Olympian Gods

Featuring ancient Greek and Roman sculpture, this book explores the history and legacy of ancient statues of Olympian gods.

For people in ancient Greece, ornately and imposingly fashioned statues depicting the gods symbolized power or ideal beauty. During the Roman Empire, when sculptors copied Greek models, the sculptures conveyed an aura of education and scholarship.

This volume showcases antique sculptures that represent the most important Greek Olympian gods. Culled from the collection of the Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden, one of the most important collections of antiquities, this book features objects ranging from the 6th century B.C.E. to the 4th century C.E. The sculptures express the Greek ideal of beauty and the remarkable creative powers of these artists as well as the evolving ways gods were portrayed―from solemn and religiously formal to natural and graceful figures.