Hephaestus Research Paper

Located on the northwest side of Agora of Athens, on top of Agoraios Kolonos hill, sits the Temple of Hephaestus. The Greeks started construction around 440 BC, but the completion would take over three decades because human and financial resources were redirected to build the Parthenon. It was originally thought to be a temple dedicated the founder of Athens, Theseus, as there are relief sculptures on the northern and southern sides of the temple depicting his actions. However, through excavation and analysis of written sources, it was proven to be built in homage to Hephaestus, the god of craftsmen, metalworking, forges, and fire. Hephaestus was the son of Zeus and Hera and married to Aphrodite. Because he was the god of metalworking, he …show more content…
The center rooms are surrounded by an outer row of columns on all four sides. It was constructed of Pentelic marble and decorated with sculpture in Parian marble. The ceiling is wooden, the roof tiles are made of terracotta, and there a set of limestone step surrounding the temple leading to the bottom of the platform. Broad, horizontal decorations, or friezes, lining the east metopes depict the Labors of Hercules. The four easternmost metopes on the north and south sides depict the Labors of Theseus. The frieze over the pronaos, or front vestibule, shows a scene from the Battle of Theseus and the Pallantides while the gods looking on. The frieze over the rear temple, or opisthonaos, depicts the Battle of the Lapiths and Centaurs. The east pediment depicted the deification of Hercules and the west had another scene from the Battle of the Lapiths and Centaurs. While little of the Pediment sculpture has survived, it is know that the east pediment showed the deification of Hercules, and the west pediment had a scene from the Battle of the Lapiths and Centaurs. Today, some fragments are on display in the Stoa of Attalus

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Hephaestus Research Paper