Historical Overview

The Acropolis (greek for Citadel ) is located on a prominent spot in the area where both ancient's and modern's city-centre lies. It comprises many structures (fortifications, temples, gates, and yards), and has supposedly been first inhabited by the Pelasgians, a prehistoric people believed to have inhabited Greece before the actual Greek-speaking Indo-European tribes arrived from the north (c. 20th cent. BCE). The first actual citadel, dates back to the age of the Greek-speaking Mycenaeans (Achaeans, c. 13 th BCE) and some traces of those early settlements are still to be found among the ruins of the subsequent eras. However, the best-preserved structures date mainly form the Golden Age of Pericles, (5 th cent. BCE) or the subsequent Hellenistic and Roman periods.

The most famous is of course Parthenon, a temple of grandeur dedicated to Goddess Athena, probably the finest example of a Doric-style temple in mainland Greece. Built by famed architect Mnesicles between 447 & 432 BCE just before the outbreak of the Peloponnesian wars (Athens' Coalitions vs. Sparta and allies) it became the symbol of the might and splendour of the Athenian state during the days of Pericles. It has been an attraction for millions visitors over the centuries, now coming from as far as even distant Japan just to marvel at the sheer beauty of it. It has served (and still does) both as an inspiration for artists, writers, historians and as case-study for architects & archaeologists alike: function & form are interwoven in a majestic –yet austere- whole of unique proportions and qualities, setting a hard to beat benchmark for future generations.

Other famous temples include the temple of the Apteros Nike (meaning “Wingless Victory”) and the Erectheion , renowned for its magnificent columns sculpted after female looking forms, known as The Caryatids . One of them was cut and transferred to England by Thomas Bruce, Earl of Elgin, along with other marble artefacts and parts of the citadels constructions in early 19th cent. CE when Greece was still under the Turkish yoke.
And then, what can we say about the magnificent panoramic view from atop! If you look from the Propylaea (the Entrance terrace and Gates) towards the Saronic Gulf on a clear day you may even discern in the distance the isles of Salamis & Aegina and even the mountains of the Peloponnese beyond!

Just below the Acropolis, you can find two famous theatres: The Theatre of Dionysus, one of the oldest surviving marble theatres in Greece (early 4th century BCE) and the Herodeion, built by Herodes Atticus in the 2nd cent. CE -which actually served -and still does- as an odeion (music hall) much appropriate for music and theatre shows of any kind. The only difference being that it no longer bears its exquisite rooftop, much to the delight of attending viewers especially when in full moon or when the stars shine bright on the night sky of Athens…

Facing the Acropolis is the Pnyx, a hillock serving as an assembly point for ancient Athenians, and Philopappou, another hill topped with the funeral monument of the Roman consul of the same name (2nd cent. CE) A cave underneath was according to legend the original prison of Socrates during his infamous trial in 399 BCE.
The low hill below the Propylaea, known as the Areios Pagos (Stone of Ares, Mars), served as the seat of ancient Athenians’ Highest Court of Law. It was here that Apostle Paul preached the gospel for the first time in Athens, in mid 1st cent. CE.

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