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Built between 446-442 BC, under the orders of Pericles whose name it bears, the Odeon of Pericles was built as part of the Periclean building program, which also included the construction of the Parthenon. The Odeon is believed to be the first roofed theatre-building in history devoted to performance, although it is unknown whether another building was located on the same site previous to the construction of the Periclean Odeon.
The Odeon of Pericles is thought to have stood for around 400 years before being destroyed by the army of Sulla in 86 BC, during the First Mithridatic War. It was later rebuilt on the original plan at the expense of Ariobarzanes II of Cappadocia, by two Roman architects by the names of C. and M. Stallius. In this reconstruction the columns were made of stone.
Soon after the Odeon was restored, Agrippa, the general and son-in-law of Augustus, built a concert hall on the north side of the Acropolis. This concert hall was called the Odeon of Agrippa, or Agrippeion, and was situated in the Agora of Athens. Designed by Philostrasus, the Agrippeion soon began to host the public functions once served by the Periclean hall, and the Odeon of Pericles became redundant.
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