Temple of Olympian Zeus

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The Olympieion, a serene archaeological park where sky and earth appear to meet, is located in the center of contemporary Athens, a city whose streets are vibrating with traffic. The Olympieion is marked by gigantic marble columns that soar upward and indicate the temple of Olympian Zeus. Visitors are given a taste of nature, an incredible historical ruin on a super-human scale, and one of the region's most breathtaking vistas of the temple-topped Acropolis after they enter this ancient sanctuary. The Roman architect Decimus Cossutius, who was employed by Antiochus IV Epiphanes during the temple's Hellenistic construction period, is primarily responsible for the Olympieion's Corinthian capitals. The Peloponnesian people invented the Corinthian capital, which combined an upper zone of more stylized volutes with a lower zone of realistic acanthus leaves. A flower that partially encircles the abacus above rises from a core robust stem between the rising volutes on either face of the capital. According to Roman architect and author Marcus Vitruvius Pollio, the capital was influenced by a flourishing acanthus plant that the sculptor Callimachus saw in Corinth one day. The plant was growing up around the outside of a basket covered in tiles and erupting outward at the top. The fifteen pillars of the Olympieion that are still standing have long been regarded as a symbol of the Athens landscape, having been depicted in countless works of art, including sketches, paintings, and photographs. A strange, never-forgotten detail is an odd construction that was built on top of the antiquated columns. This is one of the weirdest and most fascinating tales about the Olympian Zeus temple's colorful past; it seems that Hadrian's columns served as the foundation for a three-story Byzantine watch tower that gave late-antiquity Athens some security on its eastern side. Best Things to see: When Emperor Hadrian visited Athens to dedicate the Olympieion, he was commemorated by having Hadrian's Arch built. It is 18 meters tall and is entirely composed of white marble from Mount Pentelicus, the same location where the rock was used to build the Acropolis, the Ancient Agora, and numerous other monuments dotted across the Greek capital, including the Temple of Olympian Zeus, was excavated. You will cross the Roman Baths after entering the Olympieion archaeological site's boundaries. As you may already be aware, the Romans frequently visited the Baths or Thermal Baths for both leisure and therapeutic reasons. Athens was already influenced by the Roman Empire during the final years of the building of the Temple of Olympian Zeus. As a result, the Greeks decided to build a modest complex of public baths. Just before the Olympieion was dedicated in 131 AD, construction began in 124 AD.

  • imageDuration Required
    4 hours

Address of Temple of Olympian Zeus

Leoforos Vasilissis Olgas Leoforos Amalias, Athens 105 57 Greece

Opening & Closing time of Temple of Olympian Zeus

  • Monday
    08:00-15:00
  • Tuesday
    08:00-15:00
  • Wednesday
    08:00-15:00
  • Thursday
    08:00-15:00
  • Friday
    08:00-15:00
  • Saturday
    08:00-15:00
  • Sunday
    08:00-15:00