Greece 2023: The Athenian Acropolis

And we shall assuredly not be without witnesses; there are mighty monuments of our power which will make us the wonder of this and of succeeding ages; we shall not need the praises of Homer or of amy other panegyrist whose poetry may please for the moment, although his representation of the facts will not bear the light of day.  For we have compelled every land and every sea to open a path for our valor, and have everywhere planted eternal memorials of our friendship and of our enmity." - The Oration of Perikles from The Peloponnesian War.

The Acropolis of Athens arguably is one of the most instantly recognizable sites in the world.  Rise above the city on a bluff of stone, crowned by the Parthenon which, even in decay, is magnificent, it remains one of the greatest legacies of the Athenian democracy - in this sense, Perikles son of Xanthippius' speech (or at least the words Thucydides speaks for him) were prophetic.

The Athenian Acropolis is, in and of itself, not unusual in that all Greek polis had an acro-polis, a high point well fortified as a fortress and point of last retreat in the event of invasion.  And for thousands of years (as far back as 6,000 B.C.), people had lived here as it had two of the most important items for ancient survival:  water and the ability to defend it.  At one point during the Mycenean period, likely there was a palace located here and the plateau was fortified.

At some point - perhaps the 6th Centry B.C. - a temple to Athena was erected on the Acropolis as at some point in the past the purpose of the Acropolis slowly transitioned from a government center to a religious center.  The architecture of this time is somewhat unknown, given all that was built up after it and the fact that - in 480 B.C. - the complex was effectively completely destroyed by the Persians in their invasion of Greece.  The temples and statues were hauled down, the buildings burned.

In 447 B.C., as part of the expansion of the Athenian Democracy (and its empire), a series of building projects was undertaken resulting in the buildings that we have today. There are four major ones:  The Parthenon (Temple of Athena), the Erechtheion, the Propylaia, and the temple of Athena Nike.

Everything that one reads on line informs one that the Acropolis will be 1) Crowded; and 2)  Hot in Summer.  Neither of these was incorrect.  There is no shade on the Acropolis and the crowds, while definitely not unmanageable, were in abundance.  The idea of getting a shot of anything there without people in it is a vain hope.  An additional item is that pathway ascending the Acropolis, the stairs, and many parts of the Acropolis are paved in marble - slippery at best in good weather; probably a terror when it is wet.

Ascending from the base, one comes up through the Propylaia, the ceremonial entrance (built 437 B.C. to 432 B.C.).  It remains imposing - as it was intended undoubtedly, showing off both Athenian power and as vestibule to the temple of the gods.

As one comes up the Propylaia, to the right down the hill is the Odeon of Herodes Atticus, a theater built in 161 A.D. (so not present in Classical Greece). It has been refurbished and is still used for concerts.

The Acropolis is dominated by The Parthenon, a temple dedicated to the goddess Athena, the patron goddess of Athens.  The temple is entirely built of Pentelic Marble obtained from Mt. Pentelicus approximately 20 miles from Athens (as is all of the rest of the remaining buildings) and was 228 ft. x 101 ft. (69.5 m x 30.9 m).

The Parthenon took approximately 9 years to build (447 B.C. to 438 B.C.). Of interest is the fact that - as true of many factors of Athenian Democracy - the costs of the building were public knowledge. The tablets recording the costs were found and are preserved at the Acropolis Museum (Highly, highly recommended museum).  Originally the temple held a 45 foot statue of Athena in gold and ivory by the master Sculptor Pheidias.  The statue itself disappeared in the 5th Century A.D.

As part of the ongoing preservation of the Parthenon, they are restoring blocks to help secure against seismic disturbances.  Below are examples of Pentelic marble waiting to be added - there is a crane and small railroad system to support them.

Of course the Parthenon had a roof at the time, and the area between the roof and the top of the construction had a series of carved figures telling mythological stories.  These are called metropes, friezes, and pediments.  Most of these were grievously harmed in the 17th explosion that destroyed the Parthenon.  Most of the remaining items are in the Acropolis Museum although a series of them were removed in the 19th Centruy by Baron Elgin of Great Britain and are known as the Elgin marbles.  These remain a point of contention between Greece and the United Kingdom (it came up more than once).

The Erechtheion is an atypical example a multi-level Greek temple.  It was believed that at this spot that the god Poseidon and goddess Athena contested becoming the patron god/goddess of Athens.  Poseidon offered a salt water spring and Athena offered an olive tree (guess who won). The original temple was built on the site of the salt spring and olive tree (now, obviously replaced). It also contained the tomb of Cecrops, legendary king of Athens.  The temple is also particularly known for The Porch of The Maidens, with statues of women (Carytids) instead of columns.

The last major structure is the Temple of Athena Nike, built 449 B.C. to 420 B.C.

The views from the Acropolis are, of course, commanding.  The fact that it is a plateau that towers 450 ft. above the surrounding plan leading to the mountains is impressive enough; one can only imagine what it might have looked like in the Archaic or Classical Era when there was a very small city surrounding it and the view looked out over plains and fields.

In the end of course, Perikles got his desire:  likely few recall him or the great designers of these structures or the nameless workmen and slaves that built it; everyone recalls the glory of Athens that produced it.