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Top view of the Olympieion
and the outhern sanctuaries:
1)
The roman bath 130 A.D. 2) Arch of Hadrian
131 A.D. 3) Temple of Olympian Zeus 131 A.D. 4) Temple of
Apollo Delphinios 450 B.C. 5) Epi Delphinio low court 6)
Temple of Cronos and Rea 150 A.D.7) Sanctuary of
Zeus Panhellenios.131 A.D. |
To see the
images in full screen, just click on them!
OLYMPIEION (124-131
A.D.)
The construction of the Temple of Zeus Olympios began in
archaic period from Peisistratos and his descendants (520 B.C.). It
was designed to look like the huge temples of Asia Minor. It would be
a Doric temple with a foundation size of 41m X 108m. It would have
eight columns in two rows in the narrow sides and 21 in long ones. However,
with the arrival of Democracy, it was considered as work-symbol
of tyranny and the construction stopped.
In the Hellenistic years,
the king of the Seleykid empire, Antiochus IV Epiphanes, ordered in
174 B.C. the reconstruction of temple. The
assigned architect was the Roman Cossutius who modified the
initial plan of the building. The temple would now be of Corinthian
order. In the narrow sides it would have three rows from 8 columns
each, while in long, would have two rows from 20. It would have 104
columns in total. However, the works stopped again with the death of
Antiochus, in 164 B.C. 86 B.C. When the Romans besieged Athens the
general Sylla took two columns of the unfinished temple, to decorate
the temple of Jupiter in Campidoglio, in Rome. A third effort for the
finish the temple by emperor Augustus, was unsuccessful.
Finally, the
emperor Hadrian accomplished the project in 131 A.D. He respected the initial
plan of Cossutius maintaining even some of his columns that still existed. The
columns were 17 metres high and had a diameter of 2m. Round the temple was built
a wall parametrically
of which, were set dozens of his portraits, offerings
from all
the
cities of Greece. In the interior of temple there was one gold and ivory statue
of Zeus and one of Hadrian himself. The temple was deserted after suffering
serious damage from their Heruli invasion in 267 A.D. Afterwards it was used as
a quarry as the marble was used to manufacture lime. In 1436, only 21
columns had remained from the 104. On 27 April 1759 the Turkish governor
of Athens Tsisdarakis blew up one column in order to he prepare lime for the
mosque that he was building. Today only 16 columns exist. One of them
fell during a storm in 1852.
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The eastern facade of the
Temple of Olympian Zeus. |
Northeast view with the
entrance to the sanctuary. |
The northeast side. |
Southeast view of the
temple with the Acropolis on the background. |
GATE OF HADRIAN
(131-132 A.D.)
Hadrian founded the Eastern part of Athens, around the
area of Olympieion. It was a new district that was named after him:
Hadrianoupolis. When the emperor reached Athens in 131 A.D., the residents
of the city dedicated to him an arch in the borders of the old city and the new
one.
This arch is still
conserved in the most excellent condition. It is of Corinthian style and it's
height is18 metres, the width 13,5m and the depth 2,3m. It is manufactured from
Pentelic marble. The arc in the middle has an opening of 6,5 metres. Above this,
can be found on both sides, two inscriptions. The west one reads: ΑΙΔ' ΕΙΣ' ΑΘΗΝΑΙ ΘΗΣΕΩΣ Η ΠΡΙΝ ΠΟΛΙΣ (This
is Athens, the old city of Theseus) while East one reads: ΑΙΔ' ΕΙΣ' ΑΔΡΙΑΝΟΥ Κ'ΟΥΧΙ ΘΗΣΕΩΣ ΠΟΛΙΣ
(This is the city of Hadrian and not of Theseus).
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View of Hadrian's Gate
from the west. Behind is the Olympieion and on the far left the
roman bath. |
View from the east with
the Acropolis. |
OTHER BUILDINGS
In the area
south of the Olympieion, several sanctuaries existed from their
archaic years. The most important of them was dedicated to Apollo
Delphinios. Next to it was one of the city's courts, the Epi
Delphinio. During the roman times, were built the sanctuary of
Panhellenios Zeus (131 A.D) and the temple of Cronos and Rea (150
A.D.).
Finally,
east of the Gate of Hadrian a bath was built in 131 A.D. that is today
known as the Bath of the Olympieion.
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The Olympieion on the top.
In front are the temple of Apollo Delphinios, the temple of Cronos
and Rea and the sanctuary of Zeus Panhellenios with the stoas.
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The sanctuary of
Panhellenios Zeus (131 A.D) |
The temple of Cronos and
Rea (150 A.D.) |
The Bath of the Olympieion
from the east. |
For other monuments of Roman
Athens click below:
THE
ACROPOLIS -
SOUTH SLOPE OF ACROPOLIS
THE AGORA
ROMAN AGORA - LIBRARY OF
HADRIAN
