Acropolis, Athens
Athen, Greece
04.05.2019
The Acropolis of Athens is a symbol of ancient Greek civilization and a UNESCO World Heritage Site located in the city of Athens, Greece. It is an architectural masterpiece and a witness to the rich history and culture of the Greeks.
The Acropolis, which means "high city" in Greek, is a rocky hill that rises 150 meters above the city. It is home to some of the most famous ancient Greek monuments, including the Parthenon, Erechtheion, Propylaea, and the Temple of Athena Nike. These architectural wonders were built in the 5th century BC under the rule of Pericles, a prominent political leader of ancient Athens.
The Parthenon, a Doric temple dedicated to the goddess Athena, is the most renowned structure of the Acropolis. Its marble columns and intricate sculptures make it a masterpiece of ancient Greek architecture. The Erechtheion, a complex temple with ionic columns, is another impressive structure on the Acropolis. It is famous for its famous caryatids, sculpted female figures that served as columns.
Aside from its architectural significance, the Acropolis also has a rich historical and mythological background. According to Greek mythology, the hill was the birthplace of Athena, the goddess of wisdom and warfare. It was also the site of important events in Greek history, such as the Persian Wars and the Peloponnesian War.
The Acropolis has undergone numerous restorations and conservation efforts throughout its history, with the most recent restoration project being carried out in the 1970s. Today, it continues to attract millions of visitors from all over the world, making it one of the most visited tourist attractions in Greece.
The Acropolis Museum, located at the foot of the Acropolis, is a modern museum that houses many of the artifacts and sculptures found on the Acropolis. It is a must-visit for anyone interested in learning more about the history and significance of this ancient site.
The Acropolis of Athens is a testament to the ingenuity and creativity of the ancient Greeks, and its timeless beauty continues to inspire people to this day. It is a must-see destination for anyone visiting Greece, and a treasure that should be preserved for generations to come.
Weiterführende Links:
The Acropolis of Athens and its monuments are universal symbols of the classical spirit and civilization and form the greatest architectural and artistic complex bequeathed by Greek Antiquity to the world. In the second half of the fifth century bc, Athens, following the victory against the Persians and the establishment of democracy, took a leading position amongst the other city-states of the ancient world. In the age that followed, as thought and art flourished, an exceptional group of artists put into effect the ambitious plans of Athenian statesman Pericles and, under the inspired guidance of the sculptor Pheidias, transformed the rocky hill into a unique monument of thought and the arts. The most important monuments were built during that time: the Parthenon, built by Ictinus, the Erechtheon, the Propylaea, the monumental entrance to the Acropolis, designed by Mnesicles and the small temple Athena Nike.
The Acropolis of Athens (Ancient Greek: ἡ Ἀκρόπολις τῶν Ἀθηνῶν, romanized: hē Akropolis tōn Athēnōn; Modern Greek: Ακρόπολη Αθηνών, romanized: Akrópoli Athinón) is an ancient citadel located on a rocky outcrop above the city of Athens, Greece, and contains the remains of several ancient buildings of great architectural and historical significance, the most famous being the Parthenon. The word Acropolis is from the Greek words ἄκρον (akron, "highest point, extremity") and πόλις (polis, "city"). The term acropolis is generic and there are many other acropoleis in Greece. During ancient times the Acropolis of Athens was also more properly known as Cecropia, after the legendary serpent-man Cecrops, the supposed first Athenian king.
While there is evidence that the hill was inhabited as early as the 4th (millennium?)BC, it was Pericles (c. 495–429 BC) in the fifth century BC who coordinated the construction of the buildings whose present remains are the site's most important ones, including the Parthenon, the Propylaea, the Erechtheion and the Temple of Athena Nike. The Parthenon and the other buildings were seriously damaged during the 1687 siege by the Venetians during the Morean War when gunpowder being stored by the then Turkish rulers in the Parthenon was hit by a Venetian bombardment and exploded.
