Ancient citadel · 5th century BC · Athens, Greece

Acropolis of Athens

The Acropolis of Athens is an ancient citadel perched on a rocky outcrop rising 156 metres above sea level in the heart of modern Athens, containing the ruins of several ancient buildings of extraordinary architectural and historical significance. The most celebrated monument on the hill is the Parthenon, a Doric temple dedicated to the goddess Athena, completed in 432 BC under the direction of the sculptor Pheidias during the golden age of Pericles. Designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987, the Acropolis is the supreme symbol of Classical Greek civilisation and one of the most visited archaeological sites in the world.

Type: Ancient citadel; UNESCO World Heritage Site
Period: Inhabited from the Neolithic; major Classical monuments built 460–406 BC
Style: Classical Greek (Doric and Ionic orders)
Location: Acropolis, Athens 105 58, Greece
Coordinates: 37.9716° N, 23.7247° E

Overview

The word “acropolis” means “high city” in Greek, and Athens’ hilltop citadel has been continuously occupied since the Neolithic period, serving over millennia as a royal residence, a religious sanctuary, a Byzantine church, and an Ottoman fortress before becoming an archaeological park. Four principal monuments survive on the plateau: the Parthenon, the Erechtheion with its celebrated Porch of the Caryatids, the small Temple of Athena Nike, and the monumental gateway known as the Propylaea. The Acropolis Museum at the foot of the hill, opened in 2009, houses the finest surviving sculptures and friezes from the site.

History

Bronze Age Mycenaeans were the first to fortify the rock, around the 13th century BC, and subsequent Archaic-period rulers expanded the sanctuary in the 7th and 6th centuries. The Persian sack of Athens in 480 BC destroyed the earlier temples, spurring the Athenians under Pericles to rebuild the sacred precinct in gleaming Pentelic marble beginning in 447 BC; the Parthenon was consecrated in 438 BC and the Erechtheion completed in 406 BC. During Byzantine rule the Parthenon became a church of the Virgin Mary, and under Ottoman occupation it served as a mosque; a Venetian bombardment in 1687 caused a devastating explosion that largely destroyed the Parthenon’s interior.

What you see

Ascending through the Propylaea, the gateway complex rebuilt in 437–432 BC, visitors arrive on the plateau where the Parthenon’s colonnade of 46 outer Doric columns — still largely standing — frames panoramic views across modern Athens toward the sea. The Erechtheion to the north preserves the famous Porch of the Caryatids (now replicas; originals in the Acropolis Museum), while the compact Temple of Athena Nike stands sentinel at the south-western bastion. Ongoing restoration work, conducted with meticulous archaeological rigour since 1975, is visible throughout the site.

Cultural significance

The Acropolis has been the single most influential monument in Western architectural history: the Parthenon’s proportional system, sculptural programme, and use of optical refinements have shaped temple, church, and civic architecture from Rome to Washington. As the emblem of democracy’s birthplace, it carries a political resonance that makes it a universal symbol of human achievement, recognised by UNESCO as an outstanding universal value for humanity.

Practical information

Address: Acropolis, Athens 105 58, Greece
Opening hours: Open daily; hours vary by season — check the official Hellenic Ministry of Culture website
Admission: Charged; combined ticket available with other major Athens archaeological sites
Acropolis Museum: Dionysiou Areopagitou 15, Athens — houses the finest original sculptures from the site

Getting there

The main entrance is on the western slope of the hill, reached on foot through the Plaka neighbourhood. The nearest Metro station is Acropoli (Line 2, red line), a 5-minute walk from the south entrance. Bus routes serving Dionysiou Areopagitou also stop nearby. Taxis and rideshare services drop off at the foot of the hill.

Sources & resources

Find it on the map

Google Maps See the location on a full map → Street View Walk around the place virtually → OpenStreetMap Free community cartography →

The Acropolis of Athens can be considered the most representative of the Greek Acropolis. It is a fortress, leveled at the top, which rises 156 meters above sea level above the city of Athens. The plateau is 140 m wide and almost 280 m long. It is also known as Cecropia in honor of the legendary snake-man Cecrops, the first Athenian king.



The Acropolis was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1987.



The remains date back to the Archaic period, but traces have been found dating back to the Neolithic and Paleolithic periods; it is attested that some imposing buildings stood on the acropolis at the end of the 7th century BC, a time when the walls dating back to the Mycenaean age lost their defensive importance. In the first half of the 6th century BC, after the expulsion of the Pisistratids, the acropolis ceased to be a fortress.



The ancient fortifications, constructions, Templar buildings and statues were destroyed during the Persian occupation of 480 BC. The first reconstructive efforts of the Athenians focused on the most useful works.



The walls and ramparts were rebuilt under the rule of Themistocles and Cimon, while during the time of Pericles, to celebrate the victory over the Persians and the political, economic and cultural primacy of Athens, the reconstruction of the acropolis was carried out, with the construction of the Parthenon (inside which a colossal statue of Athena Parthenos was erected, made by Phidias and now lost), of the Propylaea and later of the Erechtheion and the Temple of Athena Nike.



In the late Roman Empire the Parthenon was transformed into a church dedicated to the Virgin Mary. In the Middle Ages the acropolis was transformed into a military fortress first by the Franks and then by the Turks. In 1687 the Venetians bombed the acropolis, causing extensive damage to the Parthenon, which, as it contained gunpowder deposits, blew up.

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During the domination of the Ottoman Empire the acropolis was stripped of most of the marbles that adorned the pediments and of the metopes by Lord Elgin who brought them to England. In the nineteenth century the first excavations and restorations of the temples began, which led to sensational discoveries, such as the famous archaic statues of girls, the Kore. Most of the finds are exhibited in the Acropolis Museum in Athens.



During the work to free the Acropolis of Athens from the fortified structures built by the Turks, in 1852-1853 the French archaeologist Charles Ernest Beul&eacute; discovered the great staircase leading to the Acropolis and the fortified gate from the Roman era, since then called Porta Beul&eacute; , which still constitutes the main access to the archaeological complex.



The Acropolis was the highest part of the city. It was the religious center. Here stood the main temple dedicated to the protector deity of the poleis and the temples of other deities.

https://culturalheritageonline.com/places/acropolis-of-athens-l4113/

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