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Ancient Sites in Athens
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Ancient Athens,
a view from Pireaus. Click on thumbnail for larger image (146k) |
ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITES AND MUSEUMS
BYZANTINE MONUMENTS
MUSEUMS AND ART GALLERIES
ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITES AND MUSEUMS
| THE
ACROPOLIS (Archaeological site, Tel: 321.02.19)
The rock of the Acropolis with its natural spring, the
"Klepsydra" and its caves mostly on its northern side, has been inhabited since
Neolithic times. During the Mycenaean Age, it was fortified with Cyclopean walls which
protected the king’s palace and the residences of the senior officials on the summit.
In early historical times, the palace was superceded by a temple dedicated to Poseidon,
god of the spring and to Athena, goddess of the olive tree. In archaic times, the
temple was twice destroyed and rebuilt. On the second occasion (in the years of the
Peisistratids towards the close of the 6th century B.C.), it was adorned with
excellent carved gables while a second temple, dedicated to Athena, began to be built
further South on the rock.
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 The Acropolis Today
click for large image (55k)
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 The
Ancient Acropolis
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In the meantime, after the
Panathenaean festivals were established (in 566 B.C.), the first monumental Propylaea were
built on the western approaches to the rock, together with an altar dedicated to Athena
Niki Apart from these, various other temples and shrines stood on the rock, dedicated to
various gods and demi-gods, heroes and daemons and there were also some open-air altars.
In 480 B.C., all temples on the Acropolis and the entire city of Athens were sacked by the
Persians and burnt. Today’s layout of the fortified citadel is the work of Pericles
who, aided by his principal collaborator Pheidias, had the temples on the Acropolis
rebuilt, after first having completed defensive walls first started by Kimon.
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| The first temple to be built
was that dedicated to the Virgin goddess Athena. This was the Parthenon and Iktinos was
its architect while Pheidias and his pupils had charge of general constructional
supervision and of the decorative carvings. It was the first time that a peripteral temple
in the Doric style was decorated all round with a sculptured frieze 160 meters long,
illustrating the Panathenaean Procession. The 92 metopes were also sculptured with reliefs
representing a battle with giants, a battle with amazons, battles with centaurs and scenes
from the Trojar War. The gold and ivory statue of the goddess Athena, the work of
Pheidias, was set up in the interior. When construction of the temple had been completed,
the pedimental sculptures were added. The birth of Athena out of the head of Zeus was
depicted on the eastern pediment, the quarrel between Poseidon and Athena for possession
of Attica was shown on the western pediment. Then followed construction of the impressive
Propylaea by the architect Mnisicles. |
 The Parthenon Today
click for larger image (77k)
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A little later, a third
architect, Kallikrates, built the elegant temple of Athena Niki in the Ionic style, also
known as the temple of the Wingless Victory (on the tower which had been formed to the
South of the Propylaea). Its frieze was decorated with scene’ from the historic
battle of Plataeai while its marble balustrade showed Athena Niki and other Niki figures.
Last to be built, in the ionic style, was the Erechtheion temple which occupied the site
of the former temple of Athena and Poseidon and was dedicated to the two deities. However,
it also became the resting place for the tombs of the creators of Athens, Erechtheus and
Kekrops The elegant porch of the Karyatids gives only a faint notion of the luxurious
construction of this temple. Of all other buildings and votive offerings which decorated
the rock in classical times, traces only are left (e.g. the sanctuary of Vravronia
Artemis, the Halkothiki, etc.). In Roman times, a small circular temple of Augustus and
Rome was added but did not survive. The Beule Gate (named after the French archaeologist
who discovered it in 1852) was also added South of the Propylaea.
Acropolis Museum (Tel: 323.66.65)
The Museum occupies the S.E. extremity of the rock of the Acropolis where once stood
the sanctuary of Pandion. The Museum contains mainly pedimental sculpture, reliefs and
statues found on the rock of the Acropolis, which formed part of the decoration of its
buildings or were dedicated to the goddess Athena. Among the latter is the unique
collection in the world of statues of female figures of the archaic era known as the
"Korai" with the well known archaic smile, such as the Kore of Lyons, the Kore
of Naxos, the Kore of Chios, the Peploforos Kore, the Kore of Antinor, the Kore of
Euthidikos, etc. From the remaining votive offering sculptures, those of outstanding
interest are the Moschoforos (man carrying a calf across his shoulders), Rampin’s
horseman, a hunting dog, the Boy by Kritias, the head of the blonde youth, etc. There are
also sphinxes, four-horse chariots and many votive reliefs such as that of Lenormant,
Athena in Meditation etc.
Pedimental sculptures from various buildings on the Acropolis of the 6th
century B.C. depict lions devouring a calf, the monster Typhon with three human heads and
bodies watching the struggle between Hercules and Triton, the struggle of Hercules with
the Lernaia Hydra, the introduction of Hercules to Olympus, etc. There are also four
splendid pedimental figures from the battle of the giants ("Gigantomachia")
showing the goddess Athena and giants, which had adorned the eastern pediment of the
temple built by the Peisistratids. In addition, there are some sections of the frieze of
the Parthenon and of that of the Erechtheion as well as of sections from the marble
balustrade of the temple of Athena Niki. The slab from the frieze of the Parthenon, which
shows Apollo, Artemis and Poseidon, is of exceptional beauty, probably being the work of
Agorakritos, a pupil of Pheidias. Another beautiful slab from the temple of Athena Niki is
that showing her undoing. her sandal.
Buildings on the southern slope of the Acropolis
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the Acropolis there are buildings belonging to various periods. The Temenos of Dionysos
Elefthereus (Hellenistic period) whose main entrance stood on the Street of the Tripod
(Tripodon), shows the foundations of two temples and a large altar. The Theatre of
Dionysos also belongs to the sanctuary (4th century B.C.). To the North of the
theatre stood the choregic monument of Thrasyllos and votive offerings to other victors at
choregic contests. To the N.W. of the theatre stood the Asklepeion, consisting of an old
and a later precinct with a spring, a sanctuary, an altar and an arcade while, to the
East, stood the Odeon of Pericles. In Roman times, the roofed Odeon of Herodes Atticus,
the benefactor of Athens, was built and linked to the Theatre of Dionysos by the Eumenes
Stoa (arcade) of the Hellenistic period. The cave above the Theatre of Dionysos was
converted in Byzantine times into a chapel dedicated to the Virgin Mary
"Chryssospiliotissa". |
The theater of Dionysus, carved into the south slope of the Acropolis shown
here in an artists reconstruction. Click on the thumbnail for the large image
(181k). |
| THE MONUMENT OF
LYSIKRATES OR "DIOGENES LANTERN" This is a choregic
monument of the 4th century B.C. which stands at the junction of Lysikrates and
Lord Byron Streets. It served as a pedestal for the bronze tripod set upon its summit - a
trophy for the victor of a choregic contest.
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