The Temple of Olympian Zeus (or Olympeion ; known in Italian as the Tempio di Giove Olimpico ) in Agrigento , Sicily was the largest Doric temple ever constructed, although it was never completed and now lies in ruins. It stands in the Valle dei Templi with a number of other major Greek temples.
19-486: (Redirected from Olympieum ) The Temple of Olympian Zeus or Olympeion or Olympieum can refer to the following ancient Greek temples: Temple of Olympian Zeus, Agrigento Temple of Olympian Zeus, Athens Temple of Zeus at Olympia, Greece, built in the fifth century BC Temple of Olympian Zeus, at Megara Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with
38-477: A Gigantomachy , while the western end depicted the fall of Troy , again symbolising the Greeks' triumph over their barbarian rivals. In front of the eastern façade is the pilastered basement of the huge high altar, measuring 54,50 x 17,50 m. Entablature An entablature ( / ɛ n ˈ t æ b l ə tʃ ər / ; nativization of Italian intavolatura , from in "in" and tavola "table")
57-564: A 2nd-century BC description of Akragas, commenting that "the other temples and porticoes which adorn the city are of great magnificence, the temple of Olympian Zeus being unfinished but second it seems to none in Greece in design and dimensions." According to Diodorus, it remained unfinished due to the Carthaginian conquest of the city in 406 BC, with the Siege of Akragas . The temple's roof
76-466: A far more ornate cornice, divided, from bottom to top, into the cyma reversa , the dentils, the ovolo , the modillions , the fascia, and the cyma recta . The modillions are ornate brackets, similar in use to dentils, but often in the shape of acanthus leaves. The frieze is sometimes omitted—for example, on the portico of the caryatides of the Erechtheum —and probably did not exist as
95-414: A five-step crepidoma . The front of the temple had seven semi-columns, an archaic feature that precluded the addition of a central door. The long sides had fourteen semi-columns. Unlike other temples of the time, the outer columns did not stand on their own as a freestanding peristyle but were engaged against a continuous curtain wall needed to support the immense weight of its entablature . In between
114-476: A structure in the temple of Diana at Ephesus . Neither is it found in the Lycian tombs, which are reproductions in the rock of timber structures based on early Ionian work. The entablature is essentially an evolution of the primitive lintel , which spans two posts, supporting the ends of the roof rafters. The entablature together with the system of classical columns occurs rarely outside classical architecture. It
133-490: Is decorated with mutules , tablets that are typically finished with guttae. The cornice is split into the soffit , the corona, and the cymatium . The soffit is simply the exposed underside. The corona and the cymatium are the principal parts of the cornice. The Ionic order of entablature adds the fascia in the architrave, which are flat horizontal protrusions, and the dentils under the cornice, which are tooth-like rectangular block moldings. The Corinthian order adds
152-400: Is the superstructure of moldings and bands which lies horizontally above columns , resting on their capitals . Entablatures are major elements of classical architecture , and are commonly divided into the architrave (the supporting member immediately above; equivalent to the lintel in post and lintel construction), the frieze (an unmolded strip that may or may not be ornamented), and
171-414: The cornice (the projecting member below the pediment ). The Greek and Roman temples are believed to be based on wooden structures, the design transition from wooden to stone structures being called petrification . The structure of an entablature varies with the orders of architecture . In each order, the proportions of the subdivisions (architrave, frieze, cornice) are defined by the proportions of
190-463: The pronaos and the episthodomos . The entrance to the cella was provided by an unknown number of doors. The interior was inspired by Phoenician-Carthaginian architecture: it comprised an immense triple-aisled hall of pillars, the middle of which was open to the sky. The roof was probably never completed, though the pediments had a full complement of marble sculptures. The eastern end, according to Diodorus Siculus' enthusiast description, displayed
209-412: The stylobate , with a height of some 20 m. The whole construction was made of small stone blocks, which has led to uncertainty to the total size of the building. According to Diodorus, the columns' grooves could easily house a man; their height has been estimated from 14.5 to 19.2 meters. Each stood on a five-stepped platform approximately 4.5 m above the ground. The enclosure occupied a large basement with
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#1732801445478228-427: The triglyphs , vertically channelled tablets, separated by metopes , which may or may not be decorated. The triglyphs sit on top of the taenia, a flat, thin, horizontal protrusion, and are finished at the bottom by decoration (often ornate) of 'drops' called guttae, which belong to the top of the architrave. The top of the triglyphs meet the protrusion of the cornice from the entablature. The underside of this protrusion
247-526: The Greek enslavement of the Carthaginian invaders, or have even been attributed to Egyptian influences. Joseph Rykwert comments that "the sheer size of the temple seems to confirm the reputed extravagance of the Akragans, their love of display." The presence of windows between the columns is not confirmed. The cell was formed by a wall connecting twelve pilasters on each long side, the angular ones enclosing
266-411: The column. In Roman and Renaissance interpretations, it is usually approximately a quarter of the height of the column. Variants of entablature that do not fit these models are usually derived from them. In the pure classical Doric order entablature is simple. The architrave, the lowest band, is split, from bottom to top, into the guttae , the regulae , and the taenia . The frieze is dominated by
285-407: The columns were colossal atlases , stone figures standing some 7.5 m high. The figures appear to have alternated between bearded and clean-shaven figures, all nude and standing with their backs to the wall and hands stretched above their heads. The exact positioning of the atlases has been the subject of some archaeological debate, but it is generally believed that they stood on a recessed ledge on
304-616: The temple is unclear, but it was probably founded to commemorate the Battle of Himera (480 BC) , in which the Greek cities of Akragas (Agrigento) and Syracuse , Magna Graecia , defeated the Carthaginians under Hamilcar . According to the historian Diodorus Siculus , the temple was built using Carthaginian slave labour – presumably defeated soldiers captured after the battle. It is otherwise little mentioned in ancient literature. The Greek historian Polybius mentions it briefly in
323-513: The title Temple of Olympian Zeus . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Temple_of_Olympian_Zeus&oldid=952316594 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Temple of Olympian Zeus, Agrigento The history of
342-607: The upper part of the outer wall, bearing the weight of the upper portion of the temple on their upheld hands. One of the fallen atlases has been assembled in the nearby archaeological museum and a replica can be seen on the ground among the ruins of the temple. Attempts to make a detailed reconstruction of the atlases' original appearance have been hampered by their poor condition; they are heavily eroded and all of their feet appear to be missing. The atlases are an exceptionally unusual feature, and may possibly have been unique in their time. They have been interpreted by some as symbolising
361-409: Was already missing at this time. The temple was eventually toppled by earthquakes and in the 18th century was quarried extensively to provide building materials for the modern towns of Agrigento and nearby Porto Empedocle . Today it survives only as a broad stone platform heaped with tumbled pillars and blocks of stone. The temple, whose structure is still under debate, measured 112.7 x 56.3 m at
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