Seven Wonders Of The Ancient World-- The Statue Of Zeus At Olympia

The Statue of Zeus was done by ereting a wooden frame on which sheets of metal and ivory were placed to provide the outer covering. A person from Ancient time, named Pheidias, which still exists in Olympia, had started building this statue at 440 BC. Few years earlier Pheidias had developed technique to build enormous building and ivory statues. Pheidias first sculpted the different parts of the statue in his workshop, then assembled in the temple.

The criteria that makes the statue fascinating visually is its size. The base of the statue was about 6.5 m (20 ft) wide and 1.0 meter (3 ft) high. The height of the statue itself was 13 m (40 ft), equivalent to a modern 4-story building. The legs of the throne were decorated with sphinxes and winged figures of Victory. But the body of the throne wasn't that much described by the visitors that much because of the height of the statue. The statue was so high that when it was completed it barely fitted the temple. Many people have many comments about this statue of Zeus. Some of the popular comments from historians still exist. What Strabo has commented about this Statue is.....

Many people thought Strabo was right. But that was the only criticism that can be applied for the Statue of Zeus. Other than that, it is worth to be commented. Many historians have described this statue different way. But the statue was made to be seen that the God is so powerful that he can unroof the ceiling only if he stands up from his current position which shows he is sitting down. The Greek Pausanias wrote:

"...On his head is a sculpted wreath of olive sprays. In his right hand he holds a figure of Victory made from ivory and gold... In his left hand, he holds a sceptre inlaid with every kind of metal, with an eagle perched on the sceptre. His sandals are made of gold, as is his robe. His garments are carved with animals and with lilies. The throne is decorated with gold, precious stones, ebony, and ivory."

The ancient Greek calendar starts in 776 BC, for the Olympic games are believed to have started that year. The magnificent temple of Zeus was designed by the architect Libon and was built around 450 BC. Under the growing power of ancient Greece, the simple Doric-style temple seemed too mundane, and modifications were needed. The solution: A majestic statue. The Athenian sculptor Pheidias was assigned for the "sacred" task, reminiscent of Michelangelo's paintings at the Sistine Chapel.

For the years that followed, the temple attracted visitors and worshippers from all over the world. In the second century BC repairs were skillfully made to the aging statue. In the first century AD, the Roman emperor Caligula attempted to transport the statue to Rome. However, his attempt failed when the scaffolding built by Caligula's workmen collapsed. After the Olympic games were banned in AD 391 by the emperor Theodosius I as Pagan practices, the temple of Zeus was ordered closed.

Olympia was further struck by earthquakes, landslides and floods, and the temple was damaged by fire in the fifth century AD. Earlier, the statue had been transported by wealthy Greeks to a palace in Constantinople. There, it survived until it was destroyed by a severe fire in AD 462. Today nothing remains at the site of the old temple except rocks and debris, the foundation of the buildings, and fallen columns.

The Statue of Zeus used to be decorated occassionally with gifts from kings and rulers. For time, people have been copied to build the Statue of Zeus many times including a large prototype at Cyrene (Libya). Early constructions are eventually believed to be inaccurate. However, none of the statues survived until today. Its also that we don't have an accurate description of the appearance of the Statue of Zeus, which was the greatest work in Greek sculpture.