Temple of Hephaestus, Doric temple in Valle dei Templi, Italy

The Temple of Hephaestus in Agrigento is an ancient Greek temple built in the Doric style, set on a low hill within the Valley of the Temples. It has six columns across the short ends and thirteen along each long side, all resting on a base of four stepped levels.

An older sanctuary already stood on this spot around 560-550 BC, well before the current structure was planned. Construction of the temple as it stands today began around 430 BC, replacing that earlier building on the same ground.

The name "Temple of Hephaestus" is a modern convention, not an ancient certainty: it comes from the Roman writer Gaius Julius Solinus, who recorded a cult of Vulcan at Akragas and placed a Collis Vulcanius here, perhaps because of nearby sulphur springs. The Greek dedication of the building is therefore unknown.

The temple is part of the Valley of the Temples site, which visitors explore on foot across open ground. Because there is very little shade in the area, early morning or late afternoon are the most comfortable times to visit.

The name "Temple of Hephaestus" is a modern convention, not an ancient certainty. It comes from a passage by the Roman writer Gaius Julius Solinus describing a cult of Vulcan at Akragas and a Collis Vulcanius in this area, perhaps named for nearby sulphur springs. The identification rests on that text alone.