Zeus statue at Olympia. The Statue of Zeus at Olympia was a 13-meter-tall (43-foot-tall) sitting figure created by the Greek sculptor Phidias approximately 435 BC at the sanctuary of Olympia, Greece, and installed in the Temple of Zeus there. A chryselephantine sculpture made of ivory plates and gold panels mounted on a timber structure,... The statue was one of the Seven Wonders of the World. It has been estimated that its original price was around 20,000 drachmas ($813,333 in today's dollars). It was said to have been cast using techniques invented by Praxiteles. It is not known for certain how Zeus was represented at Olympia. Some authors argue that he was depicted in military attire because of his role as a protector of cities; others say that he was shown with a wreath on his head because he was regarded as a ruler. However, it is more likely that he was given the royal salute: a spear held upright between the arms. The statue was destroyed during the Battle of Olympia in 480 BC. According to some sources, it was burned; according to others, it was taken prisoner by the Persians who invaded Greece that year and then destroyed. The location of this battle has never been confirmed with certainty; some suggest Syracuse or Corcyra (Greece), but most believe it to be near Olympia where it would have been easy for the Persians to destroy such a famous work.