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Secondary sourceArtifactbegun 449 BC

Temple of Hephaestus

begun 449 BC

A well-preserved Doric temple overlooking the Athenian Agora, begun under the building programme launched by Pericles.

Construction began as part of the building programme Pericles launched to glorify Athens after the Persian Wars.

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Aerial view of the Temple of Hephaestus in Athens, a white marble Doric temple on a hilltop surrounded by green trees and shrubs, with a red-roofed building and ancient ruins visible in the background.
Temple of Hephaestus, Athens, begun 449 BC.

About this source

What it is

The Temple of Hephaestus is a Doric temple on a hill above the Agora of Athens, dedicated to the god of metalworking and craftsmanship. It stands largely intact today because it later served for centuries as a Greek Orthodox church. Construction began in 449 BC, with sculptural work continuing over several decades.

Why it matters

Its construction began as Pericles directed Athens' wealth and influence toward transforming the city into the centre of Greek culture. Work on it was slowed because funds and workers were redirected to the Parthenon, showing how Pericles prioritised his building projects. Its survival gives historians a rare, nearly complete example of the architecture of this era.

Look closer

  • Why might this temple have survived so much better than other ancient buildings?
  • What does its location near metalworking shops tell you about how Athenians connected gods to daily trades?
  • What does the delay in finishing it reveal about how Athenian leaders set priorities for public money?

This artifact is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Pericles on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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Manuscript page in Greek handwriting with a decorative heading at top, showing the text of a speech in dense lines of script on aged parchment with marginal notes at left and right edges.Speech

Secondary source

Pericles' Funeral Oration

Thucydides · 431/430 BCE

Photograph of the Parthenon temple on the Athenian Acropolis, seen from the front-left under a deep blue sky. White marble Doric columns and a partly damaged pediment stand on a stepped base, with scattered marble blocks and ruins in the foreground.Artifact

Primary source

Parthenon

447-432 BCE

Marble bust of a bearded man wearing a tall Corinthian-style helmet with a raised crest and cheek guards. Curly hair and beard are carved in detail. The bust rests on a tan stone pedestal against a grey wall.Sculpture

Secondary source

Pericles with the Corinthian Helmet

Kresilas · Roman copy, from a Greek original near Pericles' lifetime

Facsimile page of Greek manuscript handwriting in minuscule script, nine lines of dark ink on white, headed 'Facsimile No. 57', with a transcription and caption 'Thucydides.—Tenth Century' below.Book

Primary source

History of the Peloponnesian War

Thucydides · 5th century BCE

Book

Secondary source

Life of Pericles

Plutarch

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