The restoration study for the workshop of the famed Greek sculptor, painter and architect Phidias (480-430) in Ancient Olympia has been approved by the Central Archaeological Council (KAS).
Photo (2005) of the workshop of Phidias at Olympia
Phidias or Pheidias (c. 480 – 430 BC) was a Greek sculptor, painter, and architect. His Statue of Zeus at Olympia was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Phidias also designed the statues of the goddess Athena on the Athenian Acropolis, namely the Athena Parthenos inside the Parthenon, and the Athena Promachos, a colossal bronze which stood between it and the Propylaea, a monumental gateway that served as the entrance to the Acropolis in Athens. Phidias was the son of Charmides of Athens. The ancients believed that his masters were Hegias and Ageladas.
Phidias Showing the Frieze of the Parthenon to his Friends (1868) by Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema
The study is part of the program to highlight the Roman phase of the archaeological site. The building, which researchers have identified as the workshop of Phidias, is located in a central position in the archaeological site of Olympia. The presumption is that it remained in continuous use from Classical times to the Byzantine era.
The study, prepared and funded by the German Archaeological Institute, aims at the complete protection of the monument and the wider area.
Phidias achieved fame through the ages for his statue of Zeus at Olympia, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, as well as the statues of the goddess Athena on the Athenian Acropolis.
A reconstruction of Phidias' Statue of Zeus at Olympia
