Reading the Temple of Olympian Zeus and Hadrian’s Arch in Athens

From the street, Hadrian’s Arch and the surviving columns of the Olympieion can seem like parts of one design. They tell a longer story. Work on a great temple of Zeus here began centuries before Rome governed Athens. The arch nearby honors the emperor under whom that project finally reached completion.

How big was the Temple of Olympian Zeus?

The finished temple measured roughly 100 meters by 50 meters and had 104 columns. From the surviving group it is hard to picture the entire footprint. First follow the line made by several standing columns, then look for the one lying on the ground. Its separated stone drums offer a rare chance to see the scale of the parts stacked high above you in the standing columns.

Why did the project last so long?

Work began under the Peisistratids in the sixth century BCE and stalled after their fall. Centuries later, the Seleucid king Antiochus IV sponsored a new phase of construction. His death interrupted that effort as well. The emperor Hadrian brought the temple to completion in the second century CE. Each phase depended on a patron able to sustain an exceptionally large project.

Why look at both sides of Hadrian’s Arch?

The inscription facing the old city links Athens to its legendary king Theseus. On the side facing the sanctuary, the dedication associates the city with Hadrian. Position yourself where you can tell which face looks toward the Acropolis. Reading the two sides in their setting puts the emperor’s claim in direct conversation with the city’s older foundation story.