The Acropolis and its museum

On your left, you’ll find the entrance to the Acropolis Museum, where you’ll discover over 4,000 artifacts recovered from the so-called Sacred Rock. It’s therefore the perfect place to start your adventure and learn all about the incredible history of this iconic landmark just across the street. There’s even a top-floor lounge with fantastic views of these ancient wonders, listed in the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites. Speaking of the Acropolis, are you familiar with its story? This mighty rocky hill, towering at 156 meters, is a world-famous archaeological site that welcomes millions of visitors every year. Legend has it that Athena and Poseidon fought right here for control of the city. It is said that the rock itself has been inhabited since the Neolithic period, but the first stone buildings date back to the 7th century BC. The ruins you see today are mostly from the 5th century BC, during the reign of Pericles. The biggest and most famous one by far is the Parthenon, visible from almost anywhere in the city. Dedicated to Athena, patroness of the city and goddess of war and wisdom, it was built to house and protect her glorious golden statue, a work of Phidias, one of the greatest sculptors of the time. That’s why it is thought to have been a treasury rather than a temple, although its appearance seems to suggest otherwise. It also stood as a testament to Athenian power, as it was built in the mid-5th century, the golden age of Greek civilization, shortly after the country’s victory in the Persian Wars. Indeed, the spoils from those wars actually helped fund the construction of this monumental edifice. Sadly, the statue of Athena vanished sometime in the first century AD. It is said to have been gigantic, standing over 11 meters tall! The Parthenon itself is almost 70 meters long, 31 meters wide, and 14 meters high. Imagine the sheer effort it must have taken to haul 22,000 tons of marble from Mount Pentelicus, over 17 kilometers away, just to build it! Believe it or not, based on the date on the last surviving construction document, the whole thing was completed in a mere 15 years! The Parthenon eventually became the inspiration for countless neoclassical buildings around the world. Unfortunately, it was severely damaged by fire sometime in late Antiquity. We do not know the exact date of the incident, but what we do know is that it was repaired in no time and that, during the 6th century AD, it was converted into a church. It remained so for many years until the Ottomans took over the city in the mid-15th century and turned it into a mosque. Throughout all this, the remaining part of the Acropolis served as a fortress for the protection of the city and the temple. But disaster struck again in 1687, when, during a siege, the Parthenon was almost completely destroyed by an explosion, as it was being used as an ammunition depot. The Temple of Athena Nike, yet another iconic building of the Acropolis, was demolished to reinforce the area’s fortifications. Then in 1827, the city was attacked once more, at which point the third emblematic building on the hill, the Erechtheion, collapsed. Upon the liberation of Greece from the Ottomans in 1829, extensive restoration work began to restore the monument to its former glory. Today, the Acropolis stands as a testament to the greatness of Greek civilization and its influence on the architecture, arts, politics and philosophy of Western civilizations. The museum on your left recounts its rich history. We recommend that you visit it before heading up to the Acropolis in order for you to have the full picture. FYI, you will have to pay a ticket to enter the archaeological site. Keep in mind that there are also combo tickets that let you visit both the Acropolis and the museum. So get ready to discover one of the most important monuments of the ancient world! Next stop: Makrygianni neighborhood.