Acropolis means "high city". Many Greek cities had an acropolis, a fortified hill with temples to their protecting gods, but that of Athens became the Acropolis par excellence. On a limestone rock 156 metres high stand the monuments built in the 5th century BC, the city's golden age.
A little history
The rock was inhabited in the Neolithic and in Mycenaean times held a fortified palace. In the 6th century BC it became the sanctuary of Athena, the city's patron goddess, but in 480 BC the Persians destroyed all the temples. After victory, Pericles launched a grand rebuilding programme directed by the sculptor Phidias and the architects Ictinus, Callicrates and Mnesicles. In later centuries the Acropolis became a Christian church, a Frankish fortress and an Ottoman mosque; in 1687 a Venetian cannonball blew up the Parthenon, then used as a powder magazine. Since the 19th century the monuments have been excavated and restored, work that continues today.
The monuments
| Monument | What it is |
|---|---|
| Propylaea | The monumental gateway with Doric and Ionic columns, designed by Mnesicles |
| Temple of Athena Nike | A small, elegant Ionic temple to Athena of Victory |
| Parthenon | The great temple of Athena Parthenos, masterpiece of the Doric order |
| Erechtheion | Ionic temple to Athena and Poseidon, with the porch of the Caryatids |
| Sacred olive | Beside the Erechtheion, recalling Athena's gift to the city in myth |
The six Caryatids, female statues used as columns, are copies: five originals are in the Acropolis Museum and one in the British Museum.
The slopes
At the foot of the rock are the Theatre of Dionysus, where Sophocles' and Euripides' tragedies premiered, and the 2nd-century AD Odeon of Herodes Atticus, where concerts and Athens Festival performances are held in summer. The north side leads down to the Agora and Plaka.
The Acropolis Museum
Opened in 2009 at the foot of the rock and designed by Bernard Tschumi, the Acropolis Museum displays the monuments' original sculptures: Archaic korai, the Caryatids, the Parthenon frieze and metopes. On the top floor a glass gallery reproduces the Parthenon's dimensions and shows the original marbles beside casts of those held in London, in sight of the temple itself. Beneath the museum you can see the excavations of an ancient neighbourhood.
Practical information
- Tickets are sold online on the official site hhticket.gr, with entry in a chosen time slot; at peak hours visitor numbers are capped.
- The Acropolis opens early in the morning; in summer it closes late in the evening. During heatwaves it may close in the middle of the day.
- Entrances: the main one on the west near the Areopagus, and the south-east one from the Theatre of Dionysus, usually less crowded.
- The combined ticket also covers the Agora, Kerameikos, Olympieion and other Athens sites.
- Bring water, a hat and non-slip shoes: the marble is polished and slippery. There is a lift for visitors with reduced mobility.
See also Athens, the history of Athens and the architectural orders.