Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Don't Miss
Temple
The colossal Temple of Olympian Zeus took more than 700 years to build. When Hadrian
finally completed it in AD 131 he put one of the largest statues in the world - a giant gold
and ivory statue of Zeus - in the
cella
and, in typically immodest fashion, placed an
equally large one of himself next to it. The temple was pillaged by Barbarian invaders in
the the 3rd century AD and later fell into disuse.
Columns
The temple is impressive for the sheer size of its 104 Corinthian columns - 17m high with
a base diameter of 1.7m - of which 15 remain. Imagine the whole array and you'll get an
idea of how grand a site this was. The fallen column was blown down in a gale in 1852.
Original Temple
The Olympeion is built on the site of a smaller temple (590-560 BC), which was dedic-
ated to the cult of Olympian Zeus. Look closely: its foundations can still be seen on the
site.
Hadrian's Arch
Just alongside the Temple, and free to peruse, sits a lofty monument of Pentelic marble
that stands where busy Leoforos Vasilissis Olgas and Leoforos Vasilissis Amalias meet.
Roman emperor Hadrian erected it in AD 132, probably to commemorate the consecration
of the Temple. The inscriptions show that it was also intended as a dividing point between
the ancient and Roman cities. The northwest frieze reads, 'This is Athens, the Ancient city
of Theseus', while the southeast frieze states, 'This is the city of Hadrian, and not of
Theseus'.
Top Tips
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Admission is included in the €12 Acropolis entry ticket.
