Which Temple Stands Above the Ancient Agora in Athens?

From the open ground of the Ancient Agora, look toward the hill on its western side. The colonnaded building above the square is the Temple of Hephaestus, also known as the Hephaisteion. Its position and unusually complete outline make it a good place to try reading a temple plan outdoors.

How can I identify the Hephaisteion from below?

Look for a rectangular temple with a continuous ring of columns on the hill called Kolonos Agoraios. From a corner where both faces are visible, try counting the columns. Six run across a short end and thirteen along a long side, with the corner column belonging to both counts. Inside that outer rectangle stood the enclosed sanctuary and the porches at its ends.

Is the Theseion another name for this temple?

Yes. Earlier scholars called the building the Theseion, a name that still appears in descriptions of the area. Archaeologists now identify the temple as a sanctuary of Hephaestus and Athena. The older name refers to this same building. To locate the building consistently, use its position above the western edge of the Agora and the Greek name Hephaisteion.

What happened here after the classical temple was built?

Excavated planting pits show that the temple grounds had already been landscaped by the third century BCE. Imagine a planted precinct around the columns when you look across the bare architectural plan. Centuries later, the building became a Christian church. Its long history of occupation is one reason the experience here is so different from examining a temple that survives only as foundations.