Temple of Jupiter
Lebanon · Asia
About
The Temple of Jupiter is a colossal Roman temple in Baalbek, Lebanon. It is the largest of the Roman world after the Temple of Venus and Roma in Rome. It is unknown who commissioned or designed the temple, nor exactly when it was constructed. Its construction most likely began in the first century BC. It is situated at the western end of the Great Court of Roman Heliopolis, on a broad platform of stone raised another 7 m (23 ft) above the huge stones of the foundation, three of which are among the heaviest blocks ever used in a construction. Cultic activity had long taken place at the site; the temple presumably replaced an earlier one, possibly using the same foundation.
It was the biggest temple dedicated to Jupiter Optimus Maximus Heliopolitanus in all the Roman Empire. The columns were 19.9 meters (65.3 ft) high with a diameter of nearly 2.5 meters (8.2 ft): the biggest in the classical world. It took three centuries to create this colossal temple complex.
Adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)。Photography via Wikimedia Commons.