3. The Acropolis
The Acropolis is located in Athens in Greece. It is situated high above
the city and the name originally means high city.
The Acropolis consists of several places and buildings and became a
UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987.
The most famous building is the Parthenon which was built in 447-432
BC, when the Athenian empire was at the height of its power. It is a
temple dedicated to the goddess Athena.
Another famous place is the theatre which was built in honor of the
god Dionysus. It was an open-air theatre and could seat about 17 000
spectators.
The Erechtheion is another temple which is famous for its six columns
which look like female figures.
The Agora was the market place. It was also the centre of the political
life in the city.
5. Ancient Olympia
Ancient Olympia was the site of the first Olympic Games which were
held in 776 B.C. in honour of the god Zeus.
Originally the Olympic Games were held every four years. Today there
are both winter and summer games occurring every two years but four
years apart.
According to the myth, all wars between the city states of Greece were
post-poned during the games.
During the first Olympic Games there were also horse and chariot
racing events.
Women were not allowed to take part in the Olympic Games.
In Olympia there was also a statue of Zeus which was 13 meters tall and
made of gold and ivory. It was regarded as one of the seven wonders of
the world until it was destroyed in the 5th century AD.
Ancient Olympia is part of UNESCO’s World Heritage List.
7. Ancient Nikopolis
Nikopolis is situated in the suburbs of the city of Preveza. It
was built by Octavian in 31 BC to celebrate his victory over
Anthony and Cleopatra.
The city developed greatly as the inhabitants were granted
land and freedom. It was a beautiful city with temples,
theatres, gymnasiums, mansion houses and other
monuments.
Today part of the stadium, the two theatres, the
amphitheatre, the aqueduct, the fortification walls are still
preserved.
The aqueduct of Nikopolis is a great technical
accomplishment considering the means of those times.
9. The Monastery of Great Lavra
Mount Athos is a mountain and peninsula in northern
Greece.
There are 20 different monasteries on Mount Athos and
today many Greek refer to it as ‘the holy mountain’.
Only men over 18 who are either monks or workers can live
here.
The number of visitors to Mount Athos is restricted. Only
men are allowed to visit and all visitors need a special
permit.
The Monastery of Great Lavra is the first monastery built
on Mount Athos. It is located on the southeastern foot of
the mountain at an elevation of 160 metres.
Mount Athos is a World Heritage Site.
11. Meteora, Kalampaka
Meteora means ”middle of the sky” or ”suspended in air”.
The Meteora consists of six monasteries built on sandstone
rock pillars which were formed around 60 million years
ago. Water, wind and earthquakes have given them the
shape they have today.
The monasteries can be reached via staircases cut into the
rocks.
The Meteora has appeared in the James Bond film For Your
Eyes Only. It has also served as inspiration for the computer
game Tomb Raider and the fantasy series Game of Thrones.
The Meteora is part of the UNESCO World Heritage List.
13. The Palace of the Grand Master
The Palace of the Grand Master is a medieval castle in the
city of Rhodes.
The palace was built in the early 14th century by the
Knights of Rhodes who controlled Rhodes and some other
Greek islands from 1309 to 1522, to house the Grand Master
of the Order.
Some parts of the palace were damaged by an ammunition
explosion in 1856.
When Italy occupied Rhodes in 1912, the Italians made the
palace a holiday residence for the king Victor Emmanuel III
and later for Fascist dictator Benito Mussolini.
On the floors of the palace there are many beautiful
mosaics.
15. The Vergina Tombs
The Vergina Museum in northern Greece contains some of
the most astonishing ancient tomb discoveries in history –
namely those of Philip II of Macedon, father of Alexander
the Great, and of Alexander IV, son of Alexander the Great.
Alexander the Great became king at the age of 20 and
created one of the largest empires of the ancient world,
stretching from Greece to Egypt and Pakistan.
The tombs were discovered by a Greek archaeologist in
1977 and many believe that the tombs in fact do belong to
the famous historical figures.
On the site there is now a museum which opened in 1993
and was built in a way as to protect the tombs.
17. The Ancient Town of Dion, Mount
Olympus
Dion is situated in northern Greece. In ancient times
it was a sacred place for the worship of the god Zeus.
Today it is best known for its archeological site and
museum.
Dion is located at the foot of Mount Olympus which,
according to the myth, used to be the home of the
ancient Greek gods.
Zeus was the leader of the gods who dwelt on Mount
Olympus, Other inhabitants on Mount Olympus were
Hera, Poseidon, Athena, Ares, Hermes and Dionysus.
19. Knossos Palace
Knossos palace is situated on Crete and is considered the oldest city in
Europe.
The first palace was built around 1900 BC (around the same time as the
pyramids in Egypt).
The first palace was destroyed in an earthquake around 1700 BC but it
was rebuilt soon after.
According to the myth, King Minos kept a minotaur (a creature with
the head of a bull on the body of a man) locked away in a labyrinth in
the palace.
Knossos was rediscovered by Arthur Evans in 1894. He was able to
purchase the land and carried out excavations between 1900 and 1936.
The most famous part of the palace is the Throne Room but there was
also a theatre and several store rooms with large clay containers for oil,
fish, grains and olives.
21. Delphi
Delphi is an ancient Greek city most well-known for its Temple
of Apollo, dating back to the 4th century BC.
Delphi was also the home of an oracle belonging to the god
Apollo. She was able to see into the future and it is said that no
Greek person in ancient times dared to make an important
decision in life without consulting the oracle first.
Today researchers claim that the oracles were in fact ordinary
women who breathed in poisonous volcanic gases and thus were
able to deliver ideas about what the future would hold.
In ancient Delphi there are many important archeological sites,
for example a theatre which could seat 5000 spectators.
Today there is a modern city also called Delphi, situated close to
the acheological site.
