zeus temple at olympia

As the title suggests, the topic of this paper is one of the most fascinating topics of debate, especially from a historical standpoint. There is so much to say about this Temple that there are whole books and scientific publications devoted to it. Some scholars have based their entire thesis on this subject; however, it is acknowledged that a small text such as this paper is insufficient to cover all facets of the Temple of Zeus at Olympia. In this regard, therefore, this paper will be biased in its approach to the discussion and highlight facts about the Temple of Zeus at Olympia showing why it has attracted much public interest and even debates. There will be a particular preference in the discussion to its connection to architecture.
Historical Background of the Temple of Zeus
The Temple of Zeus was a famous Greek temple that was built in ancient Greece and located in a place called Olympus in Greece. The reason as to why it is famously known as the temple of Zeus is because; it was built and dedicated to one of the Greek gods who was known as Zeus . The period of its construction was in the fifth century BCE, and it was built particularly in the second quarter. Apart from its significance culturally and historically, The Temple of Zeus at Olympia is particularly of great interest to architectures because it was the perfect model of the ancient Greek classical architecture and it was designed on one among their three orders of classical architecture referred to as the Doric order. The Greek had three classical architecture orders, these are the Doric order, and then there were two other canonical orders, which are the Ionic and the Corinthian .
One of the interesting things about The Temple of Zeus at Olympia is that it was strategically positioned and placed in a place of cultural significance and also religious connotation. When it was built, although it was an architectural masterpiece, the location was well thought out, and this may have had a significant influence on its design. Well, The Temple of Zeus at Olympia was located in what may be said to have been a religious site in those ancient time. The region was dedicated to also one of the Greek gods, who was known to them as the mother of the earth named Gaia. The same site had also been the location of another temple dedicated to a different god known by his followers as god Hera. Later on, however, the followers of both Hera and also Zeus joined, and eventually there came about the building of the now very famous Temple of Zeus.
Apart from the temple serving a symbolic purpose for the cult of those who worshiped the Zeus god, there is also significant that the Temple of Zeus at Olympia played. It acted a storage unit. Those who came to honor their god would often bring sacrifices or even donate various items of value as offerings. These items given in whatever form, coins, armor or statues were all stored inside the same temple. All the construction of the Temple of Zeus at Olympia was financed for by the then city of Elis, which had emerged victorious in battles of the time and controlled the games because they had already started by then.
The Temple of Zeus Construction
As already mentioned earlier, the style of architecture that was employed on The Temple of Zeus was that of the Doric style, and thus the main architect had also to be one that was well versed in the same. From the onset of its construction, there was one main architect behind the successful construction and finishing of the construction of this magnificent temple that generated awe and interest in the equal measure; the architect was Libon of Elis. It is speculated that the time it took to finish the whole process of construction of The Temple of Zeus was approximately 13 years. Various scholars have tried to estimate both the onset of construction and also the end of construction and the most agreed upon timelines are that onset of construction may have begun around 470 BC and later on after the 13 years, in 457 BC the temple was finished .
Considering the ancient times in which the construction was started, it has to be appreciated that technology was slightly less advanced, and although The Temple of Zeus was an important part of the Greek society of that time, they had to make do with whatever was at their disposal at that time. Therefore, there were limitations regarding they could do to enhance the outward appearance of the structure. However, despite the limited materials for decoration or other purposes, the Greek managed to do quite an impressive job on their monumental structure. For a start, there was the main material that formed the main structure of their building. In this case, the Greek opted for simply limestone, the reason for it being that limestone was locally and also readily available to them then. However, this had a downside to it. Limestone naturally is guaranteed to have a very unappealing outward appearance. To make matters even worse is that the one they were using was of very poor quality. However, the constructors had sculptural decoration inside the temple; these were made of attractive marbles. Therefore, they aimed to match both the outward appearance of the temple with the attractive marble appearance of the sculptures. To do this, they devised a simple solution, that of coating the limestone with stucco in a thin later, this had the effect of giving it a shiny, attractive appearance just like that of the marble. Stucco, which is also referred to as render, is a certain kind of material that is made from mixing some other materials. In particular, one mixes some aggregates, water and also a binder . Application of the stucco is made while it is still wet, however, when it dries, it hardens up into a solid mass. It is an important material for architects with its main purpose being decorative and helps to cover less attractive material such as metal and concrete. The main difference with stucco from plaster being that stucco in ancient constructions was mainly used outside of the structure.
The dimensions of the temple are also estimated to have been quite exact to a 3D reconstruction of the temple. The height is estimated to have been exactly 68 feet or 20.7 meters when measured up to the pediments. The breadth on the other hand of the Temple of Zeus at Olympia was 95feet or rather 29.0 meters; similarly, the length was 230 feet or 70.1 meters. The design of the Temple of Zeus at Olympia also featured carved metopes and triglyph friezes. These were topped with the pediments that were filled with sculptures and were intricately arranged in a style known as the severe style, and these are honorably credited to its famous architect famously known as the Olympian master. Various indications suggest that the sculptures on the different pediments were done by different people; however, what is assured of is that the metopes depict the twelve labors of Heracles, an important part, and parcel of Greek mythology of their gods .
The platform of the temple, from estimations, is said to have been around 2.5 meters in the foundation. The design entailed having a front porch, central room and also a rear porch. Columns were thirteen in number on the longer sides while on, the shorter sides there were six in number. The roof was also adorned with various objects enhancing the general beauty of the temple.

Temple Sculpture and Decoration
The finer details of the temple are also quite interesting too just as its structure. For instance, the temple was designed to have two pediments, one on the west while the other one being on the east. An area that has been marred with serious debates and arguments as to which was the right way that things were done then has been how the five central figures of the East pediment of the temple of Zeus at Olympia were arranged. Ever since the discovery of the fragments at their former site more than a century ago, the debates rage on. In theory, there are four very different arrangements, and all have been considered by different scholars to have been the way that was used . The basis of their classification has been considerations of aesthetic, technical and among other considerations. One cannot fail to mention the large statue of Zeus that was also located inside the temple. It was one among the seven wonders of the earth in ancient times, it was massive in size, with its head almost touching the ceiling of the temple . The artist of this sculpture did his work on the site and took around 12 years to complete the project.
Conclusion
Despite the longer time it took to finish the construction of the Temple of Zeus, the finished work and its magnificence made it such a sight to behold making it worth every single moment spent working on it. Although a ruler eventually at some point ordered the destruction of this temple, their architectural geniuses will forever be remembered and be discussed throughout the existence of society. One indication of the immortality of the Temple of Zeus at Olympia is that despite having been further destroyed by earthquakes although it was by them in ruins, it was still discovered centuries later and led to much hype and laborious excavation trying to uncover some of the intricacies of its design and structure while it still stood. The number of films whose plot has been structured around this temple is numerous, further enhancing its memory and consolidation as a classical architectural work. There is much to be learned and to be emulated from the architects who worked on whatever part of the temple and apply these lessons to modern designs for longevity and better commitment towards one’s architectural work.

 
Bibliography

Barringer, Judith M. "The temple of Zeus at Olympia, heroes, and athletes." Hesperia 74, no. 2 (2005): 211-241.

Patay-Horváth, András. "Reconstructions of the East Pediment of the Temple of Zeus at Olympia–A comparison of drawings, plaster casts and digital models." International Journal of Heritage in the Digital Era 1, no. 3 (2012): 331-349.

Younger, John G., and Paul Rehak. "Technical Observations on the Sculptures from the Temple of Zeus at Olympia." Hesperia (2009): 41-105.