Gekatompedon - one of the oldest temples of the Acropolis in Athens. Title of the temple associated with the dimensions of its intact (the inner part of the temple) - 100 feet (32 to 8 m) in length and 50 feet (16, 4 m) in width. Gekatompedon translated literally means "stofutovy." Temple was built in the early 6th century BC, during the reign of Peisistratos, the site of the ancient Mycenaean palace (14th century BC). Gekatompedon considered the predecessor of the Parthenon.

Gekatompedon, like many other masterpieces of Athens, was built in honor of the goddess Athena. According to legend, the Greeks are so revered his patroness that all slaves who participated in the construction of the temple, were released into the wild.

In the years 480-479 BC, during the Greco-Persian wars, on the orders of the Persian king Xerxes Gekatompedon looted and burned. To this day preserved only remnants of the ruins of an ancient temple, and next to them, and today you can see the tomb of the first king of Attica Kekropa.

Huge archaeological research conducted German archaeologist Wilhelm Dörpfeld (one of the most famous scholars of ancient architecture). There were discovered the remains of the foundation, namely the base of two columns megaron (Greek rectangular building plan). During the excavation of the Acropolis were found fragments of sculptures Gekatompedon, depicting scenes of Greek mythology. At one of the metopes depicts Hercules fighting with Triton. On the second - the mythical winged creature with three human bodies and snakes' tails. Perhaps this is the image of the ancient Attic Tritopatora deity, a symbol of the three elements - fire, water and air. Sculptures made of soft limestone piglets and perfectly preserved their coloring. Today, these artifacts are stored in the New Acropolis Museum.