greek city

2. ACROPOLIS
FACTS:
Established for the patron
Goddess Athena as early
as the Archaic period
(650-480 BC)
THREE MAJOR SITES:
PARTHENON
ERECHTHEON
TEMPLE of ATHENA NIKE

4. The PROPYLAIA
The Propylaia is the entranceway into the Acropolis
Designed by Mnesikles and began construction in 437 BCE

5. The PROPYLAIA
The Propylaia is the entranceway into the Acropolis
Designed by Mnesikles and began construction in 437 BCE
PROPYLAIA
TEMPLE of ATHENA NIKE
PARTHENON

6. The PARTHENON
Constructed by the order of Pericles to house & honor Athena

7. The
PARTHENON
The centerpiece of the sculptural
program of the Parthenon was
the monumental statue of Athena
in the main cella of the temple.
The statue was made of gold and
ivory, and was approximately 38
feet tall. Although no longer
around, Ancient copies and
literary descriptions have allowed
scholars to produce fairly
accurate reconstructions. The
one here is from the Royal
Ontario Museum in Toronto.

10. The marble decoration of the Parthenon is now in the British Museum in
London ("Elgin Marbles"). This is a fragment, showing reclining gods
who are waiting for the beginning of a great procession.

11. The TEMPLE of
ATHENA NIKE
Nike means "Victory" in Greek, and
Athena was worshiped in this form,
as goddess of victory, on the
Acropolis. Her temple was the
earliest Ionic temple on the
Acropolis. Here the citizens
worshipped the goddess in hope of
a prosperous outcome in the long
war fought on land and sea against
the Spartans and their allies. The
Temple of Athena Nike was an
expression of Athens' ambition to
be the leading Greek city state in
the Peloponnese.

12. Artist’s
Rendering of
what the
Temple of
Athena Nike
probably
looked like in
it’s prime.

13. The
ERECHTHEION
Built between 421-406 BC,
the Erechtheion is situated on
the most sacred site of the
Acropolis. It is said to be
where Poseidon left his
trident marks in a rock, and
Athena's olive tree sprouted,
in their battle for possession
of the city. Named after
Erechtheus, one of the
mythical kings of Athens, the
temple was a sanctuary to
both Athena and Poseidon.
The south is the Porch of the
Caryatids, the maiden statues
which the originals are now in
the Acropolis Museum. (One
of the 6 is still part of the
Lord Elgin marbles collection
in the British Museum.)