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Statue of Zeus at Olympia

Ancient and Classical Monuments

The Statue of Zeus at Olympia was a giant seated figure, about 12.4 meters tall, made by the Greek sculptor Phidias around 435 BC at the sanctuary of Olympia, Greece, and erected in the Temple of Zeus there. Zeus was the sky and thunder god of ancient Greek religion, ruling as king of the gods on Mount Olympus.

Facts
Year Created
435 1
Circa; the source gives around 435 BC, in the latter half of the fifth century BC, not a single exact year.
Medium
Chryselephantine sculpture: ivory plates and gold panels on a wooden framework 1
Location
Temple of Zeus, Olympia, Greece 1
Commissioned By
The Eleans, custodians of the Olympic Games 1
Height (metres)
12.4 1
Classification
Genre
Architecture 1
Connections

Created By

Phidias, Artists

Sculpted by Phidias, c. 435 BCE.

In Form

Sculpture, Art Forms

Chryselephantine cult statue, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

In the Other Atlases
Sources
1. Statue of Zeus at Olympia (Wikipedia)
Wikipedia
  • Lead paragraph, dating sentence
    around 435 BC
  • Lead paragraph, materials sentence
    a chryselephantine sculpture of ivory plates and gold panels on a wooden framework
  • Lead paragraph, dimensions sentence
    about 12.4 m (41 ft) tall
  • History section, construction paragraph
    The statue of Zeus was commissioned by the Eleans, custodians of the Olympic Games, in the latter half of the fifth century BC
  • Lead paragraph, siting sentence
    erected in the Temple of Zeus there
  • Genre reference
    4 meters tall, made by the Greek sculptor Phidias around 435 BC at the sanctuary of Olympia, Greece, and erected in the Temple of Zeus there.
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