In Greece there are many architectural objects of high historical value. One of them is the Acropolis of Athens . Acropolis - what is it? In Greek, the acropolis means "high city". This is a limestone flat hill above the city (about 80 m high) with steep descents on all sides, excluding the western one. In ancient times, the main function of this building was to protect against invaders.
The oldest settlements
The ancient Acropolis of Athens is mentioned long before the onset of the classical period of history. As a result of excavations, elements of cultural heritage were discovered that corresponded to the Bronze Age (mainly the early and middle). In the VII – VI centuries. BC e. temples were built, but later destroyed by the Persians.
According to legend, the Greek Acropolis was founded by the Athenian king Kekrops. The elevation in the center is named after his name - “cecropia” (cecropia).
The meaning of words
"Parthenon, propylaea, acropolis" - what do these concepts mean, and what is the origin of these words?
- The Parthenon is the main temple in the Greek Acropolis, dedicated to the goddess Athena. From Greek, "parthenos" is translated as "virgin." Such a nickname was worn by Athena.
- The word "propylaea" - comes from the Greek propylaion. This is the front arch at the entrance to the Acropolis of Athens. It has two multilevel Doric porticoes.
- The meaning of the word "acropolis" in Greek literally translates as "acro" - a hill, "policy" - a city. That is, it is a fortified part of the Greek city, located on a hill.
- Erechtheion is a temple dedicated to Poseidon and Athena. It has an asymmetric composition located on several levels.
- Hekatompedon - the most ancient temple of the Acropolis, which is dedicated to Athena.
Acropolis and its mission
Acropolis - what is hidden in this ancient name and what is its meaning? This was the main place to find the king. Also inside there were many temples where prayers were offered to the Greek gods and sacrifices were given. During the conquest of the Turks, the Acropolis acted in their role as a mosque. Today it is an ancient monument of architectural art.
Acropolis of Athens as an architectural ensemble
The Acropolis forms the appearance of the city of Athens. In ancient times, this place had the meaning of a sanctuary and a cultural center. All internal structures, temples form a single ensemble. The architecture of the Acropolis is extremely skillful, all its parts are integral, there is no place for chance - buildings and monuments, their location are carefully thought out and extremely logical. This ensemble is built asymmetrically and corresponds to two basic principles of ancient Greek architecture in its heyday: harmony in the balance of the masses and the perception of architectural art in the dynamics of its construction. Temples Parthenon and Hekatompedon - center. The Acropolis consists of 21 elements of buildings (the Dionysus Theater, the statue of Athena Promachos, the Propylaea, the Athenian Altar, the sanctuary of Zeus and others).
Production material
What does the Acropolis look like today? What materials are all of its buildings made of?
Currently, many of the architectural monuments of the Acropolis are undergoing restoration. Therefore, when sightseeing, you can see that some of them are surrounded by scaffolding. Over the centuries, many buildings have retained their grandeur; by them one can judge the uniqueness and complexity of all architectural details. Inspecting ancient columns, you might think that the material of their manufacture is limestone. In fact, all the elements of the Acropolis were built of marble, which was quite dilapidated under the influence of atmospheric phenomena, and some of its parts were destroyed by wars.
Propylaea
On the west side of the hill is the entrance to the Acropolis. What are Propylaea? This question worries many people who first visited the main attraction of Athens. Propylaea - the main entrance to the Acropolis, the magnificent gate of marble. They have five openings for the passage. The widest of them (equipped with a ramp instead of steps) is located in the middle and was previously intended for riders and driving animals for sacrifices. Its width is 4.3 m. The facade of the gate consists of six-columned Doric porticoes. In ancient times, the Propylaea, of all the structures of the Acropolis, was most famous for and was mentioned more often than the Parthenon.
Parthenon
The Parthenon is the main temple, which is famous for the Acropolis, where bas-reliefs depict scenes from ancient Greek myths, including the birth of Athena from the head of Zeus. The size of the temple is quite impressive: its width is 30 m, its length is about 70 m. The columns standing along the perimeter have a height of 10 m. The structure of the columns is amazing: they expand towards the center, and the corner ones are installed with a slight slope with respect to the floor. Thanks to the cunning of ancient architects, the temple looks equally proportionate regardless of which side to watch it. Inside was installed the famous sculpture of the goddess - Athena Virgo. It was created by the main creator of the Acropolis, the architect Phidias. The hands and face of the goddess were made of ivory, parts of clothes and weapons were made of gold, and eye gloss was achieved through the use of natural gems. To this day, the statue has not been preserved. Her appearance was restored, thanks to the ancient copies found.
Erechtheion
The temple where several gods were praised at once: Athena, Poseidon and Erechtheus (the ancient king of Athens). Inside was the well of Poseidon, filled with salt water. According to legend, this well arose as a result of a blow by the trident held by the great Poseidon in his strong hand. Based on the fact that the temple building was intended for various purposes, it had two entrances, from the north and east sides. Each of them contained its own portico, mounted on ionic columns. The aperture was decorated with a florid pattern with many carved details and was considered the best-looking platband of the Pericles era. Not far from the temple was a cave in which the sacred snake of the goddess Athena lived. The snake personified the great ruler of the city - Erechtea. To date, the interior of this temple has not been preserved, only in the works of contemporaries you can find a description of the room.
Dionysus Theater
Greek theaters have always been built on a hillside where seats were set for spectators, in front of which was a wooden stage. The audience was in the shape of a semicircle (they were called "theatron") and surrounded the site where the choir was located (the site was called the orchestra). In the 4th century BC e. seats for the audience were made in the form of a depression in rocky ground and then faced with marble. The Theater of Dionysus is the first monumental Greek theater located on the southern slope of the Acropolis. Marble armchairs, which were intended for significant guests and honorable residents of Athens, have survived to our time. The capacity of the theater is 17 thousand people.
Temple of the goddess Niki
This is another temple that has survived to our time, which is part of the ensemble (Acropolis). What is apteros, the word for the name of the goddess? Usually, Nick was portrayed with wings behind her back. But this temple is an exception to the rule, because the inhabitants of Athens decided to leave the victory at home. Therefore, the wings were deliberately not made in order to prevent Nika from flying away and leaving forever in the city. Accordingly, “afterteros” means “wingless”.
The temple has four ionic columns, the upper parts of which are decorated with spiral curls. The Temple of Niki Apteros was built during the Peloponnesian War, so the bas-reliefs depicted the victory over the Spartans and Persians. During the capture of the Turks, the sanctuary was dismantled for the construction of military fortifications. Today, Niki's temple is often closed to visitors due to restoration.
What is ruined by time
Some architectural objects have not been preserved to this day. In their place, only foundations or shapeless ruins of buildings that once adorned the Acropolis were discovered. What did they store, what did they look like during their heyday? For example, Hekatompedon or Pandroseion? This can be judged by the results of excavations or by the literary evidence left to the world by Ancient Greece. At the site of Hekatompedon, the remains of columns and parts of sculptural compositions were discovered. The sanctuary of Artemis is almost destroyed: only its insignificant remains and a warehouse where weapons were stored were found.
New museum
The Athenian Museum, located on the territory of the Acropolis, began its work in 1874. It mainly presents elements previously housed in the Upper City. The collection became larger and, after a while, the available rooms became insufficient. Not far from the Acropolis, the construction of a new, more spacious building began. But the work did not always go smoothly, as there were some obstacles and problems associated with the choice of architects or land. At the beginning of construction, at the stage of preparing the land for laying the foundation, historically significant architectural objects were discovered. As a result, the construction of the museum was suspended.
In 2009, a three-level museum complex with a glass floor was opened, so visitors have the opportunity to observe the excavations.