Temple of Hera (Olympia)
Encyclopedia
The Temple of Hera is an ancient Doric
Greek temple
at Olympia
, Greece
. The Temple of Hera was destroyed by an earthquake in the early 4th century AD, and never rebuilt. In modern times, the temple is the location where the torch of the Olympic flame
is lit, by focusing the rays of the sun.
The temple was dedicated to Hera
, the wife of Zeus
and one of the most important female deities in Greek religion. For other temples also dedicated to Hera, see the: Heraion (disambiguation)
.
The temple was depicted on the reverse
of the Greek 1000 drachmas
banknote of 1987-2001.
The Heraion at Olympia, located in the north of the altis (the sacred precinct), is the oldest peripteral temple at that site, and one of the earliest Doric temples in Greece. There may have been an older cult place in the same location. The temple was erected circa 590 BC, probably as a dedication by the Triphylian polis
of Skillous. It is suggested that this dedication by a nearby city was originally in honour of the main patron deity at Olympia, Zeus. In that case, the temple would have rededicated to Hera at a later point, perhaps after 580 BC, when control of Olympia had passed from Triphylia to Elis
, or in the 5th century BC, when the famous Temple of Zeus
was built. The temple of Hera was destroyed by an earthquake in the early 4th century AD. No repairs took place after that event.
The temple measures 50.01 by at the stylobate
level; such elongated proportions are a common feature of early Doric architecture
. It has a peripteros
of 6 by 16 columns. These were originally wooden and were only gradually replaced with stone ones. As the replacements took place at widely differing periods between the Archaic and Roman
periods and were carved under the influence of their respective contemporary styles, they differ considerably in proportions and detail. As late as the 2nd century AD, the travel writer Pausanias
saw one wooden column in the opisthodomos
. The walls had a bottom course of stone with a mudbrick
superstructure, another feature typical of early Greek architecture. Holes in the protrusions at the ends of the walls (the so-called antae indicate that a wooden cladding protected them from the elements. The entablature
above the columns must have been wooden, since no remains of it were found. The temple had a Laconian-style roof; its pediments were decorated with disk acroteria
of 2.5 m (8.2 ft) diameter, each made in one single piece (one is on display at the Archaeological Museum of Olympia).
Pausanias reports two cult statues inside the cella
or naos, of the temple: a seated Hera and a standing Zeus. An Archaic stone head on display in Olympia museum may belong to the statue of Hera. At the time of Pausanias, the building was also used to store numerous other objects, including many further statues of deities and votive offerings. Among the few of these objects to survive is the statue generally identified as the Hermes of Praxiteles
, one of the most important preserved examples of Greek sculpture. The temple also held the table on which the olive wreaths for the victors were displayed during the Olympic Games. Today, the temple is the location the Olympic flame
is lit.
at Wetumpka, Alabama
(USA) contain a full-sized replica of the (ruined) Temple of Hera.
Doric order
The Doric order was one of the three orders or organizational systems of ancient Greek or classical architecture; the other two canonical orders were the Ionic and the Corinthian.-History:...
Greek temple
Greek temple
Greek temples were structures built to house deity statues within Greek sanctuaries in Greek paganism. The temples themselves did usually not directly serve a cult purpose, since the sacrifices and rituals dedicated to the respective deity took place outside them...
at Olympia
Olympia, Greece
Olympia , a sanctuary of ancient Greece in Elis, is known for having been the site of the Olympic Games in classical times, comparable in importance to the Pythian Games held in Delphi. Both games were held every Olympiad , the Olympic Games dating back possibly further than 776 BC...
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
. The Temple of Hera was destroyed by an earthquake in the early 4th century AD, and never rebuilt. In modern times, the temple is the location where the torch of the Olympic flame
Olympic Flame
The Olympic Flame or Olympic Torch is a symbol of the Olympic Games. Commemorating the theft of fire from the Greek god Zeus by Prometheus, its origins lie in ancient Greece, where a fire was kept burning throughout the celebration of the ancient Olympics. The fire was reintroduced at the 1928...
is lit, by focusing the rays of the sun.
The temple was dedicated to Hera
Hera
Hera was the wife and one of three sisters of Zeus in the Olympian pantheon of Greek mythology and religion. Her chief function was as the goddess of women and marriage. Her counterpart in the religion of ancient Rome was Juno. The cow and the peacock were sacred to her...
, the wife of Zeus
Zeus
In the ancient Greek religion, Zeus was the "Father of Gods and men" who ruled the Olympians of Mount Olympus as a father ruled the family. He was the god of sky and thunder in Greek mythology. His Roman counterpart is Jupiter and his Etruscan counterpart is Tinia.Zeus was the child of Cronus...
and one of the most important female deities in Greek religion. For other temples also dedicated to Hera, see the: Heraion (disambiguation)
Heraion (disambiguation)
A Heraion refers to a temple dedicated to the Greek goddess Hera.Several temples of Antiquity, beginning with the Heraion of Samos, were dedicated to Hera...
.
The temple was depicted on the reverse
Obverse and reverse
Obverse and its opposite, reverse, refer to the two flat faces of coins and some other two-sided objects, including paper money, flags , seals, medals, drawings, old master prints and other works of art, and printed fabrics. In this usage, obverse means the front face of the object and reverse...
of the Greek 1000 drachmas
Greek drachma
Drachma, pl. drachmas or drachmae was the currency used in Greece during several periods in its history:...
banknote of 1987-2001.
Description
Polis
Polis , plural poleis , literally means city in Greek. It could also mean citizenship and body of citizens. In modern historiography "polis" is normally used to indicate the ancient Greek city-states, like Classical Athens and its contemporaries, so polis is often translated as "city-state."The...
of Skillous. It is suggested that this dedication by a nearby city was originally in honour of the main patron deity at Olympia, Zeus. In that case, the temple would have rededicated to Hera at a later point, perhaps after 580 BC, when control of Olympia had passed from Triphylia to Elis
Elis
Elis, or Eleia is an ancient district that corresponds with the modern Elis peripheral unit...
, or in the 5th century BC, when the famous Temple of Zeus
Temple of Zeus
The Temple of Zeus at Olympia was an ancient Greek temple in Olympia, Greece, dedicated to the chief of the gods, Zeus. It was the very model of the fully developed classical Greek temple of the Doric order...
was built. The temple of Hera was destroyed by an earthquake in the early 4th century AD. No repairs took place after that event.
Stylobate
In classical Greek architecture, a stylobate is the top step of the crepidoma, the stepped platform on which colonnades of temple columns are placed...
level; such elongated proportions are a common feature of early Doric architecture
Doric order
The Doric order was one of the three orders or organizational systems of ancient Greek or classical architecture; the other two canonical orders were the Ionic and the Corinthian.-History:...
. It has a peripteros
Peripteros
Peripteros is the special name given to a type of ancient Greek or Roman temple surrounded by a portico with columns. It refers to the useful element for the architectural definition of buildings surrounded around their outside by a colonnade on all four sides of the cella , creating a four-sided...
of 6 by 16 columns. These were originally wooden and were only gradually replaced with stone ones. As the replacements took place at widely differing periods between the Archaic and Roman
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
periods and were carved under the influence of their respective contemporary styles, they differ considerably in proportions and detail. As late as the 2nd century AD, the travel writer Pausanias
Pausanias (geographer)
Pausanias was a Greek traveler and geographer of the 2nd century AD, who lived in the times of Hadrian, Antoninus Pius and Marcus Aurelius. He is famous for his Description of Greece , a lengthy work that describes ancient Greece from firsthand observations, and is a crucial link between classical...
saw one wooden column in the opisthodomos
Opisthodomos
An opisthodomos can refer to either the rear room of an ancient Greek temple or to the inner shrine, also called the adyton ; the confusion arises from the lack of agreement in ancient inscriptions. In modern scholarship, it usually refers to the rear porch of a temple...
. The walls had a bottom course of stone with a mudbrick
Mudbrick
A mudbrick is a firefree brick, made of a mixture of clay, mud, sand, and water mixed with a binding material such as rice husks or straw. They use a stiff mixture and let them dry in the sun for 25 days....
superstructure, another feature typical of early Greek architecture. Holes in the protrusions at the ends of the walls (the so-called antae indicate that a wooden cladding protected them from the elements. The entablature
Entablature
An entablature refers to the superstructure of moldings and bands which lie horizontally above columns, resting on their capitals. Entablatures are major elements of classical architecture, and are commonly divided into the architrave , the frieze ,...
above the columns must have been wooden, since no remains of it were found. The temple had a Laconian-style roof; its pediments were decorated with disk acroteria
Acroterion
An acroterion or acroterium is an architectural ornament placed on a flat base called the acroter or plinth, and mounted at the apex of the pediment of a building in the Classical style. It may also be placed at the outer angles of the pediment; such acroteria are referred to as acroteria angularia...
of 2.5 m (8.2 ft) diameter, each made in one single piece (one is on display at the Archaeological Museum of Olympia).
Pausanias reports two cult statues inside the cella
Cella
A cella or naos , is the inner chamber of a temple in classical architecture, or a shop facing the street in domestic Roman architecture...
or naos, of the temple: a seated Hera and a standing Zeus. An Archaic stone head on display in Olympia museum may belong to the statue of Hera. At the time of Pausanias, the building was also used to store numerous other objects, including many further statues of deities and votive offerings. Among the few of these objects to survive is the statue generally identified as the Hermes of Praxiteles
Praxiteles
Praxiteles of Athens, the son of Cephisodotus the Elder, was the most renowned of the Attic sculptors of the 4th century BC. He was the first to sculpt the nude female form in a life-size statue...
, one of the most important preserved examples of Greek sculpture. The temple also held the table on which the olive wreaths for the victors were displayed during the Olympic Games. Today, the temple is the location the Olympic flame
Olympic Flame
The Olympic Flame or Olympic Torch is a symbol of the Olympic Games. Commemorating the theft of fire from the Greek god Zeus by Prometheus, its origins lie in ancient Greece, where a fire was kept burning throughout the celebration of the ancient Olympics. The fire was reintroduced at the 1928...
is lit.
Replica
The Jasmine Hill GardensJasmine Hill Gardens
Jasmine Hill Gardens are botanical gardens located on U. S. Route 231 near Wetumpka, Alabama, north of Montgomery, Alabama. The gardens are open to the public most days of the week; an admission fee is charged...
at Wetumpka, Alabama
Wetumpka, Alabama
Wetumpka is a city in Elmore County, Alabama, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 5,726.The city is the county seat of Elmore County, one of the fastest growing counties in the state....
(USA) contain a full-sized replica of the (ruined) Temple of Hera.