The Acropolis

For thousands of years the acropolis has been the symbol of Athens, the sacred rock, the link that connects the magnificent ancient civilization with the modern. The acropolis and its monuments, its history and the myths that are connected with it are rightly the pride and the glory of this city, the envy of all other cities in the world. The acropolis you see today dates from the 5th century B.C. when Athens set the tone of civilization in Europe. On the sacred rock of the acropolis the monuments date from the prehistoric period to the end of the antiquity.The Propylaea, the glorious entrance to the Acropolis and its monuments, erected between 437 and 432 B.C., were the work of the famous Athenian architect Mnesikles and were constructed as part of the Perikles programme. The Temple of Athena Nike was erected to the south of the Propylaea about 420 B.C. by the architect Kalikrates, to commemorate the victories of the Greeks over the Persians. The Parthenon is the unique masterpiece of the world. It was built of marble from the mountain Penteli and dedicated to the goddess Athena. The architects were Iktinos and Kalikrates. The Parthenon housed the golden-ivory statue of Athena, work of the famous sculptor Pheidias. The statue was the final destination of the Great Panathenaea procession depicted on the frieze of the temple. The Erechtheion was built on the part of the Acropolis held to be the most sacred, the place were the goddess Athena had caused her most sacred emblem, the olive tree to sprout. The tree was destroyed in later years by the invading Persians, but when the Persians finally driven off, legend has it, that the tree miraculously grew again. The figures of the maidens that you see supporting the roof of the south porch of the temple are called the Caryatids. Four of the original Caryatids can be seen in the Acropolis Museum among other important exhibits.