Located within the fertile Argive Plain in the Northeastern part of the Peloponnesian peninsula,[3] the Heraion at Argos stands on the lower hills leading up to Mount Euboea.

[7] The river Eleutherion runs close to the sacred site, providing water for cleansing rituals and sacrifices.

[11] At the end of the Dark Age, the Argive Plain underwent dramatic shifts and changes as populations grew and city states began to emerge.

[15] The building of this large sacred space, the Heraion at Argos, reflected a new shared identity for the people within this area of the developing plain.

[18] The Argives built the terrace in the late eighth or early seventh century[19] by piling large stones of various shapes onto each other.

[18] These stones are found naturally around 50 m from the terrace surface, and on the southern side of this structure, and the Argives dispersed them intermittently with smaller blocks in between.

[20] Based on the remaining structure, it is clear that Argos was emulating the Mycenaean stonework style, Cyclopean masonry.

[9] Such a choice in design was purposeful; the people of developing Argos sought to forge links with the preceding Mycenaeans, who were especially revered and worshipped in this time period.

[26] Due to their high visibility from afar, these spaces could have served to showcase impressive dedications from wealthy visitors of the Argive Heraion.

[25] To accommodate the growing Argive state during this time, expansion at the Argive Heraion was necessary,[25] and further, these changes "fit well into a general pattern of post conquest revision, clarifying social status and rights in light of the new social order, integrating cult activity, and reinforcing Argos' dominant position on the plain" (Morgan 86).

If the temple was still in use by the 4th-century, it would have been closed during the persecution of pagans in the late Roman Empire, when laws against non-Christian religions and their sanctuaries were enacted by the Christian emperors.

At these sacred sites, like the Heraion at Argos, the Ancient Greeks usually emphasized specific certain qualities or roles that manifested themselves in the design of the sanctuary, rituals, and festivals held there.

[8] According to Pausanias, the people of Argos believed that the spring of Kanathos by nearby Nauplion was sacred, and Hera bathed there to gain back her virginity before the Hieros Gamos.

The sons of a priestess at the Heraion, Kleobis and Biton assist their mother in traversing up to the sanctuary by pulling her cart by hand.

[37] These festivals additionally enabled time for socialization, and they also allowed for competition between individual families and amongst different communities in the form of games.

[38] Worshippers at the Heraion said a prayer before leaving things like figurines, seals, amulets, and jewelry in specific areas at the site.

[38] Findings of images that have symbols for childcare and womanhood further confirm Hera's status at this sanctuary of a protector concerned with the family.

[32] Finally, warrior figurines and shields found at the Argive Heraion indicate Hera's status as a protector and patron of the state.

[4] Blegen turned away from the sanctuary and did work on the surrounding area of the Argive Heraion, finding evidence for cemeteries and occupation nearby the site.