Detail of the remains of N peristyle foundations, from NW, Temple of Zeus ...

East end of the temple, from SE, Temple of Zeus Olympios, Syracuse

West end of the temple with foundation trench in foreground, from SW, Temp...

Column of S peristyle of the temple, from SW, Temple of Zeus Olympios, Syr...

Foundation trench for W peristyle of the temple, from S, Temple of Zeus Ol...

Remains of S peristyle foundations at SE corner of the temple, from NE, Te...

Context: Syracuse
Type: Temple
Summary: Temple; across the Great Harbor, outside of the city.
Date: ca. 555 BC
Dimensions:

c. 22.40 x c. 62.05 (stylobate); cella ?

Region: Sicily
Period: Archaic


Architectural Order:

Doric

Plan:

6 x 17; double colonnade in front of cella; pronaos - distyle in antis; no interior columns; adyton.

Date Description:

Resemblance to Temple of Apollo (Syracuse); lack of angle contraction.

History:

Similar in plan to the Temple of Apollo on Ortygia, the Temple of Zeus Olympios has at least one improvement on its famous predecessor: the elimination of the widened central intercolumniation along the short ends. On both of the two standing column fragments, the fluting was not carried down to the stylobate (cp. Temple of Apollo at Syracuse), perhaps a sign of incompletion.

Sources Used:

Dinsmoor 1975; Guido 1967; PECS