The Statue of Zeus at Olympia

Lesson Plan - Get It!

Audio:

In ancient Greece, Zeus was considered to be the king of all the Greek gods.

Zeus was so revered by the ancient Greeks that a statue of him was built and placed in a temple in the city of Olympia. There, as the ancient Greeks believed, he could watch over the Olympic games held every four years in his honor.

Now, this was no ordinary statue. In fact, it is estimated that the Statue of Zeus was as tall as a four-story building, and took at least 12 years to complete!

Take a look at the image below. It depicts an interpretation of what the statue would have looked like inside the temple of Zeus at Olympia.

• What do you observe in the image?
• What do you think about the size of the statue?
• Why do you think the statue is considered one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World?

Talk with your parent or teacher about your observations, then learn more interesting facts about the Statue of Zeus at Olympia with this interactive:

Continue to the Got It? section to assess what you have learned by completing a summary activity.