Pheidias

Phidias or Pheidias (5th century bc), Greek sculptor.

Phidias was born in Athens and was given the job of making it into a beautiful city. The work was carried out for him by a team of architects, stone-masons, sculptors and other skilled men.

Among other things, Phidias was responsible for the Parthenon. Today people travel from all parts of the world to look at the remains of this building.

The statue of Zeus at Olympia, which was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, was carved by Phidias himself. It is thought to have been 39 feet (12 meters) high and decorated with gold and precious stones.

He also made a bronze statue of the goddess Athene which stood in front of the Parthenon. It was 69 feet (21 meters) high and sailors 80 miles (128 km) from Athens could see the sunlight reflected from it on a clear day.

See Alexander Stuart Murray A History of Greek Sculpture: Volume 1. From the Earliest Times down to the Age of Pheidias