Common questions

What is the Acropolis famous for?

What is the Acropolis famous for?

The most famous acropolis is the one in Athens. The Athenian Acropolis is home to one of the most famous buildings in the world: the Parthenon. This temple was built for the goddess Athena. It was decorated with beautiful sculptures which represent the greatest achievement of Greek artists.

Why was the Acropolis destroyed?

On 26 September 1687, an Ottoman ammunition dump inside the building was ignited by Venetian bombardment during a siege of the Acropolis. The resulting explosion severely damaged the Parthenon and its sculptures….

Parthenon
Completed 432 BC
Destroyed Partially on 26 September 1687
Height 13.72 m (45.0 ft)
Dimensions

What role did the Acropolis play in Greek culture?

Over the centuries, the Acropolis was many things: a home to kings, a citadel, a mythical home of the gods, a religious center and a tourist attraction. It has withstood bombardment, massive earthquakes and vandalism yet still stands as a reminder of the rich history of Greece.

How old is the Acropolis in Greece?

It’s over 2,460 years old! The history books say it started being built in 447 BC.

When was the Acropolis in Greece built?

5th century bc
Athens has the best-known acropolis, built during the second half of the 5th century bc. The Athenian acropolis, located on a craggy, walled hill, was built as a home of Athena, the patron goddess of the city.

Who built the Acropolis in Greece?

Many people often wonder who were the people who built the incredible monuments of the Acropolis. The answer is simple Iktinos and Kallicrates who were architects along with Phidias, the famous Greek sculptor.

When was Acropolis built?

Athens has the best-known acropolis, built during the second half of the 5th century bc. The Athenian acropolis, located on a craggy, walled hill, was built as a home of Athena, the patron goddess of the city.

What does the Acropolis symbolize?

The Acropolis, and the Parthenon in particular, is the most iconic monument of the ancient Greek civilisation. It continues to stand as a symbol in many ways: it is the symbol of democracy and the Greek civilisation. It also symbolises the beginning of Western civilisation and stands as the icon of European culture.

When was the Acropolis built?

What was the Acropolis in ancient Greece?

acropolis, (Greek: “city at the top”) central, defensively oriented district in ancient Greek cities, located on the highest ground and containing the chief municipal and religious buildings.

What’s the origin of acropolis?

An acropolis is any citadel or complex built on a high hill. The name derives from the Greek akro, “high” or “extreme/extremity” or “edge”, and polis, “city”, translated as “high city”, “city on the edge” or “city in the air”, the most famous being the Acropolis of Athens, Greece, built in the 5th century BCE.

When was acropolis built?

When was the destruction of the Acropolis of Athens?

Destruction of the Acropolis by the armies of Xerxes I, during the Second Persian invasion of Greece, 480-479 BC. Between 529–520 BC yet another temple was built by the Peisistratids, the Old Temple of Athena, usually referred to as the Arkhaios Neōs (ἀρχαῖος νεώς, “ancient temple”).

Which is the best description of the Acropolis?

What Is the Acropolis? The term “acropolis” means “high city” in Greek and can refer to one of many natural strongholds constructed on rocky, elevated ground in Greece, but the Acropolis of Athens is the best known.

Where did the marble come from for the Acropolis?

Geology. Many of the hills in the Athens region were formed by the erosion of the same nappe as the Acropolis. These include the hills of Lykabettos, Areopagus, and Mouseion . The marble utilized to construct the buildings of the Acropolis was sourced from the quarries of Mount Pentelicus, a mountain to the northeast of the city.

Where are the temples in the Acropolis of Athens?

To the south of the entrance is the tiny Temple of Athena Nike. At the centre of the Acropolis is the Parthenon or Temple of Athena Parthenos (Athena the Virgin). East of the entrance and north of the Parthenon is the temple known as the Erechtheum.

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Ruth Doyle