Temple of Olympian Zeus and Arch of Hadrian in Athens

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Temple of Olympian Zeus and Arch of Hadrian in Athens

The construction of the Temple of Olympian Zeus began around 525 BC and was completed only in 131 BC by the Roman Hadrian. Of its 104 columns (17m high with a diameter of 2.38m!), only 16 remain today. The surrounding area is dotted with ruins of ancient temples and monuments of classical age, Roman and Byzantine. In particular there is the church of Agia Fotinì, the temple of Dolphin Apollo, the one of Crono and Rea, the Basilica of Leonidis and others.

Temple of Olympian Zeus

After the construction of the Temple of Zeus, the Athenians raised a "door" arc in the north-west of the fence of the temple. It represents a symbolic entrance to the city of Athens and it includes two inscriptions. The first, located towards the Acropolis and the old town says: "This is Athens, the city of Theseus", while the second, added by Adriano, was placed on the side facing the sanctuary and new districts, says: "This is the city Hadrian and not of Theseus."