The article by Judith Barringer, “The Temple of Zeus, Heroes, and Athletes,” explores alternate theories to the meaning of the scenes on the pediments of the Temple of Zeus, built ca. 470-456 BC. Each pediment displays different heroes and myths for the Olympian athletes to view before competition. Most scholars believe that the pediments are statements concerning hubris or dike, ethos, and arete. Barringer presents the ideas that the pediments are to inspire the athletes participating in the Olympic games, by displaying positive models about heroism and glory. The sculptures on the temple display three different topics: athletics and warfare, gender roles and premarital rites, and Olympia as a display place of glory. Many of the scenes include
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However, it is believed that the pediment offers a link between the Thessalian Lapiths and the Eleans. The Centauromachy was known to earlier Greeks through Homeric poems and pottery, but the Temple of Zeus is the first large scale structure to include the myth within its architecture. The Centauromachy stresses human achievement, unlike the more common myth for architecture, the Gigantomachy, explaining its usage on the temple. The wrestling of the Centaurs and injuries of the Lapith men, can create relations between the characters and the participating athletes. The depiction of the Centauromachy on the Temple of Zeus is the first to include women in the myth. The inclusion of women on the pediment is thought to be a reminder to the viewers of the women who competed in the Heraia. The Lapith women in the myth appealed to the female audience because it served as a reminder and inspiration of the female athletes in the Heraia. The scene appealed to the male audience because the Lapith women in the myth were attacked by Centaurs and saved by heroic men. With both the west and east pediments, the athletes participating in the games would see many instances of heroes winning honor, glory, and love and be inspired to perform
However, it is believed that the pediment offers a link between the Thessalian Lapiths and the Eleans. The Centauromachy was known to earlier Greeks through Homeric poems and pottery, but the Temple of Zeus is the first large scale structure to include the myth within its architecture. The Centauromachy stresses human achievement, unlike the more common myth for architecture, the Gigantomachy, explaining its usage on the temple. The wrestling of the Centaurs and injuries of the Lapith men, can create relations between the characters and the participating athletes. The depiction of the Centauromachy on the Temple of Zeus is the first to include women in the myth. The inclusion of women on the pediment is thought to be a reminder to the viewers of the women who competed in the Heraia. The Lapith women in the myth appealed to the female audience because it served as a reminder and inspiration of the female athletes in the Heraia. The scene appealed to the male audience because the Lapith women in the myth were attacked by Centaurs and saved by heroic men. With both the west and east pediments, the athletes participating in the games would see many instances of heroes winning honor, glory, and love and be inspired to perform