Temple of Olympian Zeus

The Temple of Zeus Olympius is the largest temple in Greece, built from the 6th century b.c. to the 2nd century a.d. The temple was built on the site of the sanctuary of the mythical Deucalion, the forefather of the Greek people. According to legend, the temple was built on the site of the sanctuary of the mythical Deucalion, the forefather of the Greek people. The erection of the temple was begun during the tyranny of Pisistratus in 515 b.c. The Athenian democracy had little interest in the temple; Themistocles used parts of it for a defensive wall linking Athens to Piraeus (its excavated section can be seen next to the temple). In 175-164 b.c. the construction was continued by the king of Syria Antiochus IV, Epiphanes. In 84 b.c., the Roman dictator Sulla removed several carved capitals from the columns and used them to build a temple of the Roman equivalent of Jupiter of the Capitol. The temple was not completed until 650 years after construction began, under the Roman Emperor Hadrian, an admirer of Greek culture. The opening of the new temple, dedicated by Hadrian to Zeus the Olympian, was timed to coincide with the emperor's second visit to Athens in 132 a.d.