Phidias (480 BC-430 BC) was a Greek sculptor, painter, and architect who was well-known for his statue of Zeus at Olympia, his Statue of Athena at the Acropolis Sanctuary, and his statue of Athena in the Parthenon in Athens.
Biography[]
Phidias was born in Athens in 480 BC, and he was a talented artist, as well as a friend and associate of Pericles. He designed the Statue of Athena at the Acropolis Sanctuary and another statue of Athena at the Parthenon in Athens. Pericles' opponents used his and Phidias' friendship to their advantage, attempting to attack Pericles through Phidias. Phidias was accused of stealing gold intended for the Parthenon's statue of Athena and of impiously portraying himself and Pericles on Athena's shield, and the Cult of Kosmos attempted to have him killed while he was under guard at his workshop. However, the mercenary Kassandra secretly smuggled him out of the workshop, evading his guards Minas Papageorgious and Damianos Gikas before taking him to his friend Theras on the island of Seriphos. He was later hired to build a statue of Zeus at Olympia in Elis, and his design was considered to be one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Not long after, the Eleans executed Phidias, allegedly on the orders of the Cult of Kosmos.