Since, of course, photography did not exist back then, historians have no concrete record of what the enormous cult statue looked like. As a result, the Wonder's historical image remains shrouded in mystery. And moderns, enamored by both the beauty of classical architecture and the Olympic tradition, have come up with several rather unusual notions and fanciful symbolic representations to conjure up the awe-inspiring Temple of Zeus. One such creation, shown to the world during the Opening Ceremonies of the Atlanta Olympics in 1996 wandered far from historical fact, but did not fail-- by any stretch of the imagination-- astonish and amaze. For a view of the Atlantan Temple, click here.
Inarguably impressive images aside, archaeological research at Olympia and analysis of extant texts have provided folks who missed the Centennial Games with a slightly more accurate and informative view of the Olympian Zeus. In fact, getting to know what made people classify this cult statue a "Wonder" and what prompted ancients to revere this temple and its surrounding lands speaks volumes about Greek and Roman cultures.
Like many other ancient monuments (and not a few modern ones, too) the temple and image of Zeus were made from the spoils of war, after the Eleans (the people who resided on the land around Olympia and kept the site sacred) defeated Pisa and her allies. Around 450 BC, Libon, a native Elean, designed the Doric-style temple and decided that it should be constructed from Pentelic marble rather than the pedestrian baked mud. The titanic temple measured 68 feet in height, 95 feet across, and fully 230 feet deep-- nearly the size of an American football field. From Pausanias 5.10.3
As Greece gained wealth, power, and prestige in the ancient Mediterranean and city-states throughout the Greek world lavished great offerings on Olympia, among other pan-Hellenic sites, the temple alone seemed too plain-- its incredible size and appointments notwithstanding. Consequently, Pheidias designed and sculpted his Olympian Zeus, leaving his John Hancock under the god's feet thus: "Pheidias, son of Charmides, an Athenian, made me." From Pausanias 5.10.2
Pausanias, the historian who traveled Greece and painstakingly recorded the details of the region's people, geography, and monuments, provides us with much of our information concerning the size and accoutrements of the cult figure. We know that the pedestal rises 3 1/4 feet, and the seated Zeus towers 45 feet above the temple's floor, nearly touching its roof. Adding to the impression of colossal size, a dark limestone reflecting pool filled with olive oil surrounds the figure-- but this had more practical than ornamental use: the oil battled the dry air of Elis to keep the surface of the statue moist (Spivey, 169).
And it surely needed moisture, for Pheidias constructed his god of chryselephantine-- an ivory figure with decorative gold accents sitting on an ebony throne. On Zeus's head, the sculptor placed a garland of olive shoots. "In his right hand he carries a Victory, which, like the statue, is of ivory and gold; she wears a ribbon and-- on her head-- a garland. In the left hand of the god is a scepter, ornamented with every kind of metal," with an eagle perched atop it. "The sandals also of the god are of gold, as is likewise his robe. On the robe are embroidered figures of animals and the flowers of the lily." From Pausanias 5.11.2.
"The throne is adorned with gold and with jewels, to say nothing of ebony and ivory. Upon it are painted figures and wrought images. There are four Victories, represented as dancing women, one at each foot of the throne, and two others at the base of each foot. On each of the two feet are set Theban children ravished by sphinxes, while under the sphinxes Apollo and Artemis are shooting down the children of Niobe." From Pausanias 5.11.3
Although the most detailed information available concerning the statue comes from Pausanias, historians do have other sources as well. (For an abridged version of Pausanias, click here.)Roman-era coins from Elis probably depict the Zeus's head Pheidias crafted, and one reveals the entire image. Additionally, a Roman fresco from Eleusis seems to depict-- perhaps not intentionally-- the same image as Pausanias describes.
In order to build his Wonder, Pheidias set up literal shop just steps away from the temple into which his creation would move upon completion. In fact, archaeological evidence suggests that Pheidias designed his workshop as a full-scale replication of the nearby temple. And he surely needed the time and space to perform his work. Some scholars have argued that he required fully ten years to construct his Wonder, judging from its shear size and superior craftsmanship.
The exquisite grandeur of Pheidias's work notwithstanding, moderns often have difficulty understanding how an entire people could lay down their weapons every four years, travel to Olympia, worship a statue, and compete in the Games. And since we cannot experience it for ourselves, revisiting the comments of those who did proves enlightening.
Pausanias, in his journalistic style, noted: "I know that the height and breadth of the Olympic Zeus have been measured and recorded; but I shall not praise those who made the measurements, for even their records fall short of the impression made by a sight of the image." From Pausanias 5.11.9
Pliny simply called it an "unrivaled statue." (Richter, 220)
"Dion Chrysostomos calls it the embodiment of peace, 'The guardian of all Hellas [Greece] when she is of one mind and not distraught with faction,' and concludes that when you stand before this statue, you forget every misfortune of our earthly life, even though you have been broken by adversities and grief and sleep shuns your eyes-- so great is the splendor of the artist's creation." (Richter, 220)
The Roman Historian Livy, in 167 BC, toured sacred sites and sanctuaries with a conquering general, Lucius Aemilius Paullus. He wrote that the glories of Greek art and architecture were "greater by reputation than by visual acquaintance." Except at Olympia: the general's "soul was stirred, as he gazed upon what seemed Jove's very incarnation." (Spivey, 170)
In 40 AD, the emperor Caligula decided that he liked the statue so much, his men would kidnap the god and bring him back to Rome. Fortune (perhaps something more?) kept the Olympian Zeus in Elis, as a lighting struck the ship sent to transport him and workmen claimed to have heard the god emit a sinister, haunting laugh. (Spivey, 169).
Given this apparently universal awe and acclaim, and considering that some statues seem to have the same power to soothe the poor, wretched, huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the Olympian Zeus' place in Greek culture does not seem so thoroughly strange as on first appraisal. So when those modern people consider the exceptional wonder of Pheidias' work and compound its artistic effect by bearing in mind that it depicts a supreme god sacred to all the Greeks, the circumstances of the quadrennial peace and regular hallowed reverence do not seem so alien. Indeed, having something similar to revere in 1940 and 1944 might have proved healthy for the world's people.
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