On the Acropolis: The Parthenon in Athens, Greece

The Porch of the Maidens and Athens, Greece.

The Erechtheion and Athens
The beautifully elegant Caryatids, the six maidens of Karyai, stand watch over the Acropolis and the sprawling city beneath it. Built between 421 and 406 BCE, the Erechtheion was a temple primarily dedicated to the goddess Athena.

It was hardly off the beaten path, but is one of those ‘once in a lifetime’ experiences that was on my list: the Acropolis, that rocky outcrop rising 150 m (490 ft) above sea level overlooking Athens, and the Parthenon, the ancient religious temple built for the Greek goddess Athena at the top.

Mythical home of the Greek gods – familiar to me since childhood – the Acropolis is believed to have had earthly inhabitants since the Early Neolithic period (6th millennium BC). The Parthenon that stands in ruins on the flat mountain top was originally built between 447 and 432 BCE.

In its day, the Parthenon ‘was the largest and most lavish temple the Greek mainland had ever seen.’ Much of what we see today, however, has been reconstructed and/or renovated over time. During their rule of the city, the Ottomans used the site as a munitions dump. In the course of their assault on the city in 1687, the Venetians bombarded the site with cannonballs: the ammunition stores exploded, resulting in hundreds of deaths and extensive structural damage. In the 1820s, the Acropolis was the middle of the combat zone between the Greek and Turks, and the Turkish Army removed the lead-coated iron clamps which held the marble blocks together to make bullets. By the 1800s, the site was in ruins, and over the following years was pilfered by looters and archaeological collectors.

Still, there is enough left to allow us to appreciate the magnificent design and craftsmanship that went into the ancient structures left on the hill.

I arrived in Athens the night before, after a busy week in Crete (see: Weekly Wanders – Crete). I had booked myself onto a small-group tour around the Greek mainland for this portion of the trip, and was thrilled to discover that the rooftop-restaurant in my rather plush hotel afforded me a wonderful view over the sprawling city and the Acropolis at its heart.

Join me for a walk up to the home of the Gods:

Pink sunrise and fading moon over the Parthenon, Athens, Greece.

Sunrise and Moon over the Parthenon
My rooftop breakfast balcony in Athens allowed me a stunning morning view. As if that wasn’t Greek enough, while I was enjoying my orange juice, the man at the table two inches from mine lit up a foul-smelling cigarette, as if to remind me where I was!

Man with an accordian, Acropolis, Athens, Greece.

Street Musician
From the car and bus parking, it is a fair walk up the hill – but we were kept entertained.

Temple of Athena Nike
Continuing our slow walk up the hill, we can see the temple dedicated to Athena and Nike, the goddess of victory. Built around 420 BCE, is the earliest fully Ionic temple on the hill.

Odeon of Herodes Atticus
Built by the later Romans, the Herodion (or Herodeion) is a stone theatre dating to 161 CE.

Philopappos Monument
The remains of an ancient Greek mausoleum and monument, built between 114 and 116 CE, stands on a neighbouring hill.

Steps into the Parthenon
The walk continues upward …

Towards the Sun
… and the morning sun greets us as we prepare to enter the Parthenon.

Columns Rising

Over Athens
Once we are on the hill top, the city – with its Christian Orthodox cathedrals in every quadrant – stretches out below us.

The Parthenon
The Parthenon is huge – but in considerable disrepair. Restoration efforts in earlier years have often led to further structural damage. The building style is Doric, which I vaguely remember from art classes as being demonstrated in the columns with their simple round capitals, and the absence of bases.

Parthenon Roof Frieze
The remaining sculptural decorations are beautiful examples of early Greek sculpture.

The Parthenon from the Hill

Another Church Below

Athens and Lycabettus Hill
To our north-east, Mount Lycabettus (Lycabettos, Lykabettos or Lykavittos), the highest hill in Athens, rises 227 meters (909 feet) above sea level.

Fallen Capital
The whole site is a mix of periods. Corinthian capitals, with their decorations of stylized acanthus leaves, lie tumbed on the ground.

The Erechtheion
The Ionic-style Erechtheion, made to house the statue of Athena Polias, was my favourite.

Tourist Shot at the Erechtheion
Unlike most classical Greek architecture, it is asymmetrical in shape.

Ionic Capital on a Column – the Erechtheion

The Erechtheion
It’s an elegant little building.

The Porch of the Maidens
Best of all, the Erechtheion is home to the wonderful Caryatids. These are replicas: five originals are in the Acropolis Museum and one remains in the British Museum.

Columns of the Parthenon