The gekatompedon is one of the oldest temples of the Athenian Acropolis. The name of the temple is associated with the size of his whole (the inner part of the temple) – 100 feet (32, 8 m) in length and 50 feet (16, 4 m) wide. The gekatompedon translated literally means "hundred feet". The temple was built in the early 6th century BC, during the reign of Peisistratos, on the site of the ancient Mycenaean Palace (14th century BC). The gekatompedon considered the predecessor of the Parthenon.

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

In 480-479 BC, during the Greco-Persian wars, on the orders of Persian king Xerxes of Gekatompedon looted and burned. Till our days there were only the remains of the ruins of an ancient temple, and next to them, and today you can see the grave of the first king of Attica Kekropa.

Enormous archaeological research was conducted by the German archaeologist Wilhelm Dorpfeld (one of the most famous researchers of ancient architecture). Were discovered the remains of the Foundation, namely the base of two columns of Megaron (the Greek house of rectangular plan). During the excavation of the Acropolis were found fragments of the sculptural compositions of Hecatompedon, depicting Greek mythology. On one of metopon depicts Hercules fighting with the Triton. The second is a mythical winged creature with three human bodies and snake tails. Perhaps this image of the ancient Greek deity of Trichoptera, the symbol of the three elements – fire, water and air. The sculpture is made of soft Poros limestone and perfectly preserved their coloring. Today these artifacts are stored in the New Acropolis Museum.