Heracles And Olympia Flashcards
When where the Olympic Games founded
776 BC
Where is the story of Pelops and Hippodamia shown ?
The temple of Zeus at Olympia
Give a brief summary of the myth of Pelops and Hippodamia ?
- Hippodamia was the daughter of king Oinamous
- he had received an oracle saying he was to die when his daughter married
- he set up a chariot competition for his daughters hand in marriage
- if they lost they where killed
- many failed before Pelops but he bribed Oinamoas’ charioteer to replace his Linchpins with ones made of wax
- the heat melted the wax and Oinomoas was thrown from the chariot killing him
- they married and set up the games as commemoration
What are the two foundation myths for the Olympic Games ?
The Augean stables and Hercules
Pelops and Hippodamia
Where is the story of Pelops at the temple of Zeus ?
The east Pediment
How are the labours of Hercules represented at the temple of Zeus ?
Twelve Metopes
Six at the entrance and six over the back entrance
What are some key details about the temple of Zeus at Olympus (the metopes only) ?
Date: 472 BC
Material: Local Marbel
Original location: Temple of Zeus
Current location: Olympia Museum
Significant: emphasizes Hercules importance to the site and games
How where the scenes easily recognizable ?
He holds his club even when it suggests he strangled the bull
Makes it easier for the viewers of the metopes to recognize him
How was realism created in the scenes ?
Hercules body is well sculpted
It is all incredibly biologically correct with the muscles correlating to how they should actually look
How does the sculptor fill the space ?
Uses diagonals to fill the space and the characters are positioned over each others like with the bull to fill up the space
