The Arch of Hadrian & Temple of Olympian Zeus: Colossi of the Emperors
Why is it significant?
Stand beneath the eighteen-meter Pentelic marble gateway of the Arch of Hadrian and look out toward the titanic Corinthian columns of the Temple of Olympian Zeus.
Key Facts
| Place | The Arch of Hadrian & Temple of Olympian Zeus: Colossi of the Emperors |
|---|---|
| Address | Leof. Vasilisis Olgas, Athina 105 57 |
| Geo Coordinates | 37.96930, 23.73310 |
| Part of Walk | Athens of the Philosophers: Plaka, Anafiotika, and the Ancient Agora |
| Generated | Generated |
Stand beneath the eighteen-meter Pentelic marble gateway of the Arch of Hadrian and look out toward the titanic Corinthian columns of the Temple of Olympian Zeus. Erected in one hundred and thirty-one AD by the Athenians to honor their philhellenic benefactor, Emperor Hadrian, this arch stood as a boundary marker between two worlds.
Look up at the inscriptions carved on the lintel: on the western side facing the Acropolis, it reads: This is Athens, the ancient city of Theseus. On the eastern side facing you, it proclaims: This is the city of Hadrian, and not of Theseus!
Beyond the arch rise the remnants of the Olympieion, once the largest temple in all of Greece. Begun in the sixth century BC by the tyrant Peisistratos, it took over six hundred years to finish until Hadrian completed its one hundred and four colossal columns in one hundred and thirty-one AD, housing colossal chryselephantine statues of Zeus and Hadrian himself.
Gaze through the archway toward the glowing marble ramparts of the Acropolis as dusk settles over Athens. You have walked the sacred paths of democracy, philosophy, and eternal art.