The Temple of Olympian ZeusAmong the largest temples in the ancient world - and long under construction.
The Temple of Olympian Zeus
Once a site becomes sacred, temple after temple will often be built there.
In the case of this site, apparently the earliest temple may have been here in the 6th BC, with informal worship even earlier.
Temple building started and stopped over a long time until Hadrian had it finished and dedicated it in 130 CE.
As long ago as 1450 CE there were only 21 of the 104 columns were standing. Today there are15 standing and one in sections on the ground.
(2012 image)
The fallen column gives you a chance to see how it was put together - in a series of drums or sections.
The fluting would have been carved after the column was assembled.
A close up of one of the capitals. Note the dark discoloration due to air pollution and the attempt to hold the cracked column together.
(1994 photo.)
In 2022 restoration work was underway.
You can see the damage - note the crack at the bottom of the cross member.
(2022 image)