The Acropolis of Athens is one of the most popular and most well known acropolis of Greece. The term Acropolis, with ‘acro’ meaning high and ‘polis’ meaning city, literally means the ‘high city’. Thus, the Acropolis of Athens is a high city that is greatest and finest sanctuary, dedicated to Goddess Athena. Though many other places in Greece have an acropolis, it is "The Acropolis of Athens”, usually referred to as the site of the Parthenon, which holds the most significance. The place is the most savored tourist destination in Athens and is one of the must-see for people who have interest in history and archeological places.
Fun & Interesting Facts about Acropolis of Athens
- The Acropolis is a huge hill, with a flat top.
- It is 80 feet high and 50 feet wide.
- The Acropolis' construction started in 447 BC and ended in 438 BC.
- The Acropolis, also called "the sacred rock", was built for defensive reasons.
- It was during the war time that the Greek used The Acropolis to get a better view of the positions of the enemies.
- The Greek built many temples on The Acropolis, such as the famous Parthenon that was the temple of the Greek Goddess Athena.
- During the Classical Period the Parthenon, the Erechtheion, and the Temple of Nike were built over the old ruins on The Acropolis.
- The monuments on The Acropolis reflect the successive phases in the cities history.
- The first excavations on The Acropolis were conducted between 1835 and 1837. More work was carried out by Panagiotis Kavvadias in 1885-1890.
- The first habitation remains on The Acropolis date back to the Neolithic period.
- Over the years, The Acropolis has suffered severely from pollution and from well-intentioned, but badly executed attempts at repair.
- In 1975, the Greek government began a major restoration project on The Acropolis, which was only about 40% complete by the mid-1990s.
- In 2007, a number of works on The Acropolis were moved to the New Acropolis Museum, which lies at the foot of the hill.
- The Acropolis is a great place to get an understanding of the layout of the city.
- The Acropolis was also known as Cecropia, after the legendary serpent-man, Kekrops or Cecrops, the first Athenian king.
