Acropolis, Athens you gotta go here
The Acropolis of Athens is a supreme expression of architectural adaptation. It has exerted influence in Greco-Roman era and further afield in the Mediterranean World. It is considered an exemplary model of the Great Athens.
Acropolis is located on a rocky promontory about 156 meters above the valley of Ilissos and it covers a surface area of 3 hectares.
Whether you are looking into the ancient Greek myths of religious cult, you will the Acropolis of Athens at the heart of the matters. Its precision and diversity is closely associated with every facet of life in the old Greece. The Acropolis is said to be one of the densest places in the Mediterranean. From the royal palaces of the kings in the 15th century to the Pelasgic Walls to the Odeon that was constructed by Herod Atticus in AD161, the Acropolis easily takes the tag of being the most historically endowed region in the world.
History
- 2nd millennium BC - it was a fortress protecting places of worship and royal palaces. Access to the plateau was protected by a wall, the Pelasgicon, which existed prior to the invasions of the Dorians who threatened Athens beginning in 1200.
- 514 to 510 BC - After the fall of the tyrants, Hipparchus in 514 and Hippias in 510, the Acropolis was reconstructed. The Pelasgicon, which a Delphic oracle declared cursed, was destroyed.
- 480 - The upper town, deprived of its ramparts, was weakened, and in 480 the Persians under Xerxes took it over, looting and burning the sanctuaries. Paradoxically, the looting of the Acropolis in 480 BC guaranteed the conservation of one of the most impressive collections of archaic sculpture in the Greek world.
- 472 to 471 - The rampart was destroyed in 472-471, at the same time as the 'Long Walls,' which enclosed Athens and its port at Piraeus.
- 447 to 406 - Successive building of the main temple dedicated to Athena, the Parthenon; the Propylaea, the monumental entrance which replaced the Gate of Pisistratus, built on the very site of one of the entrances to the citadel of the ancient kings; the temple of Athena Nike; and the Erechtheion - the four masterpieces of classical Greek art.
- 404 BC - The disastrous Peloponnesian War and the capitulation of Athens in April 404 BC caused the demolition of the Long Walls; they did not affect the Acropolis monuments.
A visit to the Acropolis of Athens is something that cannot fit into one simple blog post. What I can guarantee is that you will get more than your money’s worth in terms of ancient sites and history lessons.
by Kennedy Runo on 05/01/2014 in Sightseeing