In his right hand a figure of Victory made from ivory and gold. In his left hand, his scepter inlaid with all metals, and an eagle perched on the sceptre. The sandals of the god are made of gold, as is his robe. Pausanias[1] the Greek (2nd century AD)
This is the statue of the god in whose honor the Ancient Olympic games were held. It was located on the land that gave its very[2] name to the Olympics. At the time of the games, wars stopped, and athletes came from Asia Minor, Syria, Egypt, and Sicily to celebrate the Olympics and to worship their king of gods: Zeus.
Location
　　At the ancient town of Olympia, on the west coast of modern Greece, about 150 km west of Athens.
History
　　The ancient Greek calendar starts in 776 BC, for the Olympic games are believed to have started that year. The magnificent temple of Zeus was designed by the architect Libon and was built around 450 BC. Under the growing power of ancient Greece, the simple Doric-style[3] temple seemed too mundane, and modifications were needed. The solution: A majestic statue. The Athenian sculptor Pheidias
[4] was assigned for the "sacred" task, reminiscent of Michelangelo
's paintings at the Sistine Chapel[5].
For the years that followed, the temple attracted visitors and worshippers from all over the world. In the second century BC repairs were skillfully made to the aging statue. In the first century AD, the Roman emperor Caligula[6] attempted to transport the statue to Rome. However, his attempt failed when the scaffolding built by Caligula's workmen collapsed. After the Olympic games were banned in AD 391 by the emperor Theodosius I[7] as Pagan practices, the temple of Zeus was ordered closed.
Olympia was further struck by earthquakes, landslides and floods, and the temple was damaged by fire in the fifth century AD. Earlier, the statue had been transported by wealthy Greeks to a palace in Constantinople. There, it survived until it was destroyed by a severe fire in AD 462. Today nothing remains at the site of the old temple except rocks and debris, the foundation of the buildings, and fallen columns.

奥林匹亚的宙斯大金像

　　他右手拿着象牙和黄金制成的胜利的标志，左手握着镶嵌着各种贵重金属的节杖，一只雄鹰高踞在节仗之上。神像的衣服和凉鞋都是由黄金制成的。 ——保夫萨尼阿斯，《希腊人》（公元2世纪）

这就是举办古代奥林匹克运动会所纪念的天神的雕像。它坐落在奥林匹亚山上，奥林匹克运动会正是以这座山来命名的。在举办运动会的时候，战争停止了，来自小亚细亚，叙利亚、埃及和西西里的运动员们来这里庆祝奥林匹克运动会，并敬拜他们的众神之王：宙斯。

位置：
　　位于奥林匹亚古城，现在希腊的西海岸，雅典以西约150公里处。

历史：
　　古希腊的历法始于公元前776年，因为据说奥林匹克运动会就是从那一年开始的。宏伟的宙斯神庙是由建筑师雷本设计的，大约建于公元前450年。随着古希腊力量的日益壮大，这种简单的多立斯柱式神庙显得太平凡了，急需更改。解决的方案是：一座庄严的雕像。雅典雕塑家菲迪亚斯被指派去完成这个“神圣”的任务，这使人联想到米开朗基罗在西斯廷礼拜堂的壁画。

　　在此之后的许多年，神庙吸引了来自全世界的参观者和朝拜者。在公元前2世纪，曾对老化了的雕像进行过巧妙地整修。公元一世纪，罗马皇帝卡利古拉企图把雕像运到罗马。但是，他的工匠们所建的脚手架倒塌了，卡利古拉的这种企图也因此以失败告终。公元391年，奥林匹克运动会被当作异教徒的活动而被罗马皇帝狄奥多西乌斯一世取缔了，此后，宙斯神庙也被勒令关闭了。

　　而且奥林匹亚山不断遭到地震，山崩和洪水的侵袭，神庙在公元5世纪中的一场大火中被烧毁了。在此之前，雕像已被富有的希腊人运至君士坦丁堡的一个宫殿中。在那儿，雕塑一直被保存到公元462年，也就在那一年一场凶猛的大火将雕像毁之一炬。如今神庙的旧址上除了石块、建筑物的地基及倒塌了的柱子外所有的一切都已经荡然无存了。 简介：奥林匹亚的宙斯神庙是希腊进入古典时期的杰出艺术创作。庙内还有一座高约10米的巨大宙斯像，是由黄金、象牙和木造的支架作成的。据说人体部分全用象牙片镶嵌，衣服部分是用黄金装配在木架上。作者是古典时期希腊最著名的雕刻家菲地亚斯。