Acropolis History

This unique monument which represents the ultimate architectural and artistic expression of the ancient Athenian sprit, occupies a rock of 156 meters above the sea level, which is itself a natural fortress. The Entrance of the high city is from the west.

The hill was fist inhabited in the Neolithic era and the first walls were erected in the mid 13th BC. In the course of the Dorian invasion, the city was moved elsewhere and the Acropolis began to be established as a place of worship.

It acquired its first temple in the 8th BC. Building started on the Parthenon itself, dedicated to Athena in the early 5th BC only to be razed by the Persians in 480. It was rebuilt during Pericles rule in just ten years. The monumental entrance to the summit of the holly rock, known as the Propylaia, designed by Mnesicles, were under construction from 437 to 432 BC. The Erechtheion was completed twelve years later. The brilliant architectural and artistic achievements of the 5th c BC were supervised by Pheidas, while the designs were the work of Iktinos and Kallikrates.

The foundations of the temple of Athena Nike were also laid at this time as were those of the Chalkotheke and the sanctuary of Artemis Vravronia to the south and west of the Parthenon.

The extraordinary gold and ivory statue of Athena which stood 13m high with its base, dominated the center of the temple of the goddess and the 9m high statue of Athena Promachos, also created by Pheidias, rose imposingly between the Parthenon and the Erechtheion.

In 334 BC Alexander the Great dedicated the spoils from his victory at the Granikos river to the Partehnon.

In 304 BC the harem of Demetrios Poliorkets made the sacred temple their home. In 267 AD the Herulean invasion caused considerable damage and the west gate was fortified. In Byzantine times, the Parthenon, Erechtheion and Propylaia were converted into Christina churches. Justinian declared the Parthenon a church consecrated to Holy Wisdom (Agia Sophia) later it was rededicated to Virgin Mary.
The Franks made it a Catholic church, Santa Maria while the Ottomans converted it into a mosque , while the whole Acropolis became a Turkish neighborhood.

By 1463 the Erechtheion was so debased it had become a harem and the temple of Athena Nike was completely razed.

In 1687 during one of the Venetian battles against the Ottomans one of Morosini's shells burst over the Parthenon, setting off the dynamite the Turks had stored inside so the roof was blown up.

In 1827 a Turkish shell damaged the Karyatids on the Erechtheion, while an earthquake in 1894 wreaked additional havoc.

Today the temple's worst enemy is pollution which has severely corroded the marble.

The Karyatids have been removed to the Acropolis Museum replaced by copies on site.

The restoration which have been taking far longer than the original construction, have unfortunately resulted in an Acropolis partially covered with scaffolding, making it much harder for us to imagine what it must have been like. But finally in 2010, after 20 years o restoration the visitor can enjoy Acropolis, more beautiful than ever.