5Temple of Olympian Zeus – Athens

The Temple of Olympian Zeus, or the Olympieion, took over 600 years to complete. Begun in the 6th century BC and finished under Emperor Hadrian in the 2nd century AD, it was once the largest temple in Greece. 

Only 15 of its original 104 Corinthian columns still stand, but they give a sense of its colossal scale. Dedicated to Zeus, king of the gods, it symbolized the ambition of rulers who sought to rival divine greatness. Its ruins, silhouetted against the Acropolis, remind visitors of both human grandeur and impermanence.

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