at the Temple of Olympian Zeus, Athens

The Temple of Olympian Zeus is a former colossal temple at the centre of Athens. (Our hotel was only a few corners away.) Construction began in the 6th century BC, but it was not completed until the reign of the Roman Emperor Hadrianus in the 2nd century AD, some 638 years after the project was begun. During the Roman period the temple, which included 104 colossal columns, was renowned as the largest temple in Greece and housed one of the largest statues of Zeus. The temple's glory was short-lived, as it fell into disuse after being pillaged during a barbarian invasion in the 3rd century AD.