The Statue of Zeus was carved by the famed classical sculptor, Phidias, in the 5th Century BC in Olympia, Greece. The seated statue occupied the whole width of the aisle of the temple, which was built to house it, and was 40 feet tall. This is the statue of the god in whose honour the ancient Olympic Games were held. It was located on the land that gave its very name to the Olympics. At the time of the Games, wars stopped and athletes came from Asia Minor, Syria, Egypt and Sicily to celebrate the Olympics and worship their king of gods, Zeus.