KnowKnow YourYour ACROPOLIS!ACROPOLIS!

KNOW YOUR ACROPOLIS! ACROPOLIS FACTS: Established for the patron Goddess Athena as early as the Archaic period (650-480 BC)

THREE MAJOR SITES: PARTHENON ERECHTHEION TEMPLE of ATHENA NIKE

KNOW YOUR ACROPOLIS! KNOW YOUR ACROPOLIS! If the Acropolis looks impressive NOW, imagine what it was like in 430 BC!

KNOW YOUR ACROPOLIS! The PROPYLAIA The Propylaia is the entranceway into the Acropolis Designed by Mnesikles and began construction in 437 BCE

KNOW YOUR ACROPOLIS! PARTHENON

TEMPLE of ATHENA NIKE

PROPYLAIA

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

KNOW YOUR ACROPOLIS! The PARTHENON Constructed by the order of Pericles to house & honor Athena Completed in 438 BCE

KNOW YOUR ACROPOLIS! 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.

KNOW YOUR ACROPOLIS! Basic layout of all of the FRIEZES on the Parthenon… FRIEZES are decorative stone engravings that usually illustrate an event of story… also known as RELIEFS.

KNOW YOUR ACROPOLIS! Nashville Art Museum Built to resemble the Parthenon

KNOW YOUR ACROPOLIS! Here’s a model of what the ACROPOLIS looked like in it’s hey dey.

KNOW YOUR ACROPOLIS! 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.

KNOW YOUR ACROPOLIS! The TEMPLE of ATHENA NIKE Complete 420 BCE, Acropolis.

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.

KNOW YOUR ACROPOLIS! The TEMPLE of ATHENA NIKE Complete 420 BCE, Acropolis.

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.

KNOW YOUR ACROPOLIS! The TEMPLE of ATHENA NIKE Complete 420 BCE, Acropolis.

To prevent people from falling from atop the hill, a large parapet (a wall) was added around 410 BCE. On it contained numerous reliefs, including this one of Athena Nike adjusting her sandal.

KNOW YOUR ACROPOLIS! This is an artist’s Rendering of what the Temple of Athena Nike probably looked like in it’s prime.

KNOW YOUR ACROPOLIS! 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.)

KNOW YOUR ACROPOLIS! CARYATIDS (Greek columns shaped like women… In Egypt, they had similar columns of MEN called ATLANTIDS. These ladies are seen on the Porch of the Maidens at the Erechtheion.)

KNOW YOUR ACROPOLIS! KNOW YOUR ACROPOLIS! KNOW YOUR ACROPOLIS! KNOW YOUR ACROPOLIS! The Three Basic Greek Orders (Keep in mind that CORINTHIAN wasn’t around at the beginning of the Classical Period.)

KNOW YOUR ACROPOLIS!