Tour of the Acropolis The Acropolis is the

Tour of the Acropolis The Acropolis is the term used to refer to the hill in the center of Athens. The ancient Athenians placed their most Important buildings upon this hill to keep them safe from attack. While the First buildings on the Acropolis were constructed in the 6 th Century B. C. , the current existing structures were built during the era of Pericles in the 5 th century B. C.

We will start our tour at the Propylaia, then we will look at the Parthenon, Erechtheion, and the Theater of Dionysus, and end at the Areopagus.

Continue to Theater and Areopagus START Model of what Acropolis would have looked like by the 4 th Century B. C. Our travel route is in red.

Current Remains of the Acropolis. Parthenon Erechtheion Propylaia

ACROPOLIS Many believe that the Acropolis is the most important ancient monument in the Western world. It is a remnant of Pericles’ “city. ” Pericles rebuilt the Acropolis after the Persians burned it down in 480 B. C. as part of the Persian Wars. On the left you can see the Propylaia, the towering entrance to the Acropolis. After making your way up the ramp, you enter the Panathenaic Way, which is the road that goes through the Acropolis.

PARTHENON The word Parthenon means “virgin’s apartment. ” It is the largest doric temple ever built in Greece. It was constructed completely of marble. The purpose of the building was to house the great statue of the goddess Athena and as the treasury for tribute money. Building began in 447 B. C. and was completed in 438 B. C. It consists of eight columns on either end and seventeen columns on each side.

ERECHTHEION The Erechtheion is the most sacred part of the Acropolis. According to Ancient Greek legend, it was on this spot that Poseidon struck the ground with his trident and where Athena produced the first olive tree. Building began in 421 B. C. and was completed in 406 B. C. This building served as a religious shrine to the god Athena and Poseidon.

THEATRE of DIONYSUS Theatre of Dionysus was a major open air theatre in ancient Greece, built at the foot of the Athenian Acropolis. Dedicated to Dionysus, the god of plays and wine (among other things), theatre could seat as many as 17, 000 people. It became the prototype for all Theatres of ancient Greece. It was the first stone theatre ever built — cut into the southern cliff face of the Acropolis — and the birthplace of Greek tragedy. The remains of a restored and redesigned Roman version can still be seen at the site today

AREOPAGUS Located near the Acropolis, the Areopagus is where the first Athenian council met and where democracy began. Later it became the location of homicide trials. In 51 AD, Saint Paul preached Christianity on the famous rock and gained his first Greek convert. Below the Areopagus lies the Agora.

AGORA The term agora means market, and this area was Athen’s public meeting place in ancient times. It was the focal point of administrative, commercial, political, and social life.