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Guy Notices Something Odd On Top Of Zeus’ Temple In 1858 Photo, Discovers What They Don’t Teach At School
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Guy Notices Something Odd On Top Of Zeus’ Temple In 1858 Photo, Discovers What They Don’t Teach At School

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Being a history researcher means endless hours of poring over books, paintings, photos, and manuscripts, looking for clues from the past to create an accurate picture of what things were really like.

Naturally, when following a lead it can be easy to be led down all kind of interesting ‘rabbit holes,’ and that’s precisely what happened to author and Ph.D. student Paul Cooper, from Norwich, England, while researching the Temple of Olympian Zeus, the ruler of gods in Greek mythology, in Athens, Greece.

Paul came across an incredible photo of the Zeus temple’s ruin, taken way back in 1858. “I was researching the forgotten histories of different ruined sites around the world for my Ph.D., which looks at how our attitudes and artistic representations of Greek architecture ruins has changed over history,” Paul told Bored Panda. “As a novelist and a writer of historical fiction, ruins are important in my work.”

This particular photo intrigued him, as there was something weird perched atop the temple pillars. What on earth could it be? The strange little hut-like appendage is nowhere to be found on the Temple of Zeus ruins as they stand today. It was also absent on an identical photo that he had unearthed after further research.

Digging deeper, he found a painting of the Greek temple ruins and more photos from a similar period. The little stone hut was there, sitting proudly atop the great temple again! The intrigue intensified, and so did Paul’s curiosity. Could there have been people living up there, perched precariously on top of one of ancient history’s magnificent temples? Why was the hut included in some photos, but not others? And why isn’t it there anymore?

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Paul loves exploring the stories behind the many ancient ruins scattered across the world, from North Africa to Cambodia and beyond. He spent time exploring the incredible ruins of Polonnaruwa in Sri Lanka whilst writing his first novel ‘River of Ink.’ “Many ruined sites have hidden or erased histories that take place after the building has been ruined,” he told us. “For instance, the ruins of the Acropolis in Athens were once the site of an Ottoman mosque, and the Colosseum held a Christian heritage. The ruins of Palmyra in Syria were once home to a thriving town before it was demolished by French archaeologists in the 1920s.”

So what hidden secrets does the Temple of Olympian Zeus hold? Scroll down below to find out for yourself, as Paul uncovers the mystery in a viral Twitter thread. Let us know what you think about it in the comments!

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mark-mckenzie_1 avatar
anarkzie
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

That was far more interesting than it should be, I like.

cassiewilliams avatar
Cassie
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I love learning about these nifty little historical quirks.

inkjet_depot avatar
Inkjet Depot
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

brilliant work! but I am wondering how these saints solved the toilet situation on top, could these pillars be hollow? just a wild guess:)

djzeaman avatar
BobbyMcD
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I didn't know they could stack s**t that high. (Sorry, this is the only time in my life I could use this phrase appropriately and I had to go for it.)

Load More Replies...
dariab_1 avatar
Daria B
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

And another informative and educational post. Thanks again. We need more articles like these.

laure avatar
Laure
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Spending time digging history to understand the past of buildings is my full time job, so I can only love this post! I absolutely love this, following a thin line and finding something mind-blowing... the best part of the job! (with spending time exploring fantastic buildings indeed)

zaharika_criss_tina avatar
Zaha Cristina
Community Member
5 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Kudos for the young lady that came across this hystorical marble and made time to follow the thin white line!!! Enjoyable article and with potential for, as it was pointed out, a story for a documentary.

alexk_1 avatar
Alex K
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Greek here, goddamn christians (pun intended) just LOVE to deface , demolish and build-upon our ancient greek heritage. You can't imagine how many churches here in athens have a nice little plaque that says something like : here used to be the temple of Hermes or something. they destroyed all the statues because they were nakes (oh no, a d**k!) and they tore down the buildings to build churches.

onemessylady avatar
Aunt Messy
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

That was standard practice even in antiquity, though. Every time there was a war (or skirmish, or tantrum) the winners would run through down knocking all the d***s off the statuary. It's not an xtian thing. That's just the way it was. If you doubt it, it's documented. Go to Musee D'Orsay and take a look at the statues.

Load More Replies...
bpbperic avatar
Night Owl
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This is interesting. I think there are some books that need to be changed or at least added to

florence-colomb avatar
FloC
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

If you compare the size of the added building to the size of the people at the feet of the columns, this thing looks really big, not just a hut...

johanna_zamora avatar
Grumble O'Pug
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I doubt if this would be taught in most schools, except at the postgraduate level or if you were a Medieval History major.

olivier_3 avatar
Olivier Moutopoulos
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This info is available in the specific archaeological site, on one of the explanation panels.

captaindash avatar
Full Name
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Fantastic article and dozens of comments with no negativity nor trolls. I hope BP can find more of this type of post. Not too much more though, or I'd get nothing else done.

uzunaruto889 avatar
uzumani narumi
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Fascinating finding. I wonder that the people of old thinked that Zeus oversee everything from his throne on Olympus.

uzunaruto889 avatar
uzumani narumi
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Fascinating finding. I wonder that the people of old also wondering that Zeus is stand in the Throne of Olympus.

vernice-aure avatar
Vernice Aure
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

To me, this looks like a section of a double walled bas-relief section that was between the columns and the roof like the Parthenon. Not positive as I need to look closer at the pictures. HOWEVER, that does not detract from the topic that history is often edited.

luyendao avatar
Lu
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

By their logic, flying on a plane brings us closer to God. Truly an age of wonder hehe

morelyz24 avatar
Chris Davies
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

So effectively this was pre 20th century Photoshop... I can't recall any examples of a photoshopped image pre dating this one..

guinevere_a22 avatar
Anna Ps
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

χεσε ψηλα και αγναντευε..μαλλον απο εδω βγηκε..

stanflouride avatar
Stannous Flouride
Community Member
5 years ago

This comment has been deleted.

stanflouride avatar
Stannous Flouride
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

If the person wanted to get a History Channel documentary made about it they'd have to either try to p**n the hut, put it in a storage locker to be 'discovered,' or claim that Hitler lived there when he was studying art.

boredpanda_99 avatar
SirWriteALot
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Anyone else have rather read this piece in a proper article than screenshotted together from various tweets?

mark-mckenzie_1 avatar
anarkzie
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

That was far more interesting than it should be, I like.

cassiewilliams avatar
Cassie
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I love learning about these nifty little historical quirks.

inkjet_depot avatar
Inkjet Depot
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

brilliant work! but I am wondering how these saints solved the toilet situation on top, could these pillars be hollow? just a wild guess:)

djzeaman avatar
BobbyMcD
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I didn't know they could stack s**t that high. (Sorry, this is the only time in my life I could use this phrase appropriately and I had to go for it.)

Load More Replies...
dariab_1 avatar
Daria B
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

And another informative and educational post. Thanks again. We need more articles like these.

laure avatar
Laure
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Spending time digging history to understand the past of buildings is my full time job, so I can only love this post! I absolutely love this, following a thin line and finding something mind-blowing... the best part of the job! (with spending time exploring fantastic buildings indeed)

zaharika_criss_tina avatar
Zaha Cristina
Community Member
5 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Kudos for the young lady that came across this hystorical marble and made time to follow the thin white line!!! Enjoyable article and with potential for, as it was pointed out, a story for a documentary.

alexk_1 avatar
Alex K
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Greek here, goddamn christians (pun intended) just LOVE to deface , demolish and build-upon our ancient greek heritage. You can't imagine how many churches here in athens have a nice little plaque that says something like : here used to be the temple of Hermes or something. they destroyed all the statues because they were nakes (oh no, a d**k!) and they tore down the buildings to build churches.

onemessylady avatar
Aunt Messy
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

That was standard practice even in antiquity, though. Every time there was a war (or skirmish, or tantrum) the winners would run through down knocking all the d***s off the statuary. It's not an xtian thing. That's just the way it was. If you doubt it, it's documented. Go to Musee D'Orsay and take a look at the statues.

Load More Replies...
bpbperic avatar
Night Owl
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This is interesting. I think there are some books that need to be changed or at least added to

florence-colomb avatar
FloC
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

If you compare the size of the added building to the size of the people at the feet of the columns, this thing looks really big, not just a hut...

johanna_zamora avatar
Grumble O'Pug
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I doubt if this would be taught in most schools, except at the postgraduate level or if you were a Medieval History major.

olivier_3 avatar
Olivier Moutopoulos
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This info is available in the specific archaeological site, on one of the explanation panels.

captaindash avatar
Full Name
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Fantastic article and dozens of comments with no negativity nor trolls. I hope BP can find more of this type of post. Not too much more though, or I'd get nothing else done.

uzunaruto889 avatar
uzumani narumi
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Fascinating finding. I wonder that the people of old thinked that Zeus oversee everything from his throne on Olympus.

uzunaruto889 avatar
uzumani narumi
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Fascinating finding. I wonder that the people of old also wondering that Zeus is stand in the Throne of Olympus.

vernice-aure avatar
Vernice Aure
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

To me, this looks like a section of a double walled bas-relief section that was between the columns and the roof like the Parthenon. Not positive as I need to look closer at the pictures. HOWEVER, that does not detract from the topic that history is often edited.

luyendao avatar
Lu
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

By their logic, flying on a plane brings us closer to God. Truly an age of wonder hehe

morelyz24 avatar
Chris Davies
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

So effectively this was pre 20th century Photoshop... I can't recall any examples of a photoshopped image pre dating this one..

guinevere_a22 avatar
Anna Ps
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

χεσε ψηλα και αγναντευε..μαλλον απο εδω βγηκε..

stanflouride avatar
Stannous Flouride
Community Member
5 years ago

This comment has been deleted.

stanflouride avatar
Stannous Flouride
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

If the person wanted to get a History Channel documentary made about it they'd have to either try to p**n the hut, put it in a storage locker to be 'discovered,' or claim that Hitler lived there when he was studying art.

boredpanda_99 avatar
SirWriteALot
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Anyone else have rather read this piece in a proper article than screenshotted together from various tweets?

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