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The temple of Zeus was built in 450 BC and was designed by the architect Libon .it is a simple Doric-style temple. Being so simple in design, it seemed mundane, and so a change of design was thought upon - the Statue of Zeus in Olympia was the answer. This "sacred" task was assigned to the Athenian sculptor Pheidias who began working on The Statue of Zeus at Olympia around 440 BC. It is situated in Olympia, on the west coast of Greece, 150 km to the west of Athens.
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In the second century BC the Statue of Zeus in Olympia was repaired because it had begun to age. In the first century AD, an attempt was made by the Roman emperor Caligula to transport the Statue of Zeus in Olympia to Rome. It failed when the scaffolding built for the transfer collapsed. After the Olympic games were banned in AD 391 by the emperor Theodosius I, and declared as Pagan practices, the temple was closed. Later Olympia was struck by earthquakes, landslides and floods, and the temple was damaged by fire in the fifth century AD.
The statue of Zeus in Olympia was then transported by wealthy Greeks to a palace in Constantinople. There, it survived until it was destroyed by a severe fire in AD 462. Nothing remains of either the temple or The Statue of Zeus in Olympia.
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| Pheidias had developed a way to build enormous gold and ivory statues. This was done by erecting a wooden frame on which sheets of metal and ivory were placed to provide the outer covering. When the Statue of Zeus in Olympia was completed, it barely fitted in the temple. The Statue of Zeus in Olympia has quite an impressive structure. The base of the statue was about 20 ft wide and 3 ft high. The height of the statue itself was 40 ft, equivalent to a modern 4-story building. The legs of the throne were decorated with Greek gods, mythical figures sphinxes and winged figures of Victory. |
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The Statue of Zeus in Olympia was so high that visitors described the throne more than Zeus body and features. In his right hand was a figure of Victory made from ivory and gold. In his left hand, on his scepter an eagle perched. The scepter was also inlaid with metals. The sandals of The Statue of Zeus in Olympus are made of gold, and so is his robe.
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