Are you visiting the Acropolis of Athens and want to learn more about theHekatompedon?
Only a few archaeological finds remain of this monument, but in this article I will try to describe what was its architecture and decorative apparatus.
Let us begin!
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Table of content
The history of the Hekatompedon
TheHekatompedon was a temple, built in the Archaic period, around 570-550 BCE. ,which is said to have been located about 25 m from the position of the Parthenon.
Pisistratus first systematically organized the worship of Athena, building or enlarging the temple of Hekatompedos (or Dorpfeld Temple, named after the German archaeologist who discovered its foundations).
In 490 BC, after the victory over the Persians at the Battle of Marathon, it was demolished to build a larger temple, known as the Old Parthenon. The latter was destroyed in 480 BC during the Second Persian War and eventually replaced by the present Parthenon.
The existence of the Hekatompedon is substantiated by historical documents, and we know of its name from aninscription found at the site; the term Hekatompedon means“100 feet long” (about 30 m), although its length reached 46 m.
Its foundations have disappeared, but architectural and sculptural elements found in the southern Mycenaean part of the Acropolis walls have been attributed by scholars to this temple.
Architecture and decorations
It was a Doric building with two columns on each facade, 32.80 meters (100 feet, as the name implies) long, made of porous stone, covered with white marble dust.
In the main temple was placed the statue–in olive wood–of Athena Polia, and in the megaron (or opisthodomos) the offerings, treasury, and implements of worship. On the metopes were colorful depictions with scenes from the life of Heracles.
The materials used for the decorative parts of the Hekatompedon (metopes, friezes, etc.) were porous stone or gray stone from Hymettus, and later Pentelic marble or marble from Paros. Pisistratus’ sons, Hipparchus and Hippias, decided to add an exterior colonnade, in Hekatompedon, the peristasis, made of porous stone, but with marble friezes and metopes.
Fragments of the decoration, attributed to the western pediment of the Hekatompedon are preserved inside the Acropolis Museum in Athens.
The sculptures comprise three distinct groups depicting mythological scenes:
- Heracles wrestling with Triton;
- A standing figure wearing a himation and in front of which stands a three-bodied demon, that is, a creature with three bearded men’s heads;
- Snakes are entwined in the lower part.
The figures hold symbols of the three elements of nature(water, fire, air); while the snakes symbolize the fourth element, earth.
The following figures have been identified: Nereus, Typhon, and Tartarus in front of whom Zeus would stand.
Frequently asked questions
The Hekatompedon was a temple, built in the Archaic period, around 570-550 BCE. ,dedicated to the worship of the goddess Athena.
This monument is no longer extant but some archaeological remains of it are preserved at the Acropolis Museum in Athens. It was located about 25 m from the position of the Parthenon.
Conclusions
Here we come to the end of this brief account of the Hekatompedon, the famous temple found within the Acropolis complex.
If you have any doubts or questions, please leave a comment below or read thelist of temples and buildings inside the Acropolis of Athens.
Tickets for Acropolis of Athens
Buy online. Choose the time of your choice. Visit the Acropolis of Athens, the Ancient Agora, the Roman Agora, Hadrian’s Library and other archaeological sites.
You can cancel for free up to the day before your visit.
