The greatest and finest sanctuary of ancient Athens,
dedicated primarily to its patron, the goddess Athena, dominates the centre of
the modern city from the rocky crag known as the Acropolis. The most celebrated
myths of ancient Athens, its greatest religious festivals, earliest cults and
several decisive events in the city's history are all connected to this sacred
precinct. The monuments of the Acropolis stand in harmony with their natural
setting. These unique masterpieces of ancient architecture combine different
orders and styles of Classical art in a most innovative manner and have
influenced art and culture for many centuries. The Acropolis of the fifth
century BC is the most accurate reflection of the splendour, power and wealth
of Athens at its greatest peak, the golden age of Perikles.
Pottery sherds of the Neolithic period (4000/3500-3000 BC)
and, from near the Erechtheion, of the Early and Middle Bronze Age, show that
the hill was inhabited from a very early period. A fortification wall was built
around it in the thirteenth century BC and the citadel became the centre of a
Mycenaean kingdom. This early fortification is partially preserved among the
later monuments and its history can be traced fairly accurately. The Acropolis
became a sacred precinct in the eighth century BC with the establishment of the
cult of Athena Polias, whose temple stood at the northeast side of the hill.
The sanctuary flourished under Peisistratos in the mid-sixth century BC, when
the Panathinaia, the city's greatest religious festival, was established and
the first monumental buildings of the Acropolis erected, among them the
so-called “Old temple” and the Hekatompedos, the predecessor of the Parthenon,
both dedicated to Athena. The shrine of Artemis Brauronia and the first
monumental propylon also date to this period. Numerous opulent votive
offerings, such as marble korai and horsemen, bronze and terracotta statuettes,
were dedicated to the sanctuary. Several of these bear inscriptions that show
the great importance of Athena's cult in the Archaic period. After the
Athenians defeated the Persians at Marathon, in 490 BC, they began building a
very large temple, the so-called Pre-Parthenon. This temple was still
unfinished when the Persians invaded Attica in 480 BC, pillaged the Acropolis
and set fire to its monuments. The Athenians buried the surviving sculptures
and votive offerings inside natural cavities of the sacred rock, thus forming
artificial terraces, and fortified the Acropolis with two new walls, the wall
of Themistokles along the northern side and that of Kimon on the south. Several
architectural elements of the ruined temples were incorporated in the northern
wall and are still visible today.
In the mid-fifth century BC, when the Acropolis became the
seat of the Athenian League and Athens was the greatest cultural centre of its
time, Perikles initiated an ambitious building project which lasted the entire
second half of the fifth century BC. Athenians and foreigners alike worked on
this project, receiving a salary of one drachma a day. The most important
buildings visible on the Acropolis today - that is, the Parthenon, the
Propylaia, the Erechtheion and the temple of Athena Nike, were erected during
this period under the supervision of the greatest architects, sculptors and
artists of their time. The temples on the north side of the Acropolis housed
primarily the earlier Athenian cults and those of the Olympian gods, while the
southern part of the Acropolis was dedicated to the cult of Athena in her many
qualities: as Polias (patron of the city), Parthenos, Pallas, Promachos
(goddess of war), Ergane (goddess of manual labour) and Nike (Victory). After
the end of the Peloponnesian war in 404 BC and until the first century BC no
other important buildings were erected on the Acropolis. In 27 BC a small
temple dedicated to Augustus and Rome was built east of the Parthenon. In Roman
times, although other Greek sanctuaries were pillaged and damaged, the
Acropolis retained its prestige and continued to attract the opulent votive
offerings of the faithful. After the invasion of the Herulians in the third
century AD, a new fortification wall was built, with two gates on the west
side. One of these, the so-called Beul? Gate, named after the nineteenth
century French archaeologist who investigated it, is preserved to this day.
In subsequent centuries the monuments of the Acropolis
suffered from both natural causes and human intervention. After the
establishment of Christianity and especially in the sixth century AD the temples
were converted into Christian churches. The Parthenon was dedicated to
Parthenos Maria (the Virgin Mary), was later re-named Panagia Athiniotissa
(Virgin of Athens) and served as the city's cathedral in the eleventh century.
The Erechtheion was dedicated to the Sotiras (Saviour) or the Panagia, the
temple of Athena Nike became a chapel and the Propylaia an episcopal residence.
The Acropolis became the fortress of the medieval city. Under Frankish
occupation (1204-1456) the Propylaia were converted into a residence for the
Frankish ruler and in the Ottoman period (1456-1833) into the Turkish garrison
headquarters. The Venetians under F. Morozini besieged the Acropolis in 1687
and on September 26th bombarded and destroyed the Parthenon, which then served as
a munitions store. Lord Elgin caused further serious damage in 1801-1802 by
looting the sculptural decoration of the Parthenon, the temple of Athena Nike
and the Erechtheion. The Acropolis was handed over to the Greeks in 1822,
during the Greek War of Independence, and Odysseas Androutsos became its first
Greek garrison commander.
After the
liberation of Greece, the monuments of the Acropolis came under the care of the
newly founded Greek state. Limited investigation took place in 1835 and 1837,
while in 1885-1890 the site was systematically excavated under P. Kavvadias. In
the early twentieth century N. Balanos headed the first large-scale restoration
project. A Committee for the Conservation of the Monuments on the Acropolis was
created in 1975 with the aim to plan and undertake large-scale conservation and
restoration on the Acropolis. The project, conducted by the Service of
Restoration of the Monuments of the Acropolis in collaboration with the First
Ephorate of Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities, is still in progress.
Author
Ioanna Venieri, archaeologist
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