Greece for Visitors > Athens Guide > Ancient Athens > The Acropolis

The Acropolis of Athens

The Ancient Theatre Of Dionysus	The Stoa Of Eumenes
The Odeion Of Herodes Atticus	The Propylaea
The Parthenon	The Temple of Athena Nike (Apteros Nike)
The Erechtheion	The Golden-ivory Statue Of Athena
The Areios Pagos	The Pnyx
The Panathenaea Feast	The Acropolis Museum
Practical information to plan your visit to the Acropolis
Acropolis Virtual Tour with high-resolution, interactive 360° panoramas

For thousands of years the Acropolis has been the symbol of Athens, the sacred rock, the link that connects the magnificent ancient Greek civilization with the modern. The Acropolis and its monuments, its history and the myths that are connected with it are rightly the pride of Athens. Hundreds of thousands of visitors each year make the pilgrimage to the sacred rock and absorb its magnificence and beauty. If you have never been to the Acropolis, rest assured it will be a unique and unforgettable experience. And if you can't visit in person, you can always take a virtual tour from the comfort of your chair. Or, click the image of Acropolis above to view a very high resolution zoomable picture of the Acropolis that captures amazing detail.

A timeless masterpiece of creative genious - The Athenian Acropolis is the supreme expression of the adaptation of architecture to a natural site. This grand composition of perfectly-balanced massive structures creates a monumental landscape of unique beauty consisting of a complete series of masterpieces of the 5th century B.C.: the Parthenon by Phidias, Ictinos and Callicrates (447-432); the Propylaea by Mnesicles (437-432); the Temple of Athena Nike by Mnesicles and Callicrates (448-407); and Erechtheion, completed in 406. The monuments of the Acropolis have exerted an exceptional influence, not only in Greco-Roman antiquity during which time in the Mediterranean world they were considered exemplary models, but in contemporary times as well. Throughout the world, Neo-Classic monuments have been inspired by the Parthenon or by the Propylaea.

Testimony to a living civilization - The Acropolis illustrates civilizations of Greece over a period of more than a millennium. From the royal palace of kings in the 15th century B.C. and the Pelasgic walls of the first fortification, to Odeon, constructed in 161 A.D. by Herod Atticus, a unique series of public monuments was built and conserved in one of the densest spaces of the Mediterranean.

From myth to institutionalized cult, the Acropolis, by its precision and diversity, bears a unique testimony to the civilization and religions of Ancient Greece.
It is the sacred temple from which sprung fundamental legends about the city. There, in the presence of Cecrops, the first mythical king of Athens who arbitrated their contest, Athena and Poseidon fought for possession of the country. Poseidon made a source of salt water spring forth; Athena offered the olive tree which, cut by the Persians in 480, grew again the following year.
The site of the Acropolis is where another mythical king, Erichthonios, was born subsequent to the attempted rape of Athena by Hephaestus. It is also where Aegeus, believing that his son Theseus had been devoured by the Minotaur, threw himself into the sea which now bears his name.

Beginning in the 6th century, the Athenian Acropolis was the place where myths and beliefs gave rise to temples, altars and statues corresponding to an extreme diversity of cults which have brought us the Athenian religion in all its richness and complexity. Athena was venerated as the goddess of the city (Athena Polias); as the goddess of war (Athena Promachos); as the goddess of victory (Athena Nike); as the protective goddess of crafts (Athena Ergane), etc. Most of her functions are glorified at the main cult temple dedicated to her, the Parthenon, the temple of the maiden-goddess.

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Athens Guide > Ancient Athens > The Acropolis > Theater of Dionysus

The Ancient Theater of Dionysus

Located on the southeast slope of the Acropolis, the Theatre of Dionysus Eleutheris is the oldest theatre in Greece. In addition to being the oldest, it was also the most prolific, for most tragedies were written for performance at this theatre. Here, the four greatest ancient Greek poets, Aeschylus, Aristophanes, Euripides and Sophocles, saw their plays being performed for the first time, in the 5th century B.C. Due to additions and reconstructions to the theatre since its original building around 500 BC, though, not much is known about the theatre in its early years.

The first phase of the Theatre of Dionysus has only enough remains to know that it had an orchestra. In fact, so little material of that period’s theatre is left that scholars even debate over the shape of the orchestra. Early drama demanded little in terms of physical acting space; in fact the first three existing plays known to historians need only an orchestra. From the text of the plays, there was no separation between chorus and actors, and there was no need for any specific structures for entrances and exits. Behind the orchestra, however, there is evidence of a terrace wall marking the rear boundary of the performance space.

During the Periclean era, in the mid-fifth century, major plans were made to renovate the theatre. By this time, the orchestra was known to be circular, with over half of its circumference surrounded by the theatron, or audience seating area. The exact size of the seating area is not known, but can be estimated to seat 14,000 viewers. By 458 B.C. a wooden skene, or stage building, was placed at the rear of the orchestra. The skene acted as a backstage area where actors could change, store props, and from where they could enter a low stage, or proskene, roughly 20 meters long. It is important to note however, that debate exists concerning whether or not a stage definitely existed in the Periclean theatre. In the Periclean theatre, the skene was a temporary, mobile structure with removable parts. From the plays written for performance in this phase of the theatre, it is also evident that there must have been a door facing the audience, a high platform (most likely the roof of the skene), painted scenes, and use of a crane; however, none of this is supported by material evidence. While it is not certain, it is speculated that, due to the lack of permanent scenery, playwrights had a selection of portable wooden pillars and other scene-building materials to set the stage for their works. The stage had a width of 45 feet and the distance from the stage to the front row of the audience was 60 feet.

The third theatre at Athens was built around 330 B.C. under Lycurgus. The Lycurgan theatre is the first permanent (that is, stone) theatre at Athens, and Lycurgus’ building project produced much of the Athenian theatre that one sees today. In contrast to the Periclean theatre, the skene and stage were made of brick and stone, and thus not movable. By this time, the existence of a stage is accepted. The stage background consisted of a single-storey building complete with roof and columned façade. The stage’s distance from the front row of the theatron increased to 70 feet, its width was expanded to 66 feet, and its height remained fairly low at about one meter high.

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Athens Guide > Ancient Athens > The Acropolis > Stoa of Eumenes

The Stoa of Eumenes

The Stoa of Eumenes is located between the Odeion of Herodes Atticus and the Theater of Dionysos on the southern slope of the Acropolis. It was 163m long and it was built by King Eumenes II of Pergamon (197-160 B.C.), who not only erected magnificent buildings in his own city (like the Great Altar of Pergamon) but also sought to do honor to Athens by building this stoa. It bears many similarities to the Stoa of Attalos in the Agora and it is thought to have been built built by the same architect.

The stoa was built against the slope of the Acropolis hill and it was protected by a retaining wall supported by piers and round arches. It had no rooms behind the double-aisled hall. It was thus not designed for the purposes of business but was merely a spacious promenade for visitors to the temple and theater of Dionysos. It had two-stories, with Doric columns on the exterior, Ionic columns in the interior on the ground floor and capitals of Pergamene type on the upper floor.

After its destruction by the Herulians in A.D. 267 material from this monument was built into the Beulé Gate of the Acropolis.

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Athens Guide > Ancient Athens > The Acropolis > The Odeion Of Herodes Atticus

The Odeon of Herod Atticus

The Odeon of Herod Atticus was built in 161 B.C. by the eminent Athenian orator and philosopher Herod Atticus, in memory of his wife Rigillis. The Odeon is in the shape of a theater because it was used for theatrical, as well as musical presentations

The Herodeon, as it is called today, has a circular orchestra and a forestage that is 35 meters (115 feet) long, 1 meter (3 feet) high and 6 meters (20 feet) deep. There are recesses in the stage wall accupird by statues and the orchestra is laid with polychrome tiles. Its seating capacity is about 5,000 spectators. Above the cornice there was a stoa, the theater's present foyer. The Odeon was roofed with a luxurious cedar and it must have been one of the most brilliant structures of the period of Pausanias. It remained in use until perhaps the invasion of the Herulians in 267 B.C. The Herodeon experienced many vicissitudes and disasters and eventually burned down.

The audience stands and the "orchestra" (stage) were restored with new marble in the 1950's. Since then it has been hosting the theatrical, musical and dance events of the Athens Festival, which runs from June through September each year.

Herodes Atticus (c. 101-177) was a Greek rhetorician, notable as a proponent of Philostratus' Second Sophistic, a pseudo-revival of classical Greek culture. He was born in Marathon in Attica to a distinguished, and fabulously wealthy family, and received an education in rhetoric and philosophy. Hadrian appointed him prefect of the free cities in Asia in 125. Herodes returned to Athens, became famous as a teacher, and was elected archon. In 140 Antoninus Pius brought him to Rome to educate Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus, and as a mark of favor appointed him consul, in 143.

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Athens Guide > Ancient Athens > The Acropolis > The Propylaea

The Propylaea - View the interactive, 360° virtual tour of Propylaea

Architect: Mnesicles, commissioned by Pericles.
Date of construction: 437-432 B.C
Materials: Pentelic marble, darker Eleusinian marble, structural iron.

The Propylaia were built as a monumental entrance to the Acropolis rock. It is an impressive building that surrounds the natural entrance to the plateau, and one approached it in ancient times through an inclining ramp that led visitors straight through the steps in front of the Propylaia.

The structure consists of a central building with two adjoining wings on the west (outer) side, one to the north and one to the south. The core is the central building, which presents a standard six-columned Doric façade both on the West to those entering the Acropolis and on the east to those departing. The columns echo the proportions (not the size) of the columns of the Parthenon.

Entrance into the Acropolis was controlled by the Propylaea. Though it was not built as a fortified structure, it was important that people not ritually clean be denied access to the sanctuary. In addition, runaway slaves and other miscreants could not be permitted into the sanctuary where they could claim the protection of the gods. The state treasury was also kept on the Acropolis, making its security important.

The Propylaea survived intact through the Greek, Roman and Byzantine periods. During the period of Latin Empire, it served as the palace of the de la Roche family, who held the title Duke of Athens from 1204 to 1311. It was severely damaged by an explosion of a powder magazine in 1656. Today the Propylaea has been partly restored, since 1984 under the direction of Dr Tasos Tanoulas, and serves as the main entrance to the Acropolis for the many thousands of tourists who visit the area every year. In the period before the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, the Propylaia was shrouded in scaffolding as restoration work was undertaken.

Unlike other Greek sanctuaries of Ancient Greece, the Acropolis was built on a master plan with the buildings related to one another. Nowhere is this more evident than in the relationship between the Propylaia and the Parthenon. Several subtle features associate the two buildings. Both are structures with strong Doric flavor, although both incorporate Ionic columns in their interiors. They are also related in size, (the Propylaia width being equal to the length of the Parthenon), and in proportional ratios (4:9 for the Parthenon and 3:7 for the Propylaia). Both buildings are oriented similarly from North to South, with the Propylaia being a little to the East of the Parthenon.

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