. The prepared column drums were mostly used for the construction of the wall of Themistocles. Other building materials were probably used for the construction of the previous building of the Parthenon on the Acropolis. That one material removed from a sanctuary, is unusual and suggests that the building was conceived more as a monument of tyrannical rule and not as a property of the god Zeus. An attempt in the late classical period, at least to complete the Naos, also remained in the first beginnings stuck.

It was not until 174 BC, the Roman architect Cossutius commissioned the powerful and extremely ambitious Seleucid king Antiochus IV in order to build a temple on the old foundations. After the death of the King 164 v. Chr.blieb the already well advanced building again are unfinished. After Sulla 86 BC had conquered Athens, he left two columns of the Temple of Olympian Zeus bring to Rome and connection inside of the temple of Jupiter Capitolinus. During the reign of Augustus, an attempt was made to complete the temple and consecrate the genius Augusti ( Suetonius Augustus 60). But only under the Emperor Hadrian, an admirer of Greek culture, the Olympian to 131/132 AD was unchanged finally completed according to the plan of Cossutius and consecrated.

When and how exactly the Olympian Zeus was destroyed is unknown, but probably by an earthquake in the Middle Ages. After the ruins were used as a quarry. With archaeological excavations began in 1889.

Architecture

The Olympian was after the original plan a Dipteros with eight columns on the narrow and 21 columns on the long sides. The Naos should be surrounded by a total of 108 columns, each double rows on the long sides, even triple rows on the narrow sides. With a footprint of 108 × 41 meters at the stylobate of the temple was probably no coincidence almost as long as the started around the same time under the tyrant Polycrates of Samos Heraion monumental, the largest ever built temples of Greece ( for comparison: the nearly 100 years later erected Parthenon had Stylobatabmessungen of about 31 m to 67 m). Originally the building was well planned and begun in the Doric order - but with some peculiarities of Ionic architecture in plan. As a building material, a porous limestone was used. From this draft little more than the benching was completed.

The appearance of the present ruin is instead characterized by some 350 years later design from the time of Hochhellenismus, the only additional 300 years later Hadrian finish. The floor plan was changed only slightly, the number of columns on the long sides was reduced to 20 columns in exactly the same distance. Instead of the originally planned Doric columns, however, about 17 m high Corinthian columns have now been built, 15 of which are still standing today. It is the only proven Corinthian temple in Greece. As building material Pentelic marble was used for all components.

The Hellenistic temple stood on a 44 x 110 meter and 2 meter high Krepis, which also consisted of marble to the lowest level of the west side. The columns with their 24 Ionic flutes were on Attic bases with carved blocks of two plinths. The bases of the inner ring column here were slightly higher than the outer one. The Corinthian capitals were made ​​of two parts. The following entablature consisted of three- fascia architrave and frieze smooth. From geison only a 49 cm high pontic is still preserved, decorated with Astragalus, egg and dart and dentil. The Sima was provided with lion head gargoyles. The design met, apart from the Corinthian capitals, all of an ionic temple. The exact design of the Kernbaues is unknown. Was that the temple was planned as Hypäthraltempel, is with reference to Vitruvius (III 2, 8 ) is not to prove that he knew the temple only in an unfinished state. In the time of Augustus parts of peristasis were completed. Under Hadrian was probably the Eindachung because he dedicated a gold and ivory statue in the temple, which, however, even in a Adyton could be accommodated.