The Statue of Zeus at Olympia was a giant seated statue of the king of the gods in his temple at Olympia in Greece, and one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. It was made by the Athenian sculptor Phidias, who also worked on the Parthenon, and was built using ivory and gold over a wooden frame, with a throne of ebony, ivory and precious stones. It was about twelve metres tall, and ancient writers said that it seemed that if Zeus stood up he would raise the roof. It was taken to Constantinople after the Olympic Games were abolished, and was lost, probably in a fire, in the fifth century CE.
Before and after
- c. 449 BCEConstruction of the Temple of Hephaestus
- from 448 BCE to 433 BCEConstruction of the Parthenon begins
- 445 BCEBirth of Aristophanes
- from 431 BCE to 404 BCEPeloponnesian War
- from c. 430s BCE to 470sStatue of Zeus at Olympia
- c. 430s BCEHerodotus writes the Histories
- c. 430 BCEBirth of Xenophon
- c. 420s BCEConstruction of Temple of Athena Nike
- 425 BCEDeath of Herodotus
More in Art, literature & culture
- from c. 776 BCE to 500 CEAncient Olympic Games
- c. 520 BCECarving of the Behistun inscription
- 2nd century BCEVenus de Milo
- c. 4 BCENativity of Jesus
- June 313 CEEdict of Milan
- 1 November 451 CECouncil of Chalcedon
The era
This moment belongs to the Ancient civilizations (3,200 BCE to 500 CE), writing, cities and empires. You can also browse everything in the 5th century BCE.