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The Statue of Zeus

The Statue of Zeus at Olympia was one of the Ancient 7 Wonders of the World, chosen by Philon of Byzantium in 200 B.C. This gold and bejeweled statue was commissioned around 438 B.C. by the Council of Olympia to show their respect for Zeus, the ruler and most powerful of the Olympian gods. The great statue was the work of the Athenian sculptor Phidias and was constructed inside the Parthenon, the great temple overlooking the city. The seated statue occupied the whole width of the aisle of the temple that was built to house it. According to a contemporary source, it was about 12 meters (37 feet) tall. It seems that if Zeus were to stand up," the geographer Strabo noted early in the 1st century B.C., "he would unroof the temple. Zeus was carved from ivory (the ivory was soaked in a liquid that made it more malleable, so it was probably both carved and shaped as necessary), then plated with gold. Zeus was seated on a magnificent throne of cedarwood, inlaid with ivory, gold, ebony and precious stones. In Zeus' right hand, he held a small statue of Nike, the goddess of victory, and in his left hand, a shining scepter on which an eagle rested. According to Philon of Byzantium, this was the most inspiring of all of the seven wonders of the ancient world: Whereas we greatly admire the other six wonders, we kneel in front of this one in reverence... The statue of Zeus was later destroyed, but the circumstances are not clear. Some scholars argue that it perished with the temple in either 170 B.C. or in the 5th century A.D., others (like the historian Schobel) argue that it was carried off to Constantinople, where it was destroyed in the great fire of the Lauseion.

If you want to find out more about the exciting campaign to name the New 7 Wonders of the World, please go to the New7Wonders website at www.new7wonders.com.

07.07.07 Official Declaration of the New 7 Wonders of the World be part of the making of history!
www.new7wonders.com