What is Phidias?
[[Image:1868 Lawrence Alma-Tadema - Phidias Showing the Frieze of the Parthenon to his Friends.jpg|thumb|280px|''Phidias Showing the [[Frieze]] of the [[Parthenon]] to his Friends'' (1868) by Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema]] '''Phidias''', or '''Pheidias''' (about 480{{ndash}}430 BC), born in [[Athens]], [[Greece]] ([[Ancient Greece|Ancient Times]]), was a [[sculptor]], [[painter]] and [[architect]]. His statue of [[Zeus]] at [[Olympia]] was one of the [[Seven Wonders of the Ancient World]]. He also designed the statues of the goddess [[Athena]] on the [[Acropolis]]. These were the ''Athena Parthenos'' inside the [[Parthenon]] and the ''Athena Promachos'', a bronze statue of [[Athena]] near the entrance to the Acropolis. Phidias was twice accused of stealing some of the costly materials he used. He was accused of taking some of the [[ivory]] for the Athena Parthenos; and at Olympia, of stealing some of the gold for Zeus' cloak.<ref>{{cite book|last=Romer|first=John|title=The Seven Wonders of the World|location=The Statue of Zeus|page=17}}</ref> A false witness against Phidias testified. Phidias died in prison. Today, most critics and historians consider him one of the greatest of ancient Greek sculptors.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.bartleby.com/65/ph/Phidias.html |title=Phidias |access-date=2008-07-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081016004040/http://wwwt.bartleby.com/65/ph/Phidias.html |archive-date=2008-10-16 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>[[Bertrand Russell]], ''The History of Western Philosophy'', Chapter 10, Protagoras, page 95</ref> == References == {{reflist}} {{bio-stub}} {{Ancient Greece: Arts and Culture}} [[Category:Sculptors]] [[Category:5th-century BC births]] [[Category:430s BC deaths]] [[Category:Ancient Greeks]] [[Category:Olympia]]