The Temple of Zeus

These aren't the greatest shots: I only had about
fifteen minutes free (have been in meetings for
two days) so ran down the block to snap these.

This is Hadrian's Arch, constructed in 131 AD.
It was part of a wall separating the
old and new cities of Athens. On the side of
the arch facing the Acropolis
the inscription read,

"This is Athens, the former city of Theseus."

On the other side is inscribed,
"This is the city of Hadrian, and not of Theseus."

The Temple of Zeus
Construction began in the 6th century BC
but it was Emperor Hadrian who completed
the project in 129 AD.

I heard one guide tell her group that Hadrian
had a huge statue of Zeus (a.k.a. Jupiter),
King of the gods, made out of ivory and gold …
and then another one, equally as large,
made of himself.

Tells you a lot about Hadrian’s self image, eh?

My guess is that these columns are
between fifty and sixty feet high

A few photos I took while walking to a lunch here
in Plaka, the oldest area of Athens,
where the Temple of Zeus and the
Acropolis are located

Today (Monday) is filled with meetings,
but tomorrow we are all going to tour
the Acropolis. So, hopefully, I will have
plenty of photos to post Tuesday night
or Wednesday morning!