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Temple of Zeus Olympios. In ca. 515 B.C., Peisistratos the Younger, began the construction of a monumental temple which was not
finished because of the fall of the tyranny in Athens. Much later, in 174 B.C., Antiochos
IV Epiphanes, the king of Syria, attempted to continue the erection of the temple, which
was finally completed by the Roman emperor Hadrian, in A.D. 124/125. It was tripteral
octastyle on the two narrow sides, and dipteral eikosastyle on the long sides, that is, it
was surrounded by 104 Corinthian columns in total. Inside the building, along the north
and south walls, there was an additional Ionic colonnade. Inside the temple stood a
colossal chryselephantine (gold and ivory) statue of Zeus.
Interactive Map of Athens
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