Acropolis of Athens
Acropolis of Athens is a 156-meter-high hill with a temple complex built on it, which protected the citizens from enemy raids. The upper city, occupying an area of 300 by 130 meters, was built over many centuries, from the ancient Greek archaic to the Roman Greek era. Today, the Acropolis of Athens is the most visited attraction in the Greek capital: history buffs are not hindered by the scaffolding surrounding the ancient temples, nor by the continuous excavations, nor by the scorching sun. They are not embarrassed by the fact that much of the decoration is the work of modern craftsmen who made copies instead of the originals stored in the halls of European museums.
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Video: Aerial view of the Acropolis of Athens
Contents
- History of the Acropolis
- Architectural features of the Acropolis of Athens
The Parthenon – the most important temple of Ancient Athens - The sculptures of Phidias
- Further history of the Parthenon
The Erechtheion – the memory of the legendary king - The Propylaea – the main gate of the complex
- The Temple of Niki Aptheros
Destroyed sites - Tourist routes around the Acropolis
- New Acropolis Museum
- Tourist information
History of the Acropolis
%’ Athens and the Upper City became the half-man half-snake Kekrops. It was he who preferred the goddess of wisdom as his patroness and erected the first temples in her honor. In the following centuries on their ruins appeared more opulent structures, until all the buildings of the Acropolis, except for a fragmentary surviving temple of Hekatompedon, in the V century were not destroyed by the Persians. During the time of Pericles and immediately after his death, the best works of ancient architecture, the Parthenon and Erechtheion, adorned the hill.
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During the early Hellenistic period and the subjugation of Greece to Rome, several theaters appeared at the foot of the hill. Christians converted the pagan temples into Christian temples, without rebuilding them, but partially altering the interiors. The Turks, who came to the Balkans in the 15th century, used the buildings of the Acropolis of Athens as mosques. No significant changes took place on the hill until the Venetians shelled the city with cannons in the 17th century. Many of the temples were destroyed, the costly reconstruction of which has not been completed to this day.
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In the 19th century, some of the sculptures decorating the facades of the temples were taken to France and Great Britain, the dispute about their belonging is still going on today.
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‘ Panorama of the Acropolis of Athens
