In Mycenaean times small towns developed around a fortified citadel where the king resided and controlled the surrounding area. While virtually every city had an Acropolis, like Mycenae and Tyrins, the Athenian citadel became synonymous with the word in the minds of most people during the last two millennia.
The Mycenaean civilization established many important centers, one of which was Athens. The first inhabitants we can trace to the Acropolis of Athens were Mycenaean Kings who fortified the rock with massive eight-meter tall walls, and built their palaces there in the 14th century BCE.
Very little remains from these buildings today, but the most obvious evidence of this era is still visible at the southwest end of the Acropolis, right behind the later Temple of Athena Nike, next to the Propylaia, in the form of a cyclopean wall that was built as part of the fortifications. Besides a fort and a place of royal residence, the Acropolis functioned as a place of worship for the Goddess of fertility and nature, and for her companion male god Erechtheus.
Just like Mycenae and Tyrins, the Acropolis of Athens had its own underground water supply in the form of a deep well, dug at the north end of the rock, which could be used by the defenders during a siege. While all other Mycenaean centers, including mighty Mycenae, were deserted during this period, Athens was the only town to remain inhabited and active. The Persians made their way to Athens, whose leaders decided to abandon the city, leaving the remaining defenders to make a stand of their own, this time on the barricaded Acropolis.
The Persians managed to flank the Athenian defenders by scaling an unprotected cliff. The Persians who had come up first turned to the gates, opened them, and murdered the suppliants. When they had levelled everything, they plundered the sacred precinct and set fire to the entire acropolis. Godley, through Perseus Digital Library. Although the Greeks soon turned the tide of war, winning a key naval victory at Salamis and eventually driving out the Persians, the Acropolis had been sacked and it would remain untouched for nearly 30 years, a war memorial of sorts.
This alliance resulted in tribute pouring into the city. With Athens fortunes on the rise, a statesman named Pericles proposed that the city engage in an ambitious building project on the Acropolis, which had been kept in ruins after the Persian sacking. The costs were high. The Propylaea is a gateway, never completed, which was built for visitors ascending the entrance ramp to the Acropolis.
Designed by an architect named Mnesikles, and containing northwest and southwest wings, it was constructed between and B. Why the Propylaea was left uncompleted is a mystery, with financial, religious and aesthetic reasons given as possibilities. Though it was unfinished, the Propylaea would have been used in antiquity. This sanctuary was a small square structure that had four slim Ionic columns on each side and an image of the goddess Athena Nike within it.
The Parthenon, the largest building ever constructed on the Acropolis , measures feet Housing a gold and ivory statue of the goddess Athena, whom the temple was dedicated to, the structure was lavishly decorated in color.
It had 17 columns on its long sides and eight columns on its short ends. There were two pediments triangular niches holding statues towering above the short sides of the temple. Located on a limestone hill high above Athens, Greece, the Acropolis has been inhabited since prehistoric times. Over the centuries, the Acropolis was many things: a home to kings, a citadel, a mythical home of the gods, a religious center and a tourist attraction. It has withstood bombardment, massive earthquakes and vandalism yet still stands as a reminder of the rich history of Greece.
Made of limestone rock that dates to the Late Cretaceous period when dinosaurs still roamed the earth, the Acropolis is located on the Attica plateau of Greece and includes four hills:. Historians believe the Mycenaeans built a massive compound surrounded by a great wall almost 15 feet thick and 20 feet high on top of the Acropolis to house the local ruler and his household.
Years later, the Athenians built a Doric temple made of limestone, known as Bluebeard Temple, on the northeast side of the hill in honor of the goddess Athena in the sixth century B. It was named after a sculpture that adorned the building that depicted a man-serpent with three blue beards. Another temple dedicated to the Athena was also erected in the same century, as was a shrine to Artemis Brauronia, the goddess of expectant mothers in Greek mythology.
During the Greek Dark Ages B. Many religious festivals were held there, and the artifacts of the time reflected the grandeur of ancient Athens. Around B. By that time, the Bluebeard Temple had been demolished by the Persians. In B. If the Acropolis was impressive during the Mycenaean Civilization, it was nothing short of spectacular during the Golden Age of Athens B.
Determined to bring the Acropolis to a level of splendor not seen before, Pericles initiated a massive building project that lasted 50 years. The southern and northern walls were rebuilt and some of the most iconic structures in the world were constructed such as:.
The Parthenon: An enormous Doric-style temple that remains the star attraction of the Acropolis. It featured ornate sculptures and housed a spectacular statue of the goddess Athena. The Propylaea: A monumental entryway to the Acropolis that included a central building and two wings, one of which was covered with elaborately painted panels. The Erechtheion: A sacred Ionic temple made of marble which honored Athena and several other gods and heroes. The Statue of Athena Promachos: A gigantic almost 30 feet tall bronze statue of Athena that stood next to the Propylaea.
Many of the original buildings of the Acropolis were either repurposed or destroyed. In the sixth century A. The Parthenon was dedicated to the Virgin Mary and the Erechtheion became a chapel. As Greece endured many unwelcome invaders, including the Venetians and the Turks, the Acropolis and its temples also served as mosques and storehouses for ammunition. The Propylaea was a residence for Episcopalian clergy and later, the ruler of the Ottomans.
It also once served as barracks for the Turkish occupying army. On September 26, , the Venetians bombarded the Acropolis and decimated the Parthenon, which was a powder munitions depot at the time, leaving it at the mercy of looters, vandals and even tourists; many priceless artifacts were lost. The Greek government strongly disapproves of the artifacts remaining in the hands of the British and feels the sculptures should be returned to Athens.
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