DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.4265#0083
82
OF THE TEMPLE OF JUPITER OLYMPIUS.
PLATE XVI.
" View of the Temple of Jupiter Olympius, taken from the Ionic Temple c on the Ilissus, on
the south-east side of the Acropolis: the building on the foreground is part of the latter temple.
Ojj.o'iU)<; ccTroduMWiai}' 7r£7ToWat $£ ek ts IxitpctvTOs kou ^vcrovf xat e^r;
fr£Xv7]t> w ir^S to ptytvoq opuio-iv. liirocvOa tixova; ASpiavov, avo y.zv tl?t
Oualov \lQov, dvo $\ AlyvTrriov ^aXjcaT e\ eo-tSq"* ttpo twv y.wvwv, a.c, ''AQr,-
yccTot KccXova-tv ccTroiKovs TroXEtr. o jU.ev d>j lia.c, tte^iSoAos trraotuv paXt<7TOi
teq'O'xpwy EaTtv, avSpiccvruv $1 TrX'lpris' cciro ya.^ ttCXevs zKtzo-Tris £(Kwv Aopt-
Uvov fi&a-LXeuq ouHZxtncci, xca a(pa.$ vtiZp^oXovto 'AQ^tatot, tov ho7\oo-g-ov
CC1HZVEVTES O9nT0E TOV VM0V, $£CC; CC^tOV. ECTTt O^E CCp^OAO, \y TW 7TEpiboAw, ZeU?
XCcXy.ovs, xai vaoq K^jvov y.ai Pe«£, Jtal te'^evo? TWv IttUXyictiv'Q\v ^Trices.
evtccvOix. oaov I? Tr^yy tc* tdatpoi; dVo-T^XE, *«} Xe'yottT'i jtxETa tj;v iTTOfji^piav
rr,i/ Esn AEUKaVtwyos av^Ma-cccj VTropvyvcct tccvtv) to v^wp, XaQaXKova-'i ,te ec
a-VTO O.VCC ITOLV ETOJ CC^^iTCC TTUnUlt |U.£/\tTl /x/£<21>T£f. XE~Tai d£ E7H JCIOVOJ'iCO-
x^aroiis avapiocs..... xsVeTat d£ xai >\;9ol» Qpvyiov Tltpcrai ^cthKovv
TpiTToda ayE^o^TE,-, §eo,$ aftot xaj at'TOi xsi o Tpt7r&fc-. to£ d£ '0/\u^t/ou
Aloe Aei;xaXi^vct otxooo/xrlo-ojl AEyouaH roap^oaov Upvv, cvp.uo', cC7Totya,UovTL<;,
uc AtvKccXtuv A0>;v»!O-iv wx^cte, Ta^oy Tot' y«oy lov vuv ov ttoAv oc<psarviKora.,
" The Emperor Hadrian dedicated the Temple of Jupiter
Olympius, and the statue which is worthy of being seen, not
indeed for its size (for at Rome and at Rhodes there are
colossi much larger,) but from being made with ivory and gold,
with skill equal to its magnitude. Here also are statues of
Hadrian, two of which are of Thasian and two of Egyptian
stone. Before the columns, there are brazen statues belonging
to the cities which the Athenians call colonial. The entire peri-
bolus is about four stadia, and is full of statues; for an image of
the Emperor Hadrian is placed in it from every city, all of which
the Athenians have greatly surpassed by erecting a colossus at the
posterior part of the temple, most worthy of inspection. There
are within the peribolus also these antiquities ; a brazen Jupiter,
and the Temple of Cronos and Rhea, and a sacred spot (te^evos)
which they call of Olympia, and a chasm in the earth about a
cubit in magnitude, where they report the waters at the deluge
of Deucalion to have run off. Every year they throw into this
opening a cake made of flour, mixed with honey. On a column
is a statue of Isocrates .... In the same place there are
also Persians of Phrygian marble supporting a brazen tripod,
both deserving to be remarked. It is reported that Deucalion
built the most ancient Temple of Olympian Jupiter, and as a
proof that Deucalion dwelt at Athens, they shew his tomb, which
is not far from the present temple."
Of this extensive magnificence, and of these monuments of
adulation, all that now remains, are the sixteen columns already
described, a part of the terrace wall, and vestiges of that of the
peribolus, together with some inscribed pedestals' scattered about
Athens. These doubtless sustained the tributary statues of Ha-
drian ; and it is remarkable, that a seeming record of the great
architect Cossutius confirming Vitruvius, has survived the near
destruction of his temple, in the following inscription, found in
the vicinity of it, probably belonging to the base of a statue :—
AEKMOS
KOSXOYTIOS
noriMOY
PfiMAIOE
" Decimus Cossutius *, son of Publius, a Roman."
History does not inform us of the progressive stages of the
destruction of this temple. At the time of the Marquis de
Nointel, the ruin itself was in the same state as seen by Stuart
and Revett, with the exception of a Greek chapel rudely con-
structed within it, probably in a lower age, called St. John of the
Columns, ("Ayioj 'iomvn); fi; TaT; KoXoyraK,) which now no longer
exists. The Turks also had recently raised a stone pulpit or
praying-place at the s.e. angle of the ancient peribolus, and at
periods of public calamity were accustomed to assemble there for
the purpose of simultaneous prayer; a proof how much the pre-
judice regarding the sanctity of a place once devoted to religion
1 See some of these inscriptions introduced in p. 85, note b. [ed.]
1 Cossutius was a distinguished Roman architect of the family of the Cossutii,
and the first Italian professor whose name is spoken of in history. Among the
antiquities of the Capitol is a marble tomb, inscribed with the name, and relating
to the family of Cossutius. On the side of it, among several masonic implements,
is a graduated measure wrought in relief, which is ascertained to be a Roman foot,
and is thence called the Cossutian foot. It i§ in proportion to the English foot
(religio soli), may impress the understanding, or, to what a degree
the emotion of the sublime, which is so powerfully produced by
this ruin, is congenial with the contemplation of the divinity,
and affects equally all mankind.
The peribolus, which inclosed this temple, must have been en-
vironed with an interior colonnade or portico similar to that of
the Pantheon of Hadrian, and was probably approached from
some propylaeum at the eastern side of it. The Arch of Hadrian
having been built at the time of the dedication of this temple, it
may be inferred, from its vicinity to the north-west angle of the
peribolus, that it must have had some relation to the greater edifice,
particularly as it proclaims the glory of its dedicator. Sir William
Gell states, that this arch was included by the peribolus, an asser-
tion which no sufficient vestiges remain to prove ; but a contrary
inference may be derived from the knowledge that the space in-
closed on the northern side of the temple would in that case have
been larger than that on the south, being a departure from ichno-
graphic symmetry, which here could not have been with con-
sistency adopted.
The style of a part of the architecture of what remains of the
Olympieum correspondent with its history, appears to be of a date
earlier than that of Hadrian, and much of it evinces the influence
of Roman principles of design. The architrave has the three
fascia; unequal, and the exterior columns are raised on plinths.
The capitals arc formed from two blocks, they are not all similarly
wrought, but in character of design they resemble those of the
Arch of Hadrian; the angles of the abaci are equally pointed, but
the leaves project in a greater degree from the vase of the capital.
The architraves are constructed, as at the Parthenon, in three
thicknesses, excepting those at the angles, which are in two. The
columns have a very perceptible entasis, and their shafts are com-
posed of fourteen and fifteen frusta. The foundations of the
temple, like those of other Athenian monuments, are constructed
with freestone from the Piraeean quarries.
The peribolus evidently appears to have been executed subse-
quent to the temple itself, the modern enclosure of Athens is built
upon a part of the western wall of it, and remains of inscriptions
seen by Sir W. Gell on some of the blocks, in large characters,
prove that it was in part built with materials which belonged to
more ancient edifices. The steps beneath the columns exhibit at
their joints, the same peculiarity of an apparently natural junction
of the contiguous blocks of marble as at the Parthenon. Dr.
Chandler mentions this fact, but supposes it to arise from a sort of
spontaneous coalition of the marble. " In both instances," he
says, " it may be attributed to a concrctory fluid, which pervades
the marble in the quarry." This effect, however, results from the
drip-water of the marble building, having taken up in solution
calcareous particles from the edifice, which it has again deposited
on evaporation in a stalactitic crystalization at the very accurately
wrought joints of the steps 3.
Inquiry into the Principles of Beauty in Grecian Architecture,
by George Earl of Aberdeen, K.T., p. 182. Hawkins' Topy. of
Athens, in Walpole's Mem. V. I. p. 475. Aristot. Pol. L. V. C.
XI. Vit. in Procem. L. VII. Suet, in Aug. C. LX. Paus. Att.
C. XVIII. Chandler's Ins. p. 58. Dodwell's Travels, V. I. p.
391. Gell's Itin. of Greece, p. 43. Chandler's Travels, V. II.
C. XV. [eb.]
d ' Tarentinus relates, that when the Athenians were about to
build the temple of Jupiter, near the fountain Enneacrounos,
they, by a public decree, collected all the draught cattle of Attica
into the city.' " Hierocles in Prooemio Hippiatricorum. Vide
Meursii Ceram. Gemin. C. XIV."
e This temple is treated of in the second chapter of the first
volume of this work, but was totally destroyed previous to the
year 1785, when Mr. Revcley was there. [Jit.]
as .953 to 1. or 11 .438 in., and precisely corresponds with a bronze foot found
at Ilerculaneum. Concerning this measure, as compared with other Roman feet,
the Museum Capitolinum, Tomus IV. Graevii Thes. Ant. Rom. T. XI. p. 1619.
the Voyage en Italie, par M. l'Abbe Barthelemy, (whose admeasurement is here
adhered to) p. 582, and L'Art de Batir, par M. J. Rondelet, Tome I. p. 60, may
be consulted. [ED-]
3 See Vol. II. p. 36, note c. [ed.]
OF THE TEMPLE OF JUPITER OLYMPIUS.
PLATE XVI.
" View of the Temple of Jupiter Olympius, taken from the Ionic Temple c on the Ilissus, on
the south-east side of the Acropolis: the building on the foreground is part of the latter temple.
Ojj.o'iU)<; ccTroduMWiai}' 7r£7ToWat $£ ek ts IxitpctvTOs kou ^vcrovf xat e^r;
fr£Xv7]t> w ir^S to ptytvoq opuio-iv. liirocvOa tixova; ASpiavov, avo y.zv tl?t
Oualov \lQov, dvo $\ AlyvTrriov ^aXjcaT e\ eo-tSq"* ttpo twv y.wvwv, a.c, ''AQr,-
yccTot KccXova-tv ccTroiKovs TroXEtr. o jU.ev d>j lia.c, tte^iSoAos trraotuv paXt<7TOi
teq'O'xpwy EaTtv, avSpiccvruv $1 TrX'lpris' cciro ya.^ ttCXevs zKtzo-Tris £(Kwv Aopt-
Uvov fi&a-LXeuq ouHZxtncci, xca a(pa.$ vtiZp^oXovto 'AQ^tatot, tov ho7\oo-g-ov
CC1HZVEVTES O9nT0E TOV VM0V, $£CC; CC^tOV. ECTTt O^E CCp^OAO, \y TW 7TEpiboAw, ZeU?
XCcXy.ovs, xai vaoq K^jvov y.ai Pe«£, Jtal te'^evo? TWv IttUXyictiv'Q\v ^Trices.
evtccvOix. oaov I? Tr^yy tc* tdatpoi; dVo-T^XE, *«} Xe'yottT'i jtxETa tj;v iTTOfji^piav
rr,i/ Esn AEUKaVtwyos av^Ma-cccj VTropvyvcct tccvtv) to v^wp, XaQaXKova-'i ,te ec
a-VTO O.VCC ITOLV ETOJ CC^^iTCC TTUnUlt |U.£/\tTl /x/£<21>T£f. XE~Tai d£ E7H JCIOVOJ'iCO-
x^aroiis avapiocs..... xsVeTat d£ xai >\;9ol» Qpvyiov Tltpcrai ^cthKovv
TpiTToda ayE^o^TE,-, §eo,$ aftot xaj at'TOi xsi o Tpt7r&fc-. to£ d£ '0/\u^t/ou
Aloe Aei;xaXi^vct otxooo/xrlo-ojl AEyouaH roap^oaov Upvv, cvp.uo', cC7Totya,UovTL<;,
uc AtvKccXtuv A0>;v»!O-iv wx^cte, Ta^oy Tot' y«oy lov vuv ov ttoAv oc<psarviKora.,
" The Emperor Hadrian dedicated the Temple of Jupiter
Olympius, and the statue which is worthy of being seen, not
indeed for its size (for at Rome and at Rhodes there are
colossi much larger,) but from being made with ivory and gold,
with skill equal to its magnitude. Here also are statues of
Hadrian, two of which are of Thasian and two of Egyptian
stone. Before the columns, there are brazen statues belonging
to the cities which the Athenians call colonial. The entire peri-
bolus is about four stadia, and is full of statues; for an image of
the Emperor Hadrian is placed in it from every city, all of which
the Athenians have greatly surpassed by erecting a colossus at the
posterior part of the temple, most worthy of inspection. There
are within the peribolus also these antiquities ; a brazen Jupiter,
and the Temple of Cronos and Rhea, and a sacred spot (te^evos)
which they call of Olympia, and a chasm in the earth about a
cubit in magnitude, where they report the waters at the deluge
of Deucalion to have run off. Every year they throw into this
opening a cake made of flour, mixed with honey. On a column
is a statue of Isocrates .... In the same place there are
also Persians of Phrygian marble supporting a brazen tripod,
both deserving to be remarked. It is reported that Deucalion
built the most ancient Temple of Olympian Jupiter, and as a
proof that Deucalion dwelt at Athens, they shew his tomb, which
is not far from the present temple."
Of this extensive magnificence, and of these monuments of
adulation, all that now remains, are the sixteen columns already
described, a part of the terrace wall, and vestiges of that of the
peribolus, together with some inscribed pedestals' scattered about
Athens. These doubtless sustained the tributary statues of Ha-
drian ; and it is remarkable, that a seeming record of the great
architect Cossutius confirming Vitruvius, has survived the near
destruction of his temple, in the following inscription, found in
the vicinity of it, probably belonging to the base of a statue :—
AEKMOS
KOSXOYTIOS
noriMOY
PfiMAIOE
" Decimus Cossutius *, son of Publius, a Roman."
History does not inform us of the progressive stages of the
destruction of this temple. At the time of the Marquis de
Nointel, the ruin itself was in the same state as seen by Stuart
and Revett, with the exception of a Greek chapel rudely con-
structed within it, probably in a lower age, called St. John of the
Columns, ("Ayioj 'iomvn); fi; TaT; KoXoyraK,) which now no longer
exists. The Turks also had recently raised a stone pulpit or
praying-place at the s.e. angle of the ancient peribolus, and at
periods of public calamity were accustomed to assemble there for
the purpose of simultaneous prayer; a proof how much the pre-
judice regarding the sanctity of a place once devoted to religion
1 See some of these inscriptions introduced in p. 85, note b. [ed.]
1 Cossutius was a distinguished Roman architect of the family of the Cossutii,
and the first Italian professor whose name is spoken of in history. Among the
antiquities of the Capitol is a marble tomb, inscribed with the name, and relating
to the family of Cossutius. On the side of it, among several masonic implements,
is a graduated measure wrought in relief, which is ascertained to be a Roman foot,
and is thence called the Cossutian foot. It i§ in proportion to the English foot
(religio soli), may impress the understanding, or, to what a degree
the emotion of the sublime, which is so powerfully produced by
this ruin, is congenial with the contemplation of the divinity,
and affects equally all mankind.
The peribolus, which inclosed this temple, must have been en-
vironed with an interior colonnade or portico similar to that of
the Pantheon of Hadrian, and was probably approached from
some propylaeum at the eastern side of it. The Arch of Hadrian
having been built at the time of the dedication of this temple, it
may be inferred, from its vicinity to the north-west angle of the
peribolus, that it must have had some relation to the greater edifice,
particularly as it proclaims the glory of its dedicator. Sir William
Gell states, that this arch was included by the peribolus, an asser-
tion which no sufficient vestiges remain to prove ; but a contrary
inference may be derived from the knowledge that the space in-
closed on the northern side of the temple would in that case have
been larger than that on the south, being a departure from ichno-
graphic symmetry, which here could not have been with con-
sistency adopted.
The style of a part of the architecture of what remains of the
Olympieum correspondent with its history, appears to be of a date
earlier than that of Hadrian, and much of it evinces the influence
of Roman principles of design. The architrave has the three
fascia; unequal, and the exterior columns are raised on plinths.
The capitals arc formed from two blocks, they are not all similarly
wrought, but in character of design they resemble those of the
Arch of Hadrian; the angles of the abaci are equally pointed, but
the leaves project in a greater degree from the vase of the capital.
The architraves are constructed, as at the Parthenon, in three
thicknesses, excepting those at the angles, which are in two. The
columns have a very perceptible entasis, and their shafts are com-
posed of fourteen and fifteen frusta. The foundations of the
temple, like those of other Athenian monuments, are constructed
with freestone from the Piraeean quarries.
The peribolus evidently appears to have been executed subse-
quent to the temple itself, the modern enclosure of Athens is built
upon a part of the western wall of it, and remains of inscriptions
seen by Sir W. Gell on some of the blocks, in large characters,
prove that it was in part built with materials which belonged to
more ancient edifices. The steps beneath the columns exhibit at
their joints, the same peculiarity of an apparently natural junction
of the contiguous blocks of marble as at the Parthenon. Dr.
Chandler mentions this fact, but supposes it to arise from a sort of
spontaneous coalition of the marble. " In both instances," he
says, " it may be attributed to a concrctory fluid, which pervades
the marble in the quarry." This effect, however, results from the
drip-water of the marble building, having taken up in solution
calcareous particles from the edifice, which it has again deposited
on evaporation in a stalactitic crystalization at the very accurately
wrought joints of the steps 3.
Inquiry into the Principles of Beauty in Grecian Architecture,
by George Earl of Aberdeen, K.T., p. 182. Hawkins' Topy. of
Athens, in Walpole's Mem. V. I. p. 475. Aristot. Pol. L. V. C.
XI. Vit. in Procem. L. VII. Suet, in Aug. C. LX. Paus. Att.
C. XVIII. Chandler's Ins. p. 58. Dodwell's Travels, V. I. p.
391. Gell's Itin. of Greece, p. 43. Chandler's Travels, V. II.
C. XV. [eb.]
d ' Tarentinus relates, that when the Athenians were about to
build the temple of Jupiter, near the fountain Enneacrounos,
they, by a public decree, collected all the draught cattle of Attica
into the city.' " Hierocles in Prooemio Hippiatricorum. Vide
Meursii Ceram. Gemin. C. XIV."
e This temple is treated of in the second chapter of the first
volume of this work, but was totally destroyed previous to the
year 1785, when Mr. Revcley was there. [Jit.]
as .953 to 1. or 11 .438 in., and precisely corresponds with a bronze foot found
at Ilerculaneum. Concerning this measure, as compared with other Roman feet,
the Museum Capitolinum, Tomus IV. Graevii Thes. Ant. Rom. T. XI. p. 1619.
the Voyage en Italie, par M. l'Abbe Barthelemy, (whose admeasurement is here
adhered to) p. 582, and L'Art de Batir, par M. J. Rondelet, Tome I. p. 60, may
be consulted. [ED-]
3 See Vol. II. p. 36, note c. [ed.]