the temple of hephaestus, one of the best-preserved and most typical of all greek temples, dates from parthenon, it's constructed in the simple doric style. it housed big, bronze statues of hephaestus -- the blacksmith god -- and athena, patroness of the city. greek architecture evolved in stages. the capitals, or tops of the columns, were both functional and decorative. while just the tip of the architectural iceberg, these are handy indicators, helping us identify the three main architectural orders, or styles. the earliest style, doric, has flat, practical plates as capitals. in the next order, ionic, the capitals are decorated with understated scrolls. the final order, corinthian, popular later on with the romans, features leafy capitals -- boldly decorative, with no apologies necessary. how to remember all these? as the orders evolve, they gain syllables -- doric, ionic, corinthian. but for most travelers, the agora is more than an architectural review. strolling in the footsteps of socrates is your best opportunity to commune with the epic greek past. [dramatic flute music] ♪ -