Temple of Hephaestus, Ancient Greek temple in Thiseio, Greece
The Temple of Hephaestus is a Doric sanctuary on Agoraios Kolonos hill in the Ancient Agora of Athens, built from Pentelic and Parian marble. The building rests on a three-step platform and is surrounded by 34 columns supporting a fully preserved marble roof.
Work began around 449 BCE under Pericles, when Athens was experiencing its cultural peak. Construction slowed during the Peloponnesian War and was completed around 420 BCE, then served as an Orthodox church from the 7th century onward.
The name honors Hephaestus, god of metalworking, whose workshops once lined the hill below. Sculptured panels show heroes like Heracles and Theseus, figures who served as role models for Athenian citizens during the classical period.
Access is through the ticket for the entire archaeological site, with entrances near Monastiraki and Thiseio metro stations. The hill offers an open view of the surrounding excavations and sits away from the main paths through the Agora.
The structure retained its original columns, architrave, and roof construction nearly intact, a rare level of preservation for a Greek sanctuary of this period. This completeness allows a direct impression of how such temples actually appeared in antiquity, without later additions or modern reconstructions.
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