Ancient World Research Paper

The Statue of Zeus at Olympia was believed to have been made by the Greek sculptor Phidias around 435 B.C. in Olympia, Greece. The statue was a massive seated figure towering over 43 feet. The stunning representation of the god Zeus was made from ivory plates and gold panels which covered its wooden framework. The sheer size of the statue was so immense that legend says that if Zeus stood up inside the temple, he would have put his head straight through the roof. The Statue of Zeus cannot be seen today and it has been said that after the destruction during the 5th century A.D. that to date, no copies have been discovered. The Statue of Zeus importance to world history is that it is one of greatest sculptural feats of the ancient world.

Charles Champoiseau uncovered pieces of masterfully worked Parian marble in April of 1863.1 On Samothraki, the island from which Poseidon is said to have watched the fall of Troy, these segments of stone came together to form four main sections: a torso, a headless bust, a section of drapery, and a wing.2 The sections were shaped to be assembled though the use of cantilevering and metal dowels, allowing the sculptor to extend beyond medium’s gravitational limitations (fig. 2). Just one year later, the pieces were assembled (and those missing were remodeled), and the Greek goddess Nike was revealed at the Louvre.

The Colossus of Rhodes was a statue built on the Greek island of Rhodes between 292 and 280 BC. The statue was of the Greek Titan Helios and built to celebrate the victory over the ruder of Cyprus in 305 BC. The colossus stood for 56 years until it was destroyed by an earthquake.

There are many wonders in the world, but there are only a select few known as the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Those ancient wonders are as follows: the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, the Great Pyramid of Giza, the Statue of Zeus at Olympia, the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, the Lighthouse of Alexandria, the Colossus of Rhodes, and the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. Unfortunately, there is not a surplus of information on some of these wonders, so this paper will only talk of a select few.

Overall, the work measures 5.57 m (18 feet 3 ins) in height. The statue, made of white Paros marble, stands 2.75 m (9 feet) tall, including the wings. The base (2.01 m, 6 feet 7 ins) and the pedestal (36 cm, 1 foot 2 ins) are sculpted from grey white-veined marble from the quarries of Lartos on the island of Rhodes. The darker color contrasts with the white marble of the statue, although a patina has now formed over the whole surface of the monument.

The greatest discovery around this sculpture came in 1954-1958. Tools, terracotta, molds, and a cup were found at the building site (Olympia). Copies of the statue were made but none survived. The statue was damaged in an earthquake in 170 B.C (Statue of Zeus). Phidias had developed a technique that allowed his large quantities of ivory and precious metals to be formed without crumbling under their own weight. Beginning with a wooden frame, Phidias would lay thin plates of ivory soaked in a liquid to make them moldable. Then he would place the ivory soaked plates upon the mold along with sheets of gold (Zeus’ clothing).The statue was six meters (twenty-one feet) wide and one meter height. The base measure two meters (seven feet) (Statue of Zeus at Olympia). The statue was once destroyed but all the pieces matched up perfectly, and all the joints were nearly invisible (Statue of

The Bronze Age is a time period where by the use of bronze, proto-writing, and other early features of urban civilization is characterized. Smelting own copper and arsenic are said to define an ancient civilization in the Bronze Age. (Bronze Age, Retrieved from: http://www.writeopinions.com/bronze-age). The term "prehistory" covers the time since the beginning of the Universe, but is more focused on the beginning of life in Earth or even more specifically to the time since human-like beings appeared. (Retrived from:

According to the article, “Ancient rocks record first evidence for photosynthesis that made oxygen” from Sciencedaily.com, rocks found on the ocean floor 3.2 billion years ago contain oxygen. This is currently the earliest known example of photosynthesis by living organisms. The most probable reason the oxygen was liberated in the rock is cyanobacteria, primitive photosynthetic organism that lived the ocean. The rocks they are studying, jasper, is made up of iron oxide and quartz show striations caused by composition changes in the sediment. The scientists running this research measured iron isotopes with a mass spectrometer, which determined how much oxygen was needed to form the iron oxides. Studies of uranium and its decay products confirmed the iron results.can only be dissolved in its oxidized form so the uranium in the sediment had to have more oxygen in order for it to solidify in the way it did.

Classical Greece consisted of many buildings and temples. In this audio, I will be informing you about the Temple of Zeus, The temple of Athena Nike and the famous Parthenon. Zeus was the king of all the Olympian gods and a temple was built in his honour. The temple was built in Olympia and measured 64 metres long and 21 metres high. This building was built in 450 BCE and the temple was faced in a specific direction so Zeus could watch over the Olympic games held every 4 years. The temple contained a magnificent statue of Zeus on a throne which was housed there for over 800 years. The statue was colossal and measured around 13 metres high and 6 metres wide.The temple of Athena Nike is the smallest temple in Athens and was constructed on the

“From a poet named Poseidippos of Pella, who lived in Alexandria during the third century BC, we learn that this statue almost certainly depicted Zeus the Savior, and he may have been accompanied by Poseidon, the lord of the waves. However, others have suggested that the two statues depicted the Dioscuri, who were the twin sons of Zeus and Leda and protectors of seafarers. In fact, a gem which has recently been examined suggests that in fact the beacon on the lighthouse may have been open and the statue, or perhaps a number of statues may not have surmounted the building but stood on a lower level” (____

It was also one of the seven wonders of the ancient world but it was destroyed and they never built one

The Colossus of Rhodes was an extraordinary statue statue of the sun god Helios, which was built around 280 B.C., at the harbor on the Island of Rhodes (hence the name). It was built after the celebrated victory over a war with Demetrius the Besieger, after a year of hard work, and it is considered their greatest military victory.

Among these was the Parthenon, devoted to the goddess of wisdom, Athena. Characterized by massive columns contrasted with subtle details, the Parthenon is considered by some the greatest achievement of Greek architecture. Far-reaching innovations in sculpture at this time are evidenced by one of the most celebrated statues of antiquity, the bronze warrior statue believed to be the work of Phidias. Athenian art is notably celebrated for its development of naturalistic and idealized depictions of the human anatomy, which generally served as the focus of innovation. Looking first at architecture, Sparta was distinguished by its early prosperity and strength until relatively late in ancient times. In short, its monuments were built early and there was no compulsion

The Colosseum is very strong, a lot of natural disaster has ruin the structure but it still exist till these day.

Collosus of Rhodes was built in 290 BC. Collosus of Rhodes was the colossal statue of the sun god Helios that stood in the ancient Greek city of Rhodes and was one of the Seven Wonders of the World. After about 56 years it was built, the statue was destroyed by an earthquake. It fell into the harbor and just the thumb of the statue was visible over the water surface. The king of Egypt offered to rebuild the statue, but the people of Rhodes refused. This is because they believed Helios himself threw the statue in water in a fit of rage.