ACROPOLIS OF ATHENS

The Acropolis of Athens is a natural rocky hill, reaching 160 meters in height, in the heart of today’s Athens, with a unique view of the whole city and the Saronic Gulf. It has been inhabited since the 3^rd millennium B.C. and due to its morphology, it was a natural fort. The top of the hill was wide enough and there were many springs there, making it inhabitable. It was the house of the king of Athens, who managed to fortify the Acropolis with a stone wall. Moreover, it was used as a place to worship religious ceremonies from the 8^th century B.C. with a small temple, dedicated to the protector of the city, goddess Athena. A wooden statue of Athena made out of olive trees was kept in the temple, which, according to the legend, had fallen from the sky.

Since the 6^th century B.C, sanctuaries were starting to being built in the Acropolis, which were later on destroyed during the Persian Wars. The reconstruction of the walls and sanctuaries started on the era of Pericles in the 5^th century B.C., right after the loss of the Persians in the Naval Battle of Salamis. The Parthenon, the Erechteion, the Propylaea and the Temple of Athena Nike. During the Roman period some more buildings were added, during the Byzantine period The Parthenon turned into a Christian church, whereas during the Turkish occupation it was used as a mosque. During the Turkish occupation, the Acropolis sustained the most damage. Before the Greek revolution, the Ottomans cooperated with the English lord Elgin, and caused the biggest disaster, forcefully removing all those beautiful monuments of Acropolis. Among the monuments, the best of them are;