The Acropolis of Athens is situated in the rocky area above the capital city of Athens in the Attica region of Greece. The Arcopolis in Athens is an ancient citadel and is the most famous of all acropolis in the world and contains the remains of ancient buildings with great historical and cultural significance including one of the most important buildings in the ancient world, the Parthenon. Due to its rich archaeological importance, it became a World Heritage Site in 1987 and was also one of the most important momuments on the European Cultural Heritage lists. The main archaelogical remains the Acropolis of Athens are the Parthenon, the Old Temple of Athena, Erechtheum, Propylaea, Statue of Athena and more.
Overview of the Acropolis of Athens
Image attribution to Christophe Meneboeuf @ Wiki
Propylaea is a monumental gateway that serves as the entrance to the Acropolis of Athens
Image attribution to stacylynn @ Flickr
The famous Parthenon is one of the most important building in Greek history
Image attribution to Richardsonpilot @ Flickr
History :
Archaelogical evidence from small caves points out that the Acropolis rock area were inhabited as early as 3000 BC and the Myceanae civilization established palaces in the site in around 1400 BC but were destroyed by invading Greek troops from mainland Greece and were left with little remains today. The Old temple of Athena was one of the oldest remains in the area and was built around 529 BC while the construction of the Parthenon started as early as 500 BC with the rest of the building remains estimated to be building during the period of 480 to 406 BC. The buildings were repaired during the Romans period before The Acropolis of Athens was used by the Byzantines as an adminstrative center in the city. A restoration project began since 1975 aimed to restore the decay in centuries of pollution and wartime destruction.
The Acropolis of Athena during night time
Image attribution to ellie-yannis @ Flickr
Close up at the Old Temple of Athena
Image attribution to shelbyroot @ Flickr
The Theatre of Dionysis
Image attribution to zsenya @ Flickr
Caryatid sculpture at Erechtheion
Image attribution to profzucker @ Flickr
Getting there :
The nearest airport to the Acropolis of Athens is the Athens International Airport and is just 1 hour or lesser by taxi or metro (railway) to the Acropolis.