ACROPOLIS OF ATHENS ~ Beautiful places of Barcelona and Catalonia

jueves, 18 de septiembre de 2014

ACROPOLIS OF ATHENS

Since the day we began to prepare this trip I was excited because I had wanted to visit the Acropolis of Athens since I was a child. We were lucky because the day was lovely again in Athens.

The Acropolis of Athens was a military fortress during the Neolithic period, due to its position which offers a great view of the land and the sea.

During the Mycenaean times, it became a religious centre, dedicated to the worship of the goddess Athena. It is said that the place was declared a province only to the gods by an oracle, and therefore stopped being inhabited by the people.

Map of the Acropolis of Athens

Reconstruction of the Acropolis of Athens

The three temples of major importance, the Parthenon, the Erechteion and the Temple of Athena Nike, were erected during the classical period (450-330 B.C.) on the remains of earlier temples. All three of them are dedicated to different aspects of the Goddess Athena.

The Persians destroyed the Acropolis during the battle of Salamina in 480 B.C. The founder of the Athenian democracy, Pericles, was the one who rebuilt it under the form it has kept until today.

We began our visit to the Acropolis entering the area of the Theater of Dionysos. From here we followed the path up to the Parthenon and the Acropolis viewpoint. At this point is where we stayed longer. It is actually a good place for taking pictures.

We visited the following places of the Acropolis:

Theatre of Dionysos
Theatre of Herodes Atticus
The Propylea
Erectheion
Parthenon
Viewpoint of the Acropolis
Temple of Athena Nike

Theatre of Dionysos

The auditorium of the Theatre of Dionysos in Athens had 17000 seats

Acropolis of Athens from the Theatre of Dionysos

The Theatre of Dionysos was our first visit in Athens

This path leads from the Theater of Dionysos to the Theatre of Herodes Atticus and the Acropolis

Theatre of Herodes Atticus

Theatre of Herodes Atticus beside Philopappos Hill in Athens

The Propylea

Propylea in the Acropolis of Athens

Erectheion

The Erectheion is an fantastic example of the Ionic architecture

The Caryatids, the six women replacing the columns that support the marble roof, are the most famous part of the Erectheion

Parthenon

This monument is the symbol of the Ancient Greek civilization. It is the most important monument until today. It was dedicated to the patron goddess of the city, Athena, since Parthenon means also the apartment of the virgin. Athena was the goddess of wisdom, war and also a virgin.

The Parthenon is located on the top of the Acropolis hill. It is a fine example of the Doric architectural style. It has 8 Doric columns on each of the narrow sides and 17 columns on each of the long side

The Parthenon beside the Via Sacra from the Acropolis viewpoint. On the right you can see the Erectheion with the Caryatids

From the Acropolis viewpoint I realized how big Athens is. The city limits in any direction could not be seen. You get a good view of Licavettos hill too. Facing the Acropolis, the Parthenon is quite restored, and it only remains a part of a colonnade to restore.

We left the Acropolis by The Propylaea and the temple of Athena Nike to the area of the Ancient Agora and the Temple of Hephaestus, which is very well preserved.