Statue of Apollo, from the Temple of Zeus at Olympia

Original c.460 BC, Cast acquired 1884

Cast Gallery

The Temple of Zeus at Olympia

The Temple of Zeus at Olympia was intended as a tribute from all across the Greek world to the chief god of the Greek pantheon. It was designed by a local architect, Libon of Elis, and constructed between about 470 and 460 BC. A gold shield donated by the Spartans as a thank-offering in 457 BC indicates that the exterior of the building must have been finished by that year. A gold and ivory statue of Zeus by Pheidias stood at the far end of the interior of the temple.

The temple survived for centuries and was described in detail by Pausanias, a Greek traveller and geographer, in the 2nd century AD. The temple eventually collapsed and was covered by a thick deposit of silt and sand. Lost for many years, robbers were not able to disturb the temple and its contents. Careful excavation of the site by German archaeologists in the 19th century brought a rich assortment of sculptures and architectural decoration to light.