- The Statue of Zeus at Olympia was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
- It was built around 435 BCE by Phidias, whose workshop has been excavated nearby, and may have remained in place until the Roman Olympic Games were abolished by Theodosius I in 393 CE.
Description
- The Statue of Zeus had a height of 13m (43 ft).
- The Statue stood in Elis, a sacred Grove dedicated to the Greek God Zeus (Jupiter).
- Elis was where the Roman Olympic Games were held.
Pausanias
- Pausanias was a Greek Geographer (c.110-180 CE) who published a ‘Description of Greece’ in 10 Books in c. 160 CE.
- In Books 5 and 6 he described Elis and the Statue of Zeus in detail.
- He described it as being made of Marble and Bronze covered with Ivory and Gold plates. Zeus was seated on a Throne studded with jewels.
Olympia, Greece