The Statue of Zeus

Social Studies
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by Meish Goldish
illustrated by Bruce Emmett
3, Digital Vision/Punch Stock; 4, Art Resource, NY; 14, Gavin Hellier/Robert Harding World Imagery/
Getty Images.
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ISBN 10: 0-15-351706-9
ISBN 13: 978-0-15-351706-8
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About 3,000 years ago, ancient Greece was a flourishing
civilization. The Greeks were advanced in many areas. They
were world leaders in science, government, religion, the arts,
and sports.
You may not think that ancient Greece has much to do with
your life today. However, that is not so. Many primitive Greek
ideas have influenced our modern world. For example, the
Greeks were great believers in freedom. They were the first
people to create a democratic government. Today our own
democracy is a descendant of ideas introduced by the Greeks
thousands of years ago.
Some of our modern buildings are modeled after Greek
structures of old. Have you ever seen a building with tall
columns around the outside? That’s a design that the ancient
Greeks created for their temples.
Do you watch the Summer or Winter Olympic Games on
television? They are a series of sports contests held every
four years. Some of the best athletes from around the world
compete in the Olympics. Don’t think that the Olympic Games
are a new idea, however. The ancient Greeks introduced them
2,800 years ago.
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The Importance of Zeus
The ancient Greeks worshipped many different gods and
goddesses. The gods and goddesses were characters in
Greek myths. There was Apollo, the god of light and music.
Poseidon was the god of the sea and earthquakes. Athena
was the goddess of wisdom. Aphrodite was the goddess of
love and beauty. Demeter was the goddess of the harvest.
Ares was the god of war. The ancient Greeks had a ritual of
building many beautiful temples to honor each of the gods
and goddesses.
The god that the Greeks considered most powerful was
Zeus. He was the king of all
the gods and ruled over
everyone. The Greeks
believed that Zeus
sent the rain, wind,
lightning, and
thunder.
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The ruins of the Temple of Zeus at Olympia today
The ancient Greeks found many ways to celebrate Zeus.
They created the Olympic Games to honor their powerful god.
They wanted to show Zeus how fast and strong their athletes
were. The games were so important that all Greek wars were
stopped while the Olympics were held. That way, the most
able soldiers could take part in the sports events. Contests
included running, jumping, wrestling, and boxing.
The Greeks also built many special temples to honor Zeus.
One of the most famous temples stood in a region called
Olympia. It was the same region where the Olympic Games
were first held. The Temple of Zeus was considered to be the
most spectacular building in all of Olympia.
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The Temple of Zeus at Olympia took ten years to build. It
was completed in 456 B.C. The temple was designed by a man
named Libon. He created a building surrounded by thirty-four
tall, thick columns. They rose from the temple’s stone floor to
its marble roof. The columns served two purposes. They gave
the temple a beautiful and impressive look. At the same time,
they reinforced the support of the roof.
The temple did not have an area inside where groups of
people could worship. Instead, visitors left gifts for Zeus on
a large altar outside the temple. During the Olympic Games,
athletes also left many gifts on the altar. They prayed to Zeus
for victory.
Over the years, thousands of Greeks visited the temple
at Olympia to pay honor to Zeus. Kings and other important
people left valuable gifts at the temple. However, the officials
in charge of the temple felt that the building lacked something
important. They felt that the temple should house a large
statue of Zeus. They believed that a grand statue would be
a proper way to immortalize their great and powerful god.
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Creating the Statue
The Greeks wanted their Statue of Zeus to have a
magnificent design. It would take someone with enormous
talent to do the job. The person chosen for the task was
named Phidias. He was a famous Greek sculptor who lived
in the city of Athens. He was considered to be the greatest
sculptor of his time. Phidias had already made two impressive
statues of the goddess Athena. Now he hoped to outdo himself
by creating the most beautiful statue in the world.
Phidias planned his Statue of Zeus with great care. It
took eight years to build. He and a team of workers began by
putting up a wooden frame. It served as a skeleton for Zeus’s
body. Next, Phidias covered the frame with plates of ivory.
They served as Zeus’s skin. Finally, he added sheets of gold
for Zeus’s clothing. Workers used materials to cover up the
places where parts of the statue came together. That way,
the finished statue was kept intact. It looked like a complete
figure—like a real person! Many people who viewed the
finished work believed that they had truly seen Zeus.
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Phidias’s Statue of Zeus was an amazing work of art. It
was 43 feet tall (13 m). (Picture seven adult men standing on
one another’s shoulders. That’s how tall the statue rose.) The
head of the statue almost touched the temple ceiling, even
though Zeus was sitting on a throne. It looked as if he would
lift off the temple roof if he were to stand up!
Many people wished to see the giant statue. Only the
temple priests were allowed to stand directly in front of it. All
other people had to view the statue from a distance. Phidias
designed viewing platforms along the temple walls. Important
visitors could climb up on them to get a closer look at Zeus.
The throne upon which Zeus sat was made of cedar wood.
It was decorated with precious stones, gold, ebony, and ivory.
The throne rested on a stone base. Both the throne and the
base were decorated with figures carved by Phidias. The
figures were characters from Greek mythology. They acted out
scenes from the popular Greek stories of old.
At the top of the throne, on the right, was a small statue
of the three sister goddesses. They were called the Three
Graces. The Greeks believed that they gave beauty and charm
to lucky human beings. In Greek mythology, the Three Graces
were the daughters of Zeus.
By each of the throne’s armrests was a carving of a sphinx.
The sphinx was a popular creature from ancient legends. The
upper part of its body looked like a woman. The lower part of
its body looked like a lion. The sphinx also had the tail of a
snake and the wings of a bird.
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Since the Greeks believed that Zeus controlled lightning,
statues of him often showed him holding a lightning bolt.
However, Phidias presented the god in a different way. In his
left hand, Zeus held a long gold rod called a scepter. A gold
eagle sat atop the scepter. The eagle was a sign of Zeus’s
great power. In his right hand, Zeus held a small gold-andivory statue of Nike. Nike was the Greek goddess of victory.
In Greek mythology, Nike was always at Zeus’s side. Nike’s
presence on the statue reminded people of Zeus’s great power
in war.
Phidias designed Zeus’s head and face with remarkable
care. The statue’s eyes were set with colored glass. The effect
was chilling. The face looked almost human. Atop Zeus’s head
sat a golden wreath of olive branches. This detail reminded
viewers of Zeus’s connection to the Olympic Games. In the
Greek Olympics, the winner of each sporting contest was
crowned with a wreath of olive branches.
Much attention was paid to the feet of the great statue.
Zeus was wearing golden sandals. According to one ancient
Greek writer, the sandals had a message written underneath
them. It read: “Phidias of Athens, the son of Charmides, made
me.” Zeus’s feet rested on a footstool. The footstool was
supported by two carved marble lions. The legs of the throne
also had marble carvings of a lion’s feet. A flower design was
carved above the feet.
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An Admired Work
From head to toe, the Statue of Zeus was breathtaking
to see. It wasn’t just beautiful. It was also considered holy.
One spot at the foot of the statue was thought to be especially
sacred. According to legend, Phidias made a special request
once he finished the statue. He prayed to Zeus to send him
a sign to show that he liked his artwork. Suddenly, a bolt of
lightning struck a spot near the base of the statue. Phidias
believed that he had received his sign. A large bronze jar was
then placed over the spot where the bolt hit. It was kept
there at all times. Before competing in the Olympic
Games, athletes would leave gifts for Zeus in the jar.
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The Statue of Zeus at Olympia survived about 800 years.
During that time, people came from near and far to look at the
great work of art. Many people were struck by its generous
amounts of gold, ivory, and other precious materials. They
said the statue looked more like a huge piece of jewelry than a
carving. The gold alone would be worth more than ten million
dollars today.
People were also impressed by the statue’s lifelike quality.
The ivory body of Zeus seemed to be breathing. Many visitors
imagined that the statue was actually alive. In A.D. 40, the
Roman emperor Caligula tried to steal the statue. He wanted
to have it brought to Rome. He sent workers to take it apart
and bring it to him. According to legend, the statue laughed
loudly at the workers when they came near it. The terrified
workers ran from the temple and never returned!
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The End of the Statue
By the year A.D. 300, Rome controlled the Greek Empire.
In A.D. 391, Roman Emperor Theodosius closed all the
Greek temples. He also put an end to the Olympic Games.
In addition, he ordered that the Statue of Zeus at Olympia be
moved to Constantinople. That was the capital of the ancient
Roman Empire.
The giant statue was shipped to Constantinople. There it
was stored in a palace and ignored for many years. Then, in
A.D.
462, a large fire occurred at the palace. The great Statue
of Zeus was completely destroyed.
In time, the Temple of Zeus was also destroyed, along
with other buildings in Olympia. Over the years, the entire area
suffered from earthquakes, landslides, and floods. The once
fertile home of Greek religion and sports was now buried
in mud.
In one way, the mud proved to be a blessing in disguise.
It helped preserve parts of Olympia that were buried for more
than a thousand years. In recent years, archaeologists have
dug in ancient Olympia. They have uncovered parts of the
Temple of Zeus. A few of its tall, thick columns are now on
display. Parts of the floor have also been discovered. The
outline of the base of Zeus’s statue can clearly be seen. Many
visitors come to Olympia to view these ancient sights.
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Recently, archaeologists dug up some of the tools that
Phidias may have used to carve the Statue of Zeus. They
found molds used to form the folds in Zeus’s gold robe. They
also discovered a small drinking cup. On the bottom was
the same message that appeared on the bottom of Zeus’s
sandals: “Phidias of Athens, the son of Charmides, made me.”
One more ritual of ancient Greece has also returned to
our modern world. After a break of 1,500 years, the Olympic
Games were revived in 1896. Today the Winter and Summer
Olympics are each held every four years, just as they were
long ago.
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