Top 10 Facts about the Acropolis

By Steve Swayne – Wikimedia

Top 10 Facts about the Acropolis

The Acropolis, an iconic landmark in Greece, attracts millions of tourists annually.

The purpose of this massive structure changed over the centuries from being a place of worship, a king’s abode, home to the Greek gods and a fortress.

Standing tall on a rocky area above the city of Athens, the Acropolis displays some of the supreme architecture of the orthodox times. It was named the Acropolis, a Greek word meaning high city.

This building has been through the good and the bad and still stands tall telling it all through the ruins, gates and standing columns at the site.

The other famous structure at the Acropolis is the Parthenon, a temple that was devoted to goddess Athena, the patron of Athens city.

Let us now look at the top 10 facts about the Acropolis. 

1. The Acropolis has been standing tall for more than 3000 years

The Acropolis was built more than 3000 years ago according to archaeologist’s reports.

This prominent structure is one of the most outstanding and ample monuments from the ancient Greek times that shows the advancement of architecture and design.

The Acropolis is on a rocky hill standing at 156m high towering the city of Athens. The size of the acropolis is said to be 170m by 350m. It stands towards the western side of the rocky hill that is flatter.

There are fortified walls that have been surrounding the Acropolis for more than 3000 years still standing.

It is believed that the walls were built in the 13^th century BC and they surrounded the home of a local Mycenaean ruler.

It also served as the home of Athena the goddess and her followers in the 8^th century. It served as the temple from the mid-6^th to 5^th centuries BC.

2. The Acropolis has been an archaeological site since 1883

The Acropolis was set aside as an Archaeological site in Greece since 1883. This was just after Greece officially became a state.

The property around the Acropolis is protected by the law that defines the area as being an antique and cultural heritage. The area is also protected by a legislative decree that prohibits construction of buildings in the area.

The airspace above the Acropolis is also a no-flying zone for planes or drones.

This property is under the ministry of culture, education and religious affairs. The ministry also ensures that the visual integrity of the property is not altered.

The restoration committee in charge of the restoration and conservation of the monuments was founded in 1975.

3. The Acropolis has served as a house of worship for different religions

By Jebulon – Wikimedia

The Acropolis is home to the Parthenon, it served as a temple to Athena in 447 BC and 432 BC. The temple was built for 9 years and it took another 6 years to decorate it.

This temple was built when during the time when the Athenian Empire was the most powerful. It served as a pagan temple.

This ancient city was ruled by different Empires at different times. The temple at the Acropolis served as a church in the 6^th century. The Christians dedicated the church to Panagia (Virgin Mary) it was known as the church of the Parthenos Maria.

Later in 1460, when the Ottomans conquered the city, they turned the Acropolis into a mosque.

The Turks erected a minaret over the mosque. It was then converted into a Byzantine cathedral in the 693 CE. It later transformed into a Catholic cathedral in 1204.

4. The columns of the Parthenon are slightly bent

The Parthenon on the Acropolis is one of the most iconic structures in the world. The architectural design of the Parthenon is unique in the sense that the columns appear to have been angled to create an optical impression.

The building appears to be slumping in the middle, with the curves on the columns offsetting the impression that the columns are narrow.

This architectural design was worked on by more than 150 masons and 50 sculptors and the results are just rewarding.

Their impressive works have made the Parthenon to be voted as the most beautiful building in the world, joining other iconic buildings in the world like the National Congress of Brazil, The Sao Paulo Museum of Art and the Forbidden City temple in Beijing, China.

This building showcases the unique Greek architecture. The columns that appear like fluted shafts with simple capitals and the continuous carvings on the columns.

5. Pieces of the Acropolis are in different European countries

British National Museum-Wikimedia

There are more pieces of the marbles from the Acropolis in the British Museum, Louvre in Paris and the national museum of Denmark than there are in Greece.

Back in the early 1800s, a British explorer who had travelled to Greece managed to convince the Turks into letting him take with him part of the carvings from the Parthenon back to England.

Unfortunately, one of the boats carrying these prized pieces sunk and the pieces are still stuck on the ocean floor.

More people plundered the Parthenon after it was abandoned in the 18^th century. The marble pieces that were taken were called the Elgin Marbles.

Travellers from European countries took pieces of the marbles with them because they believed that Acropolis would be destroyed since it had been abandoned.

A British antique collector was once quoted saying that the beautiful sculptures at the Acropolis were likely going to be razed down due to ignorance of its history. Parts of the marbles were used to construct military barracks and some were sold in black markets.

6. The Acropolis once served as a military barracks

The ottoman empire ruled Greece in the 15^th century and had turned the Acropolis into a garrison while the Parthenon was turned into a mosque complete with a minaret by Sultan Mehmed II.

During the war that broke out in 1687 between Venice and the Turks, the Acropolis was used to store gun powder by the Turks.

The Parthenon was targeted by the enemies, it was struck by a mortar and the explosion destroyed its roof, leaving the pediments standing.

The Venetians attempted to remove the sculptures and take them to Venice, they ended up destroying the sculpture as the pulley used broke.

The leader of the Venetian army, Morosini, later left Athens having done more damage to the Acropolis in a year than it had suffered in the previous era.

7. Greece is yet to get back its marbles

After Greece gained its independence in 1832, it sought to get back its valuable sculptures and marbles from the European countries.

The Greek government has continually done a number of repatriation campaigns. The Acropolis Museum in Athens has dedicated space for the marbles.

Most museums turned a deaf ear to these campaigns since the pieces are the most popular exhibits. These artefacts have been used by the European museums to represent part of their civilisation.

The Greek government continues with its request to have pieces of the Acropolis and the Parthenon back home,

8. The Acropolis was once a colourful structure

By Adam L. Clevenger – Wikimedia

Archaeologists have found that the Acropolis and the Parthenon were once splashed with a colour unlike the classical white and pristine colour of most Greek architecture.

Ancient Greece used white marbles on their buildings and it is still the case in most cities in the country.

However, a UV light test done by archaeologists has shown that the Parthenon was once painted in shades of blue, red and green.

There was also the presence of bronze accessories on the pediment statues on the Parthenon.

As time passed, the stones on the Acropolis got bleached by the sun. this made it seem that they were the pristine whites since the 18^th and 19^th centuries.

Sculptures on the Acropolis also showed hints of Egyptian blue pigments.

9. It took 50 years to build the Acropolis

The construction of the Acropolis is believed to have taken 50 years although successive empires would add structures to during their reign.

The Acropolis was built to honour the goddess Athena while the Acropolis was built as a fortress.

The Pericles was also responsible for building the Erechtheion, the Propylaia, and the temple of Athena Nike. This took approximately 50 years.

It was further restored in 1975 under the Greek government. The committee responsible for the duty of restoration worked on retaining the original state.

They also used similar tools and marbles that were used in constructing the Acropolis.

The progress of restoration is still ongoing after the area suffered numerous destructions. Parts of the Acropolis was built in the 5^th century BCE while other parts were added by Augustus and small houses added by the Turks.

10. It is not the only Acropolis in Greece

There are other similar structures to the Acropolis spread out through Greece. There are other acropolises in Acrocorinth in Corinth, Cadmea in Thebes, and the Acropolis of Lindos on the island of Rhodes.

Almost every Greek city has one even though they are not built on a rocky hill as the Acropolis in Athens.

The Athens Acropolis is said to have stood out due to its visibility and served as a sanctuary, fortress and home to many empires throughout the centuries. Its association with the goddess Athena also made it an important religious shrine.