The Columns of the Heraion at Olympia: Dörpfeld and Early Doric Architecture

This article presents the first results of an ongoing investigation of the Temple of Hera at Olympia. Because it is traditionally believed that the temple was designed with wooden columns that were only later replaced by the stone columns now in situ, the Heraion has been widely cited as a key example for the tectonic theory of the origins of Doric architecture. However, a review of the archaeological evidence at Olympia and comparable sites, the testimony of Pausanias, and the findings from recent fieldwork demonstrate that the Heraion’s peristyle was very likely stone from the beginning. This challenge to the traditional understanding of the construction history of the Heraion has broad ramifications for our understanding of early Doric architecture.