Acropolis of Athens 1

Acropolis of Athens
Geographical coordinates: 37°58′17″N 23°43′34″E

Acropolis of Athens*
UNESCO World Heritage Site

Type Cultural

Criteria i, ii, iii, iv, vi

Reference [1]
404

Region** Europe

Coordinates 37°58′17″N 23°43′34″E

Inscription history
Inscription 1987  (11th Session)
[2]
* Name as inscribed on World Heritage List.
[3]
** Region as classified by UNESCO.

The Acropolis of Athens or Citadel of Athens is the best known

acropolis (Gr. akros, akron,[4] edge, extremity + polis, city, pl.
acropoleis) in the world. Although there are many other acropoleis in
Greece, the significance of the Acropolis of Athens is such that it is
commonly known as The Acropolis without qualification. The
Acropolis was formally proclaimed as the pre-eminent monument on
the European Cultural Heritage list of monuments on 26 March
2007.[5] The Acropolis is a flat-topped rock that rises 150 m (490 ft) The Parthenon
above sea level in the city of Athens, with a surface area of about 3
hectares. It was also known as Cecropia, after the legendary
serpent-man, Cecrops, the first Athenian king.

History

Early settlement
While the earliest artifacts date to the Middle Neolithic era, there have
been documented habitations in Attica from the Early Neolithic (6th Reconstruction of the Acropolis and Areios Pagos
millennium BC). There is little doubt that a Mycenaean megaron stood in Athens, Leo von Klenze, 1846
upon the hill during the late Bronze Age. Nothing of this megaron
Acropolis of Athens 2

survives except, probably, a single limestone column-base and pieces of several sandstone steps. Soon after the
palace was built a Cyclopean massive circuit wall was built, 760 meters long, up to 10 meters high, and ranging from
3.5 to 6 meters thick. This wall would serve as the main defense for the acropolis until the 5th century.[6] The wall
consisted of two parapets built with large stone blocks and cemented with an earth mortar called emplekton (Greek:
ἔμπλεκτον).[7] The wall follows typical Mycenaean convention in that it followed the natural contour of the terrain
and its gate was arranged obliquely, with a parapet and tower overhanging the incomers' right-hand side, thus
facilitating defense. There were two lesser approaches up the hill on its north side, consisting of steep, narrow flights
of steps cut in the rock. Homer is assumed to refer to this fortification when he mentions the "strong-built House of
Erechtheus" (Odyssey 7.81). At some point before the 13th century an earthquake caused a fissure near the
northeastern edge of the acropolis. This fissure extended some thirty five meters to a bed of soft marl in which a well
was dug.[8] An elaborate set of stairs was built and the well was used as a protected source of drinking water during
some portion of the Mycenaean period, as it was invaluable in times of siege.
construction of Acropolis of Athens began in 447 BC and was completed in 438 BC constructed for defense
purposes Greeks used Acropolis to study the positions of their enemies at the time of a war or battle The Acropolis is
also known as Cecropia or Kekrops after the first king of Athens large hill with a flat top, like a plateau is a 260 ft
tall around eighty feet high and fifty wide

The Dark Ages

There is no conclusive evidence for the existence of a Mycenean palace on top of the Athenian Acropolis. However,
if there was such a palace, it seems to have been transplanted by later building activity on the Acropolis. Not much is
known as to the architectural appearance of the Acropolis until the archaic era. In the 7th and the 6th centuries BC
the site was taken over by Kylon during the failed Kylonian revolt, and twice by Pisistratus: all attempts directed at
seizing political power by coups d' etat. Nevertheless it seems that a nine-gate wall, the Enneapylon, had been built
around the biggest water spring, the "Clepsydra", at the northwestern foot.

Archaic Acropolis
A temple sacred to "Athena Polias" (Protectress of the City) was quickly erected by mid-6th century BC. This Doric
limestone building, from which many relics survive, is referred to as the "Bluebeard" temple, named after the
pedimental three-bodied man-serpent sculpture, whose beards were painted dark blue. Whether this temple replaced
an older one, or a mere sacred precinct or altar, is not known. In the late 6th century BC yet another temple was built,
usually referred to as the Archaios Naos (Old Temple). This temple of Athena Polias was built upon the Doerpfeld
foundations.[9] It is unknown where the "Bluebeard" temple was built. There are two popular theories (1) the
"Bluebeard" temple was built upon the Doerpfeld foundations, (2) the "Bluebeard" temple was built where the
Parthenon now stands.[10] That being said it is unknown if the "Bluebeard" temple and the Archaios Naos coexisted.
To confuse matters, by the time the "Bluebeard" Temple had been dismantled, a newer and grander marble building,
the "Older Parthenon" (often called the "Ur-Parthenon", German for "Early Parthenon"), was started following the
victory at Marathon in 490 BC. To accommodate it, the south part of the summit was cleared of older remnants,
made level by adding some 8,000 two-ton blocks of Piraeus limestone, a foundation 11 m (36 ft) deep at some
points, and the rest filled with earth kept in place by the retaining wall.
The Older Parthenon was still under construction when the Persians sacked the city in 480 BC. The building was
burned and looted, along with the Archaios Naos and practically everything else on the rock. After the Persian crisis
had subsided, the Athenians incorporated many of the unfinished temple's architectural members (unfluted column
drums, triglyphs, metopes, etc.) into the newly built northern curtain wall of the Acropolis, where they serve as a
prominent "war memorial" and can still be seen today. The devastated site was cleared of debris. Statuary, cult
objects, religious offerings and unsalvageable architectural members were buried ceremoniously in several deeply
dug pits on the hill, serving conveniently as a fill for the artificial plateau created around the classic Parthenon. This
Acropolis of Athens 3

"Persian debris" is the richest archaeological deposit excavated on the Acropolis.

The Periclean building program

Most of the major temples were rebuilt under the leadership of Pericles
during the Golden Age of Athens (460–430 BC). Phidias, a great
Athenian sculptor, and Ictinus and Callicrates, two famous architects,
were responsible for the reconstruction. During the 5th century BC, the
The Propylaea Acropolis gained its final shape. After winning at Eurymedon in 468
BC, Cimon and Themistocles ordered the reconstruction of southern
and northern walls, and Pericles entrusted the building of the Parthenon
to Ictinus and Callicrates.

In 437 BC Mnesicles started building the Propylaea, monumental gates

with columns of Pentelic marble, partly built upon the old propylaea of
Pisistratus. These colonnades were almost finished in 432 BC and had
two wings, the northern one serving as picture gallery. At the same
time, south of the propylaea, building of the small Ionic Temple of
Athena Nike commenced. After an interruption caused by the
Peloponnesian War, the temple was finished in the time of Nicias'
The Erechtheum
peace, between 421 BC and 415 BC.

During the same period the building of the Erechtheum, a combination of sacred precincts including the temples of
Athena Polias, Poseidon, Erechtheus, Cecrops, Herse, Pandrosos and Aglauros, with its so-called the Kore Porch (or
Caryatids' balcony), was begun.
Between the temple of Athena Nike and the Parthenon there was the temenos of Artemis Brauronia or Brauroneion,
the goddess represented as a bear and worshipped in the deme of Brauron. The archaic xoanon of the goddess and a
statue made by Praxiteles in the 4th century BC were both in the sanctuary.
Behind the Propylaea, Phidias' gigantic bronze statue of Athena Promachos ("she who fights in the front line"), built
between 450 BC and 448 BC, dominated. The base was 1.50 m (4 ft 11 in) high, while the total height of the statue
was 9 m (30 ft). The goddess held a lance whose gilt tip could be seen as a reflection by crews on ships rounding
Cape Sounion, and a giant shield on the left side, decorated by Mys with images of the fight between the Centaurs
and the Lapiths. 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.

Hellenistic and Roman period

During the Hellenistic and Roman periods, many of the existing buildings in the area of the Acropolis were repaired,
due to damage from age, and occasionally, war.[11] Monuments to foreign kings were erected, notably those of the
Attalid kings of Pergamon Attalos II (in front of the NW corner of the Parthenon), and Eumenes II, in front of the
Propylaia. These were rededicated during the early Roman Empire to Augustus (or perhaps Cladius), and Agrippa,
respectively.[12] Eumenes was also responsible for constructing a stoa on the South slope, not unlike that of Attalos
in the Agora below.
During the Julio-Claudian period, the Temple of Rome and Augustus, a small, round edifice, about 23 meters from
the Parthenon, was to be the last significant ancient construction on the summit of the rock.[13] Around the same
time, on the North slope, in a cave next to the one dedicated to Pan since the classical period, a sanctuary was
founded where the archons dedicated to Apollo on taking office.[14] In the following century, on the South slope,
Herodes Atticus built his grand odeon.
Acropolis of Athens 4

During the 3rd century, under threat from a

Herulian invasion, repairs were made to the
Acropolis walls, and the "Beule Gate" was
constructed to restrict entrance in front of
the Propylaia, thus returning the Acropolis
to use as a fortress.[11]

Byzantine, Latin and Ottoman

period
In the Byzantine period, the Parthenon was
turned into a church, dedicated to the Virgin
Mary. Under the Latin Duchy of Athens, the
Acropolis functioned as the city's
administrative center, with the Parthenon as The Venetian siege of 1687
its cathedral, and the Propylaia as part of the
Ducal Palace. A large tower was added, the "Frankopyrgos" (Tower of the Franks), demolished in the 19th century.
After the Ottoman conquest, the Parthenon was used as the garrison headquarters of the Turkish army,[15] and the
Erechtheum was turned into the Governor's private Harem. The buildings of the Acropolis suffered significant
damage during the 1687 siege by the Venetians in the Morean War. The Parthenon, which was being used as a
gunpowder magazine, was hit by artillery fire and severely damaged. In subsequent years, the Acropolis was a site of
bustling human activity with many Byzantine, Frankish, and Ottoman structures. The dominating feature during the
Ottoman period was a mosque inside the Parthenon, complete with a minaret. Following the Greek War of
Independence, most post-Byzantine features were cleared from the site as part of a Hellenizing project that swept the
new nation-state.

Archaeological remains
The entrance to the Acropolis was a
monumental gateway called the Propylaea.
To the south of the entrance is the tiny
Temple of Athena Nike. A bronze statue of
Athena, sculpted by Phidias, originally
stood at its centre. At the centre of the
Acropolis of Athens at dawn, view from St. George Lycabettus Hotel
Acropolis is the Parthenon or Temple of
Athena Parthenos (Athena the Virgin). 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 an outdoor theatre called Theatre of Dionysus. A few hundred
metres away, there is the now partially reconstructed Theatre of Herodes Atticus.

All the valuable ancient artifacts are situated in the Acropolis Museum, which resides on the southern slope of the
same rock, 280 metres from the Parthenon.
Acropolis of Athens 5

Site plan
Site plan of the Acropolis at Athens showing the major archaeological remains
1. Parthenon
2. Old Temple of Athena
3. Erechtheum
4. Statue of Athena Promachos
5. Propylaea
6. Temple of Athena Nike
7. Eleusinion
8. Sanctuary of Artemis Brauronia or
Brauroneion
9. Chalkotheke
10. Pandroseion
11. Arrephorion
12. Altar of Athena
13. Sanctuary of Zeus Polieus

14. Sanctuary of Pandion

15. Odeon of Herodes Atticus
16. Stoa of Eumenes
17. Sanctuary of Asclepius or Asclepieion
18. Theatre of Dionysus Eleuthereus
19. Odeon of Pericles
20. Temenos of Dionysus Eleuthereus
21. Aglaureion

The Acropolis Restoration Project

The Project began in 1975 and is now nearing completion. The aim of the restoration was to reverse the decay of
centuries of attrition, pollution, destruction by acts of war, and misguided past restorations. The project included
collection and identification of all stone fragments, even small ones, from the Acropolis and its slopes and the
attempt was made to restore as much as possible using reassembled original material - with new marble from Mount
Penteli used sparingly. All restoration was made using titanium dowels and is designed to be completely reversible,
in case future experts decide to change things. A combination of cutting-edge modern technology and extensive
research and reinvention of ancient techniques were used.
The Parthenon colonnades, largely destroyed by Venetian bombardment in the 17th century, were restored, with
many wrongly assembled columns now properly placed. The roof and floor of the Propylaea were partly restored,
with sections of the roof made of new marble and decorated with blue and gold inserts, as in the original. The temple
of Athena Nike is the only edifice still unfinished, pending proper reassembly of its parts, all of which survive
practically intact.
A total of 2,675 tons of architectural members were restored, with 686 stones reassembled from fragments of the
originals, 905 patched with new marble, and 186 parts made entirely of new marble. A total of 530 cubic meters of
new Pentelic marble were used.
Acropolis of Athens 6

Cultural significance
Every four years the Athenians held a festival called the Panathenaea that rivalled the Olympic Games in popularity.
During the festival, a procession moved through Athens up to the Acropolis and into the Parthenon (Suggested to be
depicted on the Parthenon frieze). There, a vast robe of woven wool (peplos) was ceremoniously placed on Phidias'
massive ivory and gold statue of Athena.

References
Notes
[1] http:/ / whc. unesco. org/ en/ list/ 404
[2] http:/ / whc. unesco. org/ en/ list
[3] http:/ / whc. unesco. org/ en/ list/ ?search=& search_by_country=& type=& media=& region=& order=region
[4] acro-. (n.d.). In Greek, Acropolis means "Highest City". The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition.
Retrieved September 29, 2008, from Dictionary.com website: (http:/ / dictionary. reference. com/ browse/ acro-) Quote: "[From Greek akros,
extreme; see ak- in Indo-European roots.] "
[5] "Acropolis proclaimed top European Cultural Heritage Monument" (http:/ / news. xinhuanet. com/ english/ 2007-03/ 27/ content_5900152.
htm). News.xinhuanet.com. 2007-03-27. . Retrieved 2010-12-23.
[6] Hurwit 2000, p. 74-75.
[7] ἔμπλεκτος (http:/ / www. perseus. tufts. edu/ hopper/ text?doc=Perseus:text:1999. 04. 0057:entry=e)/ mplektos), Henry George Liddell,
Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon, on Perseus Digital Library
[8] Hurwit 2000, p. 78.
[9] Hurwit 2000, p. 121.
[10] Hurwit 2000, p. 111.
[11] Travlos, John, Pictorial Dictionary of Ancient Athens, London: Thames and Hudson, 1971. p.54.
[12] Hurwit 2000 p. 278
[13] Hurwit 2000, p. 279.
[14] Nulton, Peter, The Sanctuary of Apollo Hypoakraios and Imperial Athens, Archaeologia Transatlantica XXI, 2003.
[15] Hellenistic ministry of culture History of the Acropolis of Athens (http:/ / odysseus. culture. gr/ h/ 3/ eh351. jsp?obj_id=2384)

Bibliography
• Hurwit, J (2000). "The Athenian Acropolis", Cambridge University Press

External links
• The Acropolis of Athens (http://odysseus.culture.gr/h/3/eh351.jsp?obj_id=2384) (Greek Government
website)
• The Acropolis Restoration Project (http://ysma.culture.gr) (Greek Government website)
• The Restitution of the Parthenon Marbles (http://odysseus.culture.gr/a/1/12/ea120.html)
• UNESCO World Heritage Centre — Acropolis, Athens (http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/404)
• Reconstruction of the ancient Acropolis (http://asclepieion.mpl.uoa.gr/Parko/slides/images/Acropolis and
Asklepieion artist reconstruction .gif)
• Excerpt on the geology of Athens from: A Geological Companion to Greece and the Aegean by Michael and
Reynold Higgins, Cornell University Press, 1996 (http://geologie.uqac.ca/~mhiggins/athen.htm)
• The Acropolis of Athens: photo album and description (http://travels.co.ua/engl/greece/athens/acropolis/
index.html)
• Acropolis of Athens, Full Reconstruction (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7YDKTLQSs8M&
feature=player_embedded), animation by the Technological Research Institute, University of Santiago de
Compostela, on youtube
Article Sources and Contributors 7

Article Sources and Contributors

Acropolis of Athens  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=409448040  Contributors: 1234r00t, 5telios, 9n1rjcWs, A Macedonian, Acroterion, Adam Bishop, Adam Carr,
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Image Sources, Licenses and Contributors

Image:Acropolis3.JPG  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Acropolis3.JPG  License: Public Domain  Contributors: Itsmine, Jkelly, Ronaldino
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Madmedea, 1 anonymous edits
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Image:Venetian siege of Acropolis.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Venetian_siege_of_Acropolis.jpg  License: Public Domain  Contributors: Unknown Venetian
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G.
Image:AcropolisatathensSitePlan.png  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:AcropolisatathensSitePlan.png  License: Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 2.0
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