The Restoration of the Temple of Zeus, Olympia
The Temple of Zeus in Olympia is one of the most typical examples of the Doric architectural style. Until recently, the construction and the dimensions of the ruined temple that once housed the cult statue of Zeus, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, could only be perceived by experts. In 2004, the German Archaeological Institute, with the support of the A. G. Leventis Foundation, began the restoration of the temple with the repositioning of an entire column of the western opisthodomos, with the aim of enabling visitors to understand the size of the building and gain a sense of its third dimension. The second phase of the restoration was completed in November 2012 with the assistance of the A. G. Leventis Foundation; its objective was to present the area of the western opisthodomos in a comprehensive manner. During the restoration, the fragments of the southern lower drum of a column of the opisthodomos were reassembled with titanium bars, and missing parts were filled in with artificial stone, while column flutes were elaborated by hand, using the ancient method. The restoration was supervised by N. Hellner, the researcher-architect of the Athens Department of the German Archaeological Institute.
Grants given:
2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2012
