Temple of Olympian Zeus

This is how the Temple of Olympian Zeus looks today.

There is not much of the temple standing today.  Out of the original 104 columns there are only 15 still standing tall (so how many are missing?). There is also one column that fell during a storm in 1852, and today it still lies on the ground in pieces like toppled dominoes.

By looking at the fallen one you can see that the columns are actually made out of marble discs.  Building them was probably like making a tower out of building blocks.

The story behind the temple is an interesting one.  Plans to build a limestone temple dedicated to the Greek god Zeus were drawn up in the 6th century BC, and it is believed that building of the temple was started around this time too.  Unfortunately Ancient Greece wasn't really a peaceful place and the building process kept being interrupted by pesky invaders.

Hundreds of years later the plans were changed and instead of using limestone as a building material, Roman Emperor Hadrian decided to use marble for the temple.  It was under his rule that the temple was completed, and in the 2nd century AD, over 600 years after building first started, the temple was officially dedicated.

The Arch of Hadrian, built to honour the Emperor when he came to dedicate the temple.  It sits right next to the Temple of Olympian Zeus.

It wasn't long before the temple was invaded and destroyed again.  After being destroyed the marble was used to build other structures around the city (almost like pieces of LEGO), and that is why there are only 16 columns left on the site today.