To the southeast of the Acropolis, next to Ilissos River stand 15 imposing columns of Corinthian order. That's what is left of the gigantic temple dedicated to the Olympian Zeus. According to Pausanias, the temple was founded in the honor of Zeus as a benedictine gift for the salvation from the inundation of Deucalion, who was buried near the temple. Around 515 BC, Peisistratus started the construction of a new temple, which was the largest in Athens, but, due to the abolition of the tyranny, he failed to complete it. The temple was not completed nor by the King of Syria, Antiochus IV Epiphanes in 175 BC and was finally completed by Hadrian, who was an admirer of Athens. In other words, the completion of the construction of this outsized Corinthian temple of 110m in length and 44m in width took about 650 years. The raids, earthquakes and loots destroyed the temple and we can only imagine its size by looking the few remaining columns.The largest disaster took place during the Ottoman Empire, when the marbles were used in the lime industry, an act that was condemned by the Sultan, who fined the Turkish governor of Athens.It is said that a monk built his cell on the epistyle of two columns to protect the monument, the ruins of which were visible till the years of King Otto.In front of the archaeological site of the Olympian Zeus is located the Hadrian's arch, which was built by the Athenians in 131 AD to please the benefactor of the city.On one of its sides is written "This is Theseus's city" and on the other "This is Hadrian’s city".
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