Cult Statue of Zeus Hypsistos

2nd century AD
Marble
H. 85.5 cm; W. 46 cm; D. 63.5 cm

The cult statue of Zeus was found in the naos of the temple of Zeus Hypsistos, next to its masonry base. The god is depicted seated on a throne, his right hand holding a thunderbolt while the left arm is raised to hold a scepter. He wears a himation and sandals with a triple strap. Despite local variants, this iconographic type of enthroned Zeus extends back to the chryselephantine statue by Phidias at Olympia, known from a description of Pausanias and from depictions on ancient coins.

The Latin votive inscription on the statue refers to Jupiter Optimus Maximus, demonstrating that Zeus was worshiped by Greeks and Romans alike, and that in Roman times the god was identified as the main divinity of the Capitoline triad (Jupiter, Juno, and Minerva).

Photo © Archaeological Excavations at Dion, Greece. Courtesy Onassis Cultural Center NY.