The Hephaisteion | Temple of Hephaestus | Agora of Athens | 4K

Above the ancient Agora in Athens, with surviving friezes showing the labors of Hercules and Theseus, is the most well-preserved ancient Greek temple in the world. Dedicated to the god of fire and metalworking, join us as we explore the Hephaistion in Athens. The temple of Hephaistus, sometimes known as the Hephaistion, sits on a hill with a view of the Acropolis and above the ancient Agora of Athens. The temple is about 45 feet by 105 feet with six columns in the front and 13 columns on the sides. Aside from the bottom step, the temple is made entirely from marble. Construction began in the middle of the 5th century BC, which is around the same time as the Parthenon and the Temple of Concordia in the Valley of the Temples in Sicily. This would have been during the time of Socrates, who frequented the streets of the Agora below. Although much smaller than the Parthenon, it is the most well-preserved ancient Greek temple in the world, with friezes and sections of the roof remaining. The temple is named after Hephaistus, who was a Greek god of fire, metalworking, and craftsmanship. He forged items for Greek gods and heroes, including the winged helmet and sandals of Hermes, the shield of Achilles, the staff of Agamemnon, and the golden chariot of Helios. As a child, Hephaistus was cast out of Olympus by his mother Hera. He was taken care of by sea nymphs, including Thetis, who was also the mother of Achilles, and learned his craft in metalworking. Statues of these sea nymphs were originally on top of the temple, along with a Nike statue. Various metalworking areas were discovered around the temple, and the remains of large flowerpots were found which were once part of a formal garden around the temple of small trees and shrubs. The temple was most heavily decorated on the eastern side, which is the side that faces the marketplace. These carvings show nine of the labors of Hercules. On the far left was the Nemean lion, and after that was the Hydra of Lemia. The frieze in the center showed the mares of Diomedes, who were fire-breathing horses who also devoured people. On the far right is a scene related to retrieving the golden apples. The remaining friezes show scenes of the life of Theseus, who was the mythical hero and king of Athens. On the eastern side, which faces the Agora, there is a battle scene with Theseus and the sons of Pallas, who are rivals for the throne. We can see his most famous on the south side, where he battles the Minotaur, and to the left he grapples with the bull of Marathon. On the western side, which is opposite the marketplace, there is a detailed scene of the battle against the centaurs. Canius is being beaten into the ground by the centaurs before Theseus comes to his aid. From a description from the Greek geographer Pausanias, we know that the temple originally contained bronze statues to Hephaestus and Athena. The east pediment, which is the triangular area near the roof of the temple, is thought to have shown the birth of Athena, who was born miraculously in full armor after Hephaestus used his hammer to split the head of Zeus. The west pediment is thought to have shown the return of Hephaestus to Olympus after being cast out. The temple was converted to a church sometime between the 5th century and the 7th century AD. The church was dedicated to Saint George, who was a martyr during the persecution of Christians under Roman Emperor Diocletian in the early 4th century. When it was converted to a church, new entrances were created in the south side and the west side. The entrance was moved from the east side to the west side during this time, and you could still see crosses carved into the stone above the doorway. On the opposite side, the two inner columns were removed, and a dome-shaped apse was added. These columns have since been replaced during restoration. The former church was decorated with wall paintings, some of which have now been moved to the Church of the Holy Apostles. In 1834, King Otto, the first king of Greece, visited the church. He ordered it converted to a museum, and it remained a museum until 1934, when it was converted to a historic monument. Thanks for joining us at History of My name's James. Feel free to check out our other videos, and thanks for watching.