The Temple of Hephaestus and Athena Ergane (Greek: Ναός του Ηφαίστου και της Αθηνάς Εργάνης), also known as the Hephaisteion (Ηφαιστείον) or Theseion (Θησείον), is the best preserved ancient Greek temple. It is a Doric order peripteral temple, located at the north-west side of the Agora of Athens, on top of the Agoraios Kolonos (Αγοραιος) hill. From the 7th century until 1834, it served as the Greek Orthodox church of St. George Akamates (Ἀγιος Γ...
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The Temple of Hephaestus and Athena Ergane (Greek: Ναός του Ηφαίστου και της Αθηνάς Εργάνης), also known as the Hephaisteion (Ηφαιστείον) or Theseion (Θησείον), is the best preserved ancient Greek temple. It is a Doric order peripteral temple, located at the north-west side of the Agora of Athens, on top of the Agoraios Kolonos (Αγοραιος) hill. From the 7th century until 1834, it served as the Greek Orthodox church of St. George Akamates (Ἀγιος Γεώργιος Ακαμάτης).
Hephaestus was the patron-god of metal working. Athena Ergane was the patron-goddess of pottery and crafts in general. There were numerous potter shops and metal working factories in the vicinity of the temple, justifying the dedication of the temple to these two deities. The archaeological evidence suggests that there was no previous building located on top of the hill, except for a small sanctuary which was burned when the Persians occupied Athens in 480 BC. The name Theseion or Temple of Theseus, was erroneously...
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