Greece has many architectural objects of high historical value. One of them is the Acropolis of Athens. Acropolis - what is it? Acropolis means "high city" in Greek. This is a limestone flat hill above the city (about 80 m high) with steep slopes on all sides, except for the western one. In ancient times, the main function of this structure was protection from invaders.
Ancient settlements
The ancient Acropolis in Athens is mentioned long before the onset of the classical period of history. As a result of the excavations, elements of cultural heritage were discovered that corresponded to the Bronze Age (mainly early and middle). In the 7th-6th centuries BC e. temples were built, but later destroyed by the Persians.
According to legend, the Greek Acropolis was founded by the Athenian king Kekrops. The elevation in the center bears a name derived from his name - "cecropia" (cecropia).
Meaning of words
"Parthenon, propylaea, acropolis" - what do these concepts mean, and what is the origin of these words?
- Parthenon - the main temple in the Greek Acropolis, dedicated to the goddess Athena. From the Greek "parthenos"translates as "virgin". Athena bore such a nickname.
- The word "propylaea" comes from the Greek propylaion. This is the front arch at the entrance to the Acropolis of Athens. It has two different levels of Doric porticos.
- The meaning of the word "acropolis" in Greek literally translates as "acro" - a hill, "polis" - a city. That is, it is a fortified part of the Greek city, located on a hill.
- Erechtheion is a temple dedicated to Poseidon and Athena. It has an asymmetric composition located on several levels.
- Hekatompedon - the most ancient temple of the Acropolis, which is dedicated to Athena.
Acropolis and its purpose
Acropolis - what is hidden in this ancient name and what is its meaning? It was the main place for finding the king. Also inside there were many temples where prayers were offered to the Greek gods and sacrifices were made. At the time of the conquest by the Turks, the Acropolis acted as a mosque for them. Today it is an ancient monument of architectural art.
The Acropolis of Athens as an architectural ensemble
The Acropolis shapes the appearance of the city of Athens. In ancient times, this place had the significance of a sanctuary and a cultural center. All internal structures, temples form a single ensemble. The architecture of the Acropolis is unusually skillful, all its parts are integral, there is no place for chance - buildings and monuments, their location are carefully thought out and extremely logical. This ensemble is built asymmetrically and corresponds to two main principles of architectureAncient Greece in its heyday: harmony in the balance of the masses and the perception of architectural art in the dynamics of its construction. Temples of the Parthenon and Hekatompedon - the center. The Acropolis consists of 21 elements of buildings (the theater of Dionysus, the statue of Athena Promachos, the Propylaea, the Athenian altar, the sanctuary of Zeus and others).
Material of production
What does the Acropolis look like today? What materials are all of his buildings made of?
Currently, many of the architectural monuments of the acropolis are undergoing restoration. Therefore, when looking at the sights, you can see that some of them are surrounded by scaffolding. Many buildings over the centuries have retained their grandeur, they can be used to judge the uniqueness and complexity of all architectural details. Examining the ancient columns, one might think that the material of their manufacture is limestone. In fact, all the elements of the Acropolis were built of marble, which was quite dilapidated under the influence of atmospheric phenomena, and some of its parts were destroyed by wars.
Propylaea
From the western side of the hill is the entrance to the Acropolis. What is Propylaea? This question worries many people who first visited the main attraction of Athens. Propylaea - the main entrance to the Acropolis, a majestic marble gate. They have five openings for the passage. The widest of them (instead of steps it is equipped with a ramp) is located in the middle and was previously intended for riders and driving animals for sacrifices. Its width is 4.3 m. The gate facades consist ofsix-columned Doric porticos. In ancient times, the Propylaea, of all the buildings of the Acropolis, was the most famous and was mentioned much more often than the Parthenon.
Parthenon
The Parthenon is the main temple for which the Acropolis is famous, where the bas-reliefs depict scenes from ancient Greek myths, including the birth of Athena from the head of Zeus. The size of the temple is quite impressive: its width is 30 m, length is about 70 m. The columns standing around the perimeter are 10 m high. The structure of the columns is amazing: they expand towards the center, and the corner ones are installed with a slight inclination in relation to the floor. Thanks to the cunning of the ancient architects, the temple looks the same proportionally, no matter from which side it is observed. Inside was installed the famous sculpture of the goddess - Athena-Virgo. It was created by the main creator of the Acropolis, the architect Phidias. The hands and face of the goddess were made of ivory, parts of clothing and weapons were made of gold, the sparkle of the eyes was achieved through the use of natural gems. The statue has not survived to this day. Her appearance was restored thanks to the found ancient copies.
Erechtheion
Temple where several gods were glorified at once: Athena, Poseidon and Erechtheus (the ancient king of Athens). Inside was the well of Poseidon, filled with s alt water. According to legend, this well arose as a result of a trident strike, which the great Poseidon held in his strong hand. Based on the fact that the temple building was intended for various purposes, itIt had two entrances, on the north and east sides. Each of them contained its own portico, mounted on Ionic columns. The opening was decorated with an ornate pattern with many carved details and was considered the most beautiful architraves of the era of Pericles. Not far from the temple there was a cave in which the sacred snake of the goddess Athena lived. The snake personified the great ruler of the city - Erechtheus. Until now, the interior decoration of this temple has not been preserved, only in the writings of contemporaries can one find a description of the premises.
Dionysus Theater
Greek theaters were always built on a hillside, where seats were set up for spectators, in front of which there was a wooden stage. The audience seats had the shape of a semicircle (they were called "theatron") and surrounded the platform where the choir was located (the platform was called the orchestra). In the IV century. BC e. seats for spectators were made in the form of a recess in the rocky ground and then lined with marble. Theater of Dionysus - the first monumental Greek theater, located on the southern slope of the Acropolis. Until our time, marble chairs, which were intended for significant guests and honorary residents of Athens, have been preserved. The capacity of the theater is 17 thousand people.
Temple of Goddess Nike
This is another temple that has survived to our time, which is part of the ensemble (Acropolis). What is "apteros" - the word for the name of the goddess? Usually Nika was depicted with wings behind her back. But this temple is an exception to the rule, since the people of Athens decidedkeep the victory. Therefore, the wings were deliberately not made in order to prevent Nike from flying away and leaving her in the city forever. Accordingly, "apteros" means "wingless".
The temple has four Ionic columns, the upper parts of which are decorated with spiral curls. The temple of Nike Apteros was built during the Peloponnesian War, so the bas-reliefs depicted the victory over the Spartans and Persians. At the time of the capture by the Turks, the sanctuary was dismantled for the construction of military fortifications. To date, the temple of Nike is often closed to visitors due to restoration.
What is destroyed by time
Some architectural objects have not survived to this day. In their place, only foundations or shapeless ruins of buildings that once adorned the Acropolis were found. What did they store, what did they look like in their heyday? For example, Hekatompedon or Pandroseion? This can be judged by the results of excavations or by the literary evidence left to the world by Ancient Greece. At the site of Hekatompedon, the remains of columns and parts of sculptural compositions were found. The Sanctuary of Artemis is almost completely destroyed: only insignificant remains of it and a warehouse where weapons were stored were found.
New Museum
The Athens Museum, located on the territory of the Acropolis, began its work in 1874. Basically, there are elements that were previously located in the Upper City. The collection became larger and, after a while, the available premises became insufficient. Not far from the Acropolis, they began to build a new, more spacious building. But things didn't always go smoothly.because there were some obstacles and problems associated with the choice of architects or land. At the beginning of construction, at the stage of preparing the land for laying the foundation, historically significant architectural objects were discovered. As a result, the construction of the museum was suspended.
In 2009, a three-level museum complex with a glass floor was opened, allowing visitors to observe the excavations.
