Guide Note

The Acropolis is a famous landmark in Athens, Greece and was chosen as one of the New Seven Wonders of the World contest in July 2007. Standing 490 feet above sea level, the acropolis is made of various sections and entrances. It is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Greece.

The earliest artifacts in the Acropolis date back to the Neolithic Era, but it is thought to date back even earlier. In the mid-sixth century BC, a doric limestone temple was built containing the sculpture of a man-serpant with blue beards. The temple is often reffered to as "Bluebeard." After the victory at Marathon in 490 BC, Bluebeard was taken down to make way for the "Older Parthenon". The older Parthenon was never fully constructed, as it was demolished by Persian invaders in 480 BC.

The Acropolis was then rebuilt between 460 and 430 BC by Pericles, who enlisted Phidias, Ictinus and Callicrates to design and reconstruct the city. It was during this time that the Parthenon went up.

Fast Facts

1. Acropolis means the edge of a city or high town
2. Believed to originated in the 7th Millennium B.C.
3. The structure is 80 feet wide and 500 feet wide
4. Also known as Cecropia after Cecrops the first Athenian King
5. The Greeks built many temples on this site, the most famous being the Parthenon

What is on the Acropolis?

The entrance or Propylaea was completed in 432 by the architect Mnesicles. As you enter there are tiny temples inside signifying the Athena of Victory. Nearby is the Parthenon, which was built by Pericles in the fifth century BC as a type of political monument, and stands alongside the Erechteion, a Greek temple on the north side adorned with statues of The Porch of Maidens, and the Eleusinion which is a temple dedicated to Demeter. Also located on the Acropolis is the Acropolis Museum which is home to hundreds of ancient artifacts.

Other Parts of the Acropolis

• • Statue of Athena Promachos
  • Brauroneion
  • Chalkotheke
  • Pandroseion
  • Sanctuary of Zeus Polieus
  • Sanctuary of Pandion
  • Odeon of Herodes Atticus
  • Theater of Dionysus Eleuthereus
  • Aglaureion