Temple of Olympian Zeus
Temple of Olympian Zeus
Around 515 B.C. building began on a monument temple by Peisistratos the Younger but never came to fruition due to the collapse of his tyranny. An attempt at continuing the work – which was to be none other than the Temple of Olympian Zeus – was much later by the Seleucid King Antiochus IV Epiphanes in 174 B.C. but was finally completed at the bequest of the Emperor Hadrian in 124/125 A.D.
The same emperor placed inside the Temple of Zeus a gigantic Chryselephantine statue of Zeus (by Phidias) as well as a large statue of his own likeness.
Excavations on the site of the temple took place from 1883 through 1960, while during newer restoration projects; much of the surrounding area was rebuilt but kept true to its ancient form.