Zeus Cyrene Copie Montpellier
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Sur la colline orientale de Cyrène, le grand temple dédié à Zeus, aussi vaste que le Parthénon d'Athènes et que le temple de Zeus à Olympie, fut sans doute érigé vers le milieu du Ve siècle av. J.C. Il avait une longueur de 70 mètres pour 17 mètres de largeur et présentait 46 colonnes hautes de 9 mètres. Ces dimensions colossales en faisaient le plus grand temple grec d'Afrique. Il est impossible de dire si ce fut le dernier monument de la monarchie ou le premier de la république, mais il est indéniable que la richesse de la cité exigeait des constructions qui font penser aux grands temples de Sicile, une région avec laquelle Cyrène entretenait des relations suivies.
A steepish climb up the hill from the rest of the site is the famed Temple of Zeus, one of the highlights of Cyrene. Reflecting Cyrene's importance in the ancient Greek world, the Temple of Zeus was larger than the Parthenon in Athens. Constructed in the 5th century BC, the sanctuary measured 32m by 70m and was surrounded by two rows of eight and two rows of 17 columns.In the sanctuary itself there were two rows of Doric columns as well as two columns in the porch. On the main platform in the sanctuary was a statue of a seated Zeus holding Victory in his right hand and a sceptre in his left. Animal sacrifices were carried out in the temple. The ancient entrance was from the east. Under the Romans the temples was used to honour Jupiter; it also served the Greek/Libyan hybrid deity, Zeus Ammun.
