Various antiquarian writings have survived to the present day that appear to make allusion to the Odeon of Pericles. Some of these historical references have helped historians and archaeologists to better understand the Odeon of Pericles, whilst others have been misleading.

Pausanias who saw the Odeon in the second century AD likened the exterior of the building to the tent of Xerxes. Xerxes was the king of the Persians defeated at Salamis by the Athenians. In the 19th century AD this archaic evidence was used as a basis for the supposition that the Odeon was circular, like the tent of Xerxes. However, recent excavation has revealed that the Odeon was in fact oblong.

Another reference to the Odeon in the writings of Pausanias (most notable of which is his ‘Description of Greece’) suggests that the supporting columns which hold up the theatrum tectum (or roof), were made from the masts and spars taken from the defeated Persian ships after the battle at Salamis. According to the 20th century theatre historian and architect George C. Izenour, this can only be a 'good story':

"[The] naval vessels of the time were not large enough to support masts and spars of sufficient cross-section to serve either as columns or roof beams in a structure as large as this one. Purlins between beams perhaps, but not the columns and main beams." (Taken from Roofed Theatres of Classical Antiquity by G.C. Izenour)