Acropolis of Athens facts for kids
| UNESCO World Heritage Site | |
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The Acropolis of Athens, seen from the Hill of the Muses
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| Location | Athens, Attica, Greece |
| Criteria | Cultural: i, ii, iii, iv, vi |
| Inscription | 1987 (11th Session) |
| Area | 3.04 ha |
| Buffer zone | 116.71 ha |
The Acropolis of Athens is the most famous "high city" in Greece. While there are many other acropolises in Greece, this one is so important that people often just call it "The Acropolis."
The Acropolis is a flat-topped rock that stands about 150 meters (512 feet) above sea level in the city of Athens, Greece. Its top covers an area of about 3 hectares. Long ago, it was also known as Cecropia, named after a legendary half-snake, half-man king named Cecrops, who was the first king of Athens.
People have lived on this hill since at least 4000 BC. But it was during the 400s BC, under the leader Pericles, that the most famous buildings were constructed. These include the amazing Parthenon, the grand entrance called the Propylaia, the Erechtheion, and the Temple of Athena Nike.
Sadly, the Parthenon and other buildings were badly damaged in 1687. This happened during a war when soldiers from Venice were fighting. Gunpowder stored inside the Parthenon was hit by a cannonball and exploded.
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Understanding the Acropolis Rock
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The Acropolis rock rises steeply from the flat land around Attica. It has very steep cliffs on three sides. You can only easily walk up to it from the west side. Here, a low ridge connects it to another hill called the Areopagus. The rock itself is made of limestone from a very old time called the Jurassic period.
This limestone is very hard, but water can pass through it. Below this hard layer is a softer rock called schist-sandstone marl, which water cannot pass through. This special rock formation means that water collects inside the hill, forming natural springs and sheltered caves at the bottom. These water sources and caves were a big reason why people chose to live on and around the Acropolis long ago.
Early Life on the Acropolis
The oldest objects found here show that people lived on the Acropolis during the Middle Neolithic era. This was a very long time ago, even though people were living in the wider Attica area since about 6000 BC.
During the Mycenaean period, the Acropolis was surrounded by a very thick wall. This wall was made of huge stone blocks and was probably between 4.5 and 6 meters (15-20 feet) tall. The main gate of this wall was built at an angle, with a tower and wall hanging over the right side of anyone trying to enter. This was a clever defense strategy. There were also two smaller paths up the north side of the hill, which were steep, narrow steps cut into the rock.
Around that time, an earthquake caused a crack near the northeast edge of the hill. This crack went all the way down to the water-holding rock layer, and water collected there. People built a complex set of stairs to reach this well. It was a very important source of drinking water, especially during times when the city was under attack.
The Acropolis in Dark Times
Unlike some other ancient palaces, the Acropolis might not have been completely destroyed during a violent period known as the Dark Ages. There are no clear signs of a big fire or widespread damage from that time.
We don't know much about the exact state of the buildings on the rock leading up to the Archaic era. However, we do know that the Acropolis was taken over twice by a ruler named Pisistratus. It was also briefly captured by Kylon during a revolt.
The Archaic Acropolis Period
We know for sure that a large temple dedicated to Athena Polias (Athena, Protectress of the City) was built around the mid-500s BC. This temple was made of limestone and had a special style called Doric. Many pieces of it still exist today. It's sometimes called the "Bluebeard" temple because of a sculpture found there that showed a three-bodied man-serpent with dark blue beards.
In 480 BC, during the Persian Wars, the Parthenon was still being built when the invading Persians attacked. They burned and destroyed it, along with almost everything else on the rock.
After the Persian Wars ended, the Athenians began to clean up the site. They carefully buried many damaged religious objects and artworks that could no longer be used. This buried material, known as "Persian debris," is now a very rich archaeological treasure. Because it was buried, it was protected from further damage over the centuries.
Pericles' Building Plan
Most of the important temples were rebuilt under the leadership of Pericles during Athens' "Golden Age" (around 460–430 BC). A famous Athenian sculptor named Phidias, along with two well-known architects, Ictinus and Callicrates, were in charge of this huge rebuilding project.
Some other buildings from that time have almost completely disappeared today. These include the Chalkotheke, the Pandroseion, Pandion's sanctuary, Athena's altar, and Zeus Polieus's sanctuary. From later Roman times, there was also a round temple dedicated to Augustus and Rome.
Cultural Importance of the Acropolis
Every four years, the Athenians held a big festival called the Panathenaea. This festival was almost as popular as the Olympic Games. During the festival, a large parade would march through Athens, up to the Acropolis, and into the Parthenon. You can even see this procession shown in the carvings (frieze) inside the Parthenon.
Inside the Parthenon, a huge robe made of woven wool, called a peplos, was ceremoniously placed on a massive statue of Athena. This statue was made of ivory and gold by the sculptor Phidias.
For many centuries, especially since the 1700s, the Acropolis has been seen as a key symbol of Greece's amazing history. It represents the greatness of Classical Greece and its lasting impact on Western culture.
Art and Architecture on the Acropolis
The main entrance to the Acropolis was a grand gateway called the Propylaea. To the right of this entrance is the small but beautiful Temple of Athena Nike.
Once inside, a large bronze statue of Athena, also created by Phidias, originally stood in the center. The most famous building at the heart of the Acropolis is the Parthenon, which was the Temple of Athena Parthenos (Athena the Virgin). To the left of the Propylaea is the Erechtheum, known for its unique columns shaped like figures of women, called caryatids.
You can also see the remains of an outdoor theater called the Theatre of Dionysus. This is where all the incredible plays by famous Greek writers were first performed.
A few hundred meters away, there is another partially rebuilt theater called the Theatre of Herodes Atticus. This theater gives us a good idea of what the Theatre of Dionysus might have looked like. Both theaters would have had roofs and very detailed backdrops for their stages. The Odeum (theater) of Herodes has impressive arches and pillars, with a large marble walkway leading to the stage. These arches were likely even taller in ancient times.
Today, the Theatre of Herodes Atticus is still used every summer for modern performances of ancient plays. It can hold thousands of people, and its sound system was, and still is, perfect. This allowed ancient Greek audiences to enjoy the plays of great writers like Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides.
The Acropolis Restoration Project
A big project to restore the Acropolis began in 1975. Its main goal was to fix the damage caused by centuries of pollution, military use, and even some past restoration attempts that weren't done correctly.
The project involved collecting and identifying every stone fragment, even tiny ones, from the Acropolis and its slopes. Workers tried to put back as much of the original material as possible, a process called anastylosis. New marble from Mount Penteli was used only when absolutely necessary.
All the restoration work was done using titanium rods. The design allows for everything to be taken apart again if future experts decide to make changes. The project combined the latest modern technology with a lot of research to recreate ancient building techniques.
For example, the columns of the Parthenon, which were largely destroyed by Venetian attacks in the 1600s, were restored. Many columns that had been put back together incorrectly in the past were now placed properly. The roof and floor of the Propylaea were partly restored, with new marble sections decorated with blue and gold, just like the original. The restoration of the Temple of Athena Nike was finished in 2010.
In total, 2,675 tons of architectural pieces were restored. Out of these, 686 stones were put back together from original fragments, 905 were repaired with new marble, and 186 parts were made entirely of new marble. About 530 cubic meters of new Pentelic marble were used for the project.
Images for kids
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The Acropolis of Athens as seen from Mount Lycabettus. The wooded Hill of the Nymphs is partly visible on its right, and Philopappos Hill on the left, just behind. The Philopappos Monument stands where, in the distance, the coast of Peloponnese meets the waters of the Saronic Gulf.
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A warrior wearing a boar tusk helmet, from a Mycenaean tomb in the Acropolis of Athens, 14th–13th century BC.
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An early view of the Acropolis with the Pelargicon and the Old Temple of Athena.
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An elevation view showing a possible reconstruction of the Old Temple of Athena. Built around 525 BC, it stood between the Parthenon and the Erechtheum. Pieces of the sculptures from its triangular roof sections are in the Acropolis Museum.
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A painting showing the destruction of the Acropolis by the armies of Xerxes I during the Second Persian invasion of Greece in 480 BC.
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The Erechtheion.
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The Propylaea, the grand entrance to the Acropolis.
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A picture showing the Venetian siege of the Acropolis of Athens in 1687.
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An 1842 daguerreotype (an early type of photograph) by Joseph-Philibert Girault de Prangey, which is the earliest known photograph of the site.
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An imagined reconstruction of the Acropolis and Areios Pagos in Athens, by Leo von Klenze, 1846.
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Remains of the Theatre of Dionysus as seen in 2007.
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A potentially tectonically susceptible structure.
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See also
In Spanish: Acrópolis de Atenas para niños
