Archaeological site, (Tel. 321.02.19)
The rock of the
Acropolis with its natural spring, the "Klepsydra" and its caves,
mostly on its norhern 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
supercaded 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. 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. The first temple to be built
was that dedicated to the Virgin goddess Athena. This was the
Parthenon and lktinos 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 metres
long, illustrating the Panathenaean Proces sion. The 92 metopes were
also sculptured with reliefs representing a battle with giants, a
battle with amazons, battles with centaurs and scenes from the Trojan
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. A little later, a
third architect, Kallikrates, built the elegant
temple of Athena Niki
in the lonic 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 scenes from the historic battle of
Plataeai while its marble ballustrade showed Athena Niki and other
Niki figures. Last to be built, in the lonic 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 on the Propylaea.
The 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 archa'ic 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. dl-pict 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 spiendid 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
On this side of the
rock of 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 Dionysus also belongs to the sanctuary (4th century B.C.). To the
North of the Theatre stood the choregi monument of Thrasyllos and
votive offerings to other victors at choregic contests. To the
N.W. of the theatre stood the Askiepeion, 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 Pericies. 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 Choregic Monument Of Lysicrates Or "Diogenes Lamp"
The Diogenes Lamp is a choregic monument of the 4th century B.C.
which stands at the junction of Lysicrates 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.
The Areopagus
The Areopagus is a rock with an artificially levelled
top which lies to the S.W. of the Acropolis and is not as high. The
Council of Elders of the Areopagus held its sessions there and it was
the most ancient political and simultaneously judiciary body in
Athens.
The Hill Of Philopappus Or Hill Of The Muses
On its summit stands the
monument of the Roman benefactor of Athens Gaius Julius Antiochus
Philopappus (2nd century A.D.) from which the visitor has a vantage
point offering a magnificent panoramic view of Athens, embracing the
plain of Attica with the Acropolis, mount Hymettus (Imitos) and the
landscape down to the Saronic Gulf.
The Pnyx Hill (Pnika)
This lies close to the Avenue of Paul the
Apostle (Leoforos Apostolou Pavlou). It is a spacious, semi-circular
terrace, artificially levelled out of the rockside, with a rostrum for
orators. It was the meeting place for the Assembly of the city of
Athens.
The Ancient Agora
The Temple of Hephaestus or Theseion.
This has been
built upon the low knoll called the Agoraios Kolonos and is the best
preserved ancient temple (5th century B.C.). it was built by the same
architect who designed the temple of Nemesis at Ramnous and the temple
of Ares at Acharnai. it is in the Doric style (peripteral) with an
internal frieze in the pronaos and the opisthodomos. Only the metopes
of the eastern and western sides carried ornamental reliefs (the
Labours of Hercules). There were also sculptured representations in
the pediments.
The Area of the Ancient Agora.
East of the temple of
Theseion, spreads the space once occupied by the ancient Agora which
was thw centre of everyday Athenian life, the seat of administrative
bodies and of the Courts of Law. At its western extremity, below the
knoll of the Theseion, was the Stoa (arcade) of Dios Elefthereos, the
temple of Patro6s Apollo, the Council House or Assembly Hall, the
Mitroon (or temple of the Mother of the Gods) where the State archives
were kept, the Tholos where the city elders took their meals, the
Peribolos of the Eponymous !ieroes and Military Headquarters. The
other three sides of the Agora were bounded by commercial arcades. On
the northerm side stood the Stoa of Hermes and the Poikile Stoa. On
the eastern side stood the Stoa of Attalus and to the South were the
Messea Stoa and the Notia Stoa. Here, also, stood the ancient Court
of Law known as the Heliaia, the famous fountain of the Nine Spouts
("Enneakrounos") and the mint where the coins of ancient Athens were
struck. The Panathenean Way cut right across the Agora. In Roman
times, the 5th century B.C. temple of Ares was dismantled from its
original site at the village of Acharnai and re-assembled in the midst
of the Agora. The same open space of the Agora was used for building
Agripa's Odeon and the Gymnasium. To the S.E. of the Stoa of
Attalus, the small public library of Pantainos was built. Fountains,
small shrines and various other buildings were added to the Agora. In
early Byzantine times, the Stoa of the Giants was built. It served
educational purposes and adorned the facade of the Gymnasium.
Stoa of Attalus (Tel. 32 1.01.85)
This was built by Attalus the Second, King
of Pergamos (1 59-1 38 B.C.) purely for trading purposes. It was a
two-storey building with internal and external rows of pillars which
lead into 21 shops on each floor. Fully restored today, the arcade is
used as a museum with entrances giving on to Theseion (Thissio) Square
and Andrianou Street. It contains mostly finds from the excavations
carried out in the area of the Agora. Among these are numerous
inscriptions, statues, reliefs, pieces from the temples of Hephaistos
and Ares, thousands of vases, coins, bronze articles, miniatures, etc.
Some of the more interesting items found are the weight and measurement
standards, a clay waterclock, part of the ballot box used for the
election of city officials in Athens, a bronze shield taken from
the defeated Spartans on the island of Sfaktiria "ostraka" (sherds)
bearing the names of well-known Athenians such as Aristides the Just,
Kallixenos and others, as well as an inscription containing a law
passed in 336 B.C. against tyranny.
The Roman Forum
This lies further to the East than the ancient Greek Agora, at the
beginning of Aeolou (Eolou) Street. its construction began in the days of
Julius Caesar but was not completed until the reigns of the emperors
Hadrian and Trajan. It consists of a rectangular commercial arcade
surrounded by a peribolos or outer courtyard. Two gateways led in
from East and West.
The Kerameikos Cemetery
The area contains sections of the ancient city walls of Athens,
including the Dipylon and lera Pyli gates as well as the city' s ancient
cemetery, the Kerameikos itself. It was in this area that the roads to
Athens from Piraeus, Eleusis, Boeotia and Plato' s Academy converged.
The road from Plato' s Academy led up to the Dipylon which was
the city' s main gate while the lera Odos (or "Holy Way") from
Eleusis led up to the lera Pyli ("Holy Gate"). Between the two gates
stood the Pompeion which was the building from which the
Panathenaea Procession used to set out. The Kerameikos cemetery
extended beyond the Dipylon Gate. Its most interesting section was
the Street of Tombs (Odos ton Tafon), flanked on either side by the
tombs of wealthy Athenians. Some of the best known of these tombs
belong to Dexileo, the ighisso Proxenou family, the tomb of Demetria and
Pamfilli, etc.
Museum (Tel.: 346.35.52)
Entrance is from 148, Ermou Street. It contains some beautiful finds
from the ancient cemetery, largely in the form of tombstones
("Stelae") and a notable collection of vases.
The Clock Of Andronikos Kurrhestes
This is located outside the western entrance to the Roman
Market. It was constructed in the lst centrury B.C. by the
astronomer Andronikos from Kyrrhos in Macedonia and is shaped like
an octagonal tower. It served as a form of meteorological station
since it combined a sundial and waterclock and also had a
weathervane to show the direction of the wind. Each face is adorned with
a relief representing the wind blowing from that direction, hence
its nickname in Greek "aerides" meaning "the winds".
Hadrian's Library
This lies to the North of the Roman Market. It was built by the
Roman emperor Hadrian in the 2nd century A.D. and donated to the city of
Athens. It is likewise a rectangular peristyle market place with five
rooms built onto its eastern side. The middle room served as a
library with niches in its walls to accommodate manuscripts.
Hadrian's Arch
This stands at the junction of Olga and Amalias Avenues. It was
built by the emperor Hadrian in the early part of the 2nd
century A.D. and marked the boundary between the ancient city of
Athens and the new quarter which was given the name of New Athens
or Adrianople.
The Temple Of The Olympian Zeus
The temple of the Olympian Zeus stands on an artificial terrace
supported by a peribolos and occupies the site formed by the wedge
between Olga and Amalias Avenues. The centre portion is dominated by
the temple itself, the largest in Greece. it was begun in the days of
the Peisistratids in 530 B.C. and was not completed until 700 years
later, in the 2nd century A.D. by the emperor Hadrian. Dipteral, the
temple was built of Pentelic marble in the Corinthian style.