Phidias

Greek sculptor, painter and architect (c.480–430 BC)

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Artists rank#139
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Lived -500–-430, aged 70

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Wikipedia
71 languages
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Era
-500–-430
Aged 70

Summary

Updated 2026-06-08

He carved the Zeus that stood among the Seven Wonders and dressed the Parthenon's Athena in gold — then got dragged into an Athens scandal over whether he'd pocketed some of it.

Biography

About

Phidias was born around 480 BC, son of Charmides, and trained under sculptors named Hegias and Ageladas. Working in 5th-century Athens as sculptor, painter, and architect, he created the Athena Parthenos inside the Parthenon and the colossal bronze Athena Promachos that towered between the temple and the Acropolis gateway. His Statue of Zeus at Olympia earned a spot among the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Plutarch records that Phidias was close to the statesman Pericles, and that enemies of Pericles came after the sculptor — accusing him of stealing gold meant for Athena's statue and of…

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In their own words

Sourced, dated quotes from Phidias

Phidias

saidundated

Statue of Zeus in Olympia

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Aphrodite Urania statue at Elis

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Statue of youth at Olympia

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[Homer]], The Iliad with an English Translation by A.T. Murray, Ph. D. in two volumes. Cambridge, Massachusetts, Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann, Ltd.

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