Pheidias' Workshop:
http://www.culture.gr
Pheidias’ workshop was located to the west of the
temple of Zeus, outside the boundary of the Altis. The workshop was 32.15 meters long and 14.5 meters wide. It is interesting to note that these are the approximate dimensions of the naos of the
temple of Zeus. The thickness of the walls (over one meter wide) suggest that the workshop was also very tall (likely up to 14 meters in height). The studio was divided into two rooms, the smaller was likely used for storage, and the larger for the construction of the
statue of Zeus (P. Valavanis). Inside the larger room was found evidence of scaffolding and pulleys, and the remains of two rows of four columns that mimicked the pillars in the temple naos. The general construction of the workshop suggests that it was built as a replica of the naos; the workshop would have given the artist a sense of the how the statue would look in the temple itself (E. Gardiner). Outside the workshop were found pits containing tools, bits of bronze, iron, lead, amber and ivory, and remnants of clay moulds (B. Ashmole). Although most of the remains date later than the
statue of Zeus, they provide important evidence for the style of chryselephantine statues. One of the most interesting finds at the site was a clay drinking-cup with an inscription on the base that read “I belong to Pheidias.” Although some have criticized the cup as a hoax, recent analysis of the encrustation within the inscription dates both the mug and writing to ancient times (J. Swaddling). Pheidias’ workshop was later turned into a Christian church, which accounts for the building’s remarkable preservation.
note: Although tradition associates the building with Pheidias, various objections to this interpretation have been raised. Some scholars argue that the building is too substantial to have been a workshop. Others argue that the building would have been unsuitable for the creation of chryselephantine sculptures, which required a number of small compartments to construct (E. Gardiner). Beyond the clay cup that bears the artist's name, there is little physical evidence directly linking the building to Pheidias. However, despite lack of firm evidence, many scholars still side with the traditional interpretation, and continue to label the building "Pheidias' Workshop."
References
Biers, William R. The Archaeology of Greece. Cornell University Press, Ithica; 1996
Gardiner, E. Norman. Olympia: Its History and Remains. Clarendon Press, London; 1925
Schobel, Heinz. The Ancient Olympic Games. D. Van Nostrand Compay, Princeton; 1965
Swaddling, Judith. The Ancient Olympic Games. British Museum Press, London; 2004
Valavanis, Panos. Games and Sanctuaries in Ancient Greece. Getty Publications, Los Angeles; 2004
Yalouris, Nikolaos. Olympia: Altis and Museum. Verlag Schnell & Steiner Munchen, Zurich; 1976
Greek Archaeology
