What Is The Acropolis?
The Acropolis of Athens is one of the most famous ancient archaeological sites in the world. It is an ancient citadel located on a rocky outcrop above the city of Athens and contains the remains of several ancient buildings of great architectural and historic significance.
The site’s most important remains today includes the Parthenon, the Propylaia, the Erechtheion and the Temple of Athena Nike.
It has withstood bombardment, massive earthquakes, and vandalism, but still stands as a reminder of the rich history of Greece. Today, it is a cultural UNESCO World Heritage site.
History
The Acropolis is located on a rock that rises 150 m (490 ft) above sea level, with a surface area of about 3 hectares (7.4 acres). While the earliest artifacts date to the Middle Neolithic era, there have been documented habitations in Attica from the Early Neolithic period, 6th millennium BC.
A Mycenaean megaron palace stood upon the hill during the late Bronze Age, but nothing of this megaron survived except a limestone column-base and pieces of some sandstone steps. Built around 525 BC, the Old Temple of Athena stood between the Parthenon and the Erechtheum.
Not much is known about the architectural appearance of the Acropolis until the Archaic era. It seems that a nine-gate wall, the Enneapylon, had been built around the acropolis hill and incorporating the biggest water spring, the Clepsydra, at the north western foot.
A temple to Athena Polias, was erected between 570–550 BC. This Doric limestone building, from which many relics survive, is referred to as the Hekatompedon and was probably built where the Parthenon stands today.
Around 500 BC the Athenians dismantled the Hekatompedon to make place for a new grander building, the “Older Parthenon”. This was still under construction when the Persians invaded and sacked the city in 480 BC. The building was burned and looted, along with the Ancient Temple and everything else on the rock.
Most of the major temples, including the Parthenon, were rebuilt by order of Pericles during the so-called Golden Age of Athens (460–430 BC). During 437 BC, Mnesicles started building the Propylaea, a monumental gate at the western end of the Acropolis with Doric columns of Pentelic marble, built partly upon the old propylaea of Peisistratos.
These colonnades were almost finished during 432 BC and at the same time, building started south of the Propylaea, on the small Ionic Temple of Athena Nike. The temple was finished between 421 BC and 409 BC.
Behind the Propylaea, stands the bronze statue of Athena Promachos. The base was 1.50 m (4 ft 11 in) high, while the total height of the statue was 9 m (30 ft). Other monuments that have left almost nothing visible to the present day are the Chalkotheke, the Pandroseion, Pandion’s sanctuary, Athena’s altar, Zeus Polieus’s sanctuary and, from Roman times, the circular temple of Augustus and Rome.
During the Hellenistic and Roman periods, many of the existing buildings in the area of the Acropolis were repaired. During the Julio-Claudian period, the Temple of Rome and Augustus, about 23 meters from the Parthenon, was to be the last major ancient construction on the summit of the rock.
During 161 AD, the Roman Herodes Atticus built his grand amphitheatre or Odeon. It was destroyed by the invading Herulians a century later but was reconstructed during the 1950s.
The Acropolis was besieged thrice during the Greek War of Independence. After independence, most features that dated back to different periods were cleared from the site to restore the monument to its original form.
Archaeological Remains Today
The entrance to the Acropolis was a monumental gateway termed the Propylaea. To the south is the tiny Temple of Athena Nike. At the centre of the Acropolis is the Parthenon or Temple of Athena Parthenos. East of the entrance and north of the Parthenon is the temple known as the Erechtheum. South of the platform that forms the top of the Acropolis there are also the remains of the ancient Theatre of Dionysus. A few hundred metres away, there is the now partially reconstructed Odeon of Herodes Atticus.
All the valuable ancient artifacts are found in the Acropolis Museum, which resides on the southern slope of the same rock, 280 metres from the Parthenon.
The southern and northern walls were rebuilt and some of the most iconic structures in the world were constructed such as:
The Parthenon: It featured ornate sculptures and housed a spectacular statue of the goddess Athena.
The Propylaea: A monumental entryway to the Acropolis and The Temple of Athena Nike.
The Erechtheion: A sacred temple made of marble which honoured Athena and several other gods and heroes. Its porch is supported by six Caryatid maiden statues.
The Statue of Athena Promachos: A gigantic bronze statue of Athena that stood next to the Propylaea.
Interest For Today
Every four years, the Athenians had a festival called the Great Panathenaea. During the festival, a procession travelled through the city via the Panathenaic Way and ended on the Acropolis. A new robe of woven wool was placed on either the statue of Athena Polias in the Erechtheum or on the statue of Athena Parthenos in the Parthenon.
Within the later tradition of Western Civilization and classical revival, the Acropolis, from at least the mid-18th century on, has often been invoked as a key symbol of the Greek legacy and of the glories of Classical Greece.
Location
The Acropolis is in Athens, Attica, Greece, at the coordinates 37°58′15″N 23°43′34″E. Address: Dionysiou Areopagitou, Athens, Attica 105 58.
Tourist Information
The Acropolis is open from Monday to Sunday all year-round from 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM
Tickets are available at the entrance, but it is recommended that you book e-tickets ahead of time. In 2020 admission tickets are $24.18 with guided tours started around $37.19 per person.
Telephone: +30 21 0321 4172.
