ATHENS | Archaeological Sights

Several and significant monuments have been rescued though the times. Monuments which preserve their former glory, testify the greatness of ancient Athens and are signs of the famous classic civilization. A sample of the world-wide cultural inheritance is the Parthenon located at the Acropolis of Athens. 

The Acropolis is built on a rock that was once called Kekropia, named after king Kekropas, and from there it was easy to control the surrounding area. Originally it was inhabited by the ruler of the city. The place was first inhabited in the prehistoric times and the first to fortify the area where the Pelasgians. Various additions followed, but its final form was reached in the days of Pericles, in the 5th century, by the architects Iktinos, Mnesikles and Kallikrates and the sculptor Pheidias.

The Propylaea combine two architectural orders and consist of two rows of colonnades with external and internal pillars of Dorian and Ionic order respectively. West of the Propylaea are the ruins of the Temple of Athena Nike, with two rows of Ionic pillars and an alcove. On the temple survives a graven image of a gathering of the Twelve Gods of the Olympus.

The Parthenon stands in the center of the Acropolis. Its construction was completed in the years of the golden age of Pericles, with the contribution of the architects Iktinos and Kallikrates and of the sculptor Pheidias. The temple is Dorian, with eight pillars and its alcove is divided into two parts. The Parthenon is made of marble. What impress not only the visitors but also the architects are the curves of the vertical and horizontal elements of the building, which were very difficult to construct at that time. The sculpted frieze, which depicts scenes of the Gigantomachy, the Centaurs’ War and the Trojan War, is also outstanding, but the internal frieze definitely fascinates us more than words can say with a sculptured depiction of the procession of Panathenaea, which was a work of Pheidias. However, most of its parts are in the British Museum.

Northwest of the Parthenon there are ruins of the sanctum of Zeus and in the north the second large temple, the Erechtheum, with the Caryatids, which was completed quite later.

Other monuments of the Acropolis are the Sanctum of Panedmos Aphrodite, the Sanctum of Vravronia Artemis, of Zeus Polieos, the Chalkotheke and the Arrephorio.
Moving on to the south, you will encounter the Theater of Dionysus and to the west the Conservatory of Herod the Attic, which was the center of artistic activity in ancient Athens and which, up until today, is used as a place of cultural events during the summer months.

The Acropolis Museum is inside the archaeological sight and is one of the best in Greece, with many statues, bas-reliefs, decorations and finds from the area.

Opposite the Acropolis, on the hill of Philopappou, there is a part of the Monument of the Muses, while on the hill of the Nymphs there is the observatory of Athens.

The Aeropagus is on the northwest of the Acropolis. There used to sit the Parliament of Aeropagus, which was the oldest judicature of the Athenians. 

Opposite the Aeropagus there is the Pnyka, the place where the city delegates used to sit.
The Ancient Market, the place where the citizens used to gather, is to the east of Theseio. The monuments are plenty, most important of which is the restored colonnade of Attalos, where today there is the museum of the Market. You will also see the Tholos, which was possibly the place of residence for the deans, and the House of Parliament, where the Parliament of the Five Hundred used to sit.

East of the Ancient Market there is the Roman Market, which was built in the 1st century AD. In this place you will see the Aeredes, an octagonal tower, also known as the Clock of Andronicus. In the same area there is also the library of Hadrian, the largest part of which was destroyed in 267AD.

At Ermou Str. there is the Dipylo, the entrance to the archaeological sight of Kerameikos, where a substantial part of the ancient city of Athens has been revealed. The Kerameikos was joined to Eleusis through the Iera Odos, while another road started at Dipylo and ended at the Acropolis.

The Pillars of the Olympic Zeus, what is left of the Temple of Zeus, are at the intersection of Vasilisses Olgas and Amalias Avenues. Outside the temple area remains today the Hadrian’s Gate.

The Panathenean Stadium, where the Panathenean Games used to take place, was built in 330BC and it is on the hill of Ardetos. The stadium was renovated by Herod the Attic in 140AD and in 1896, when it was used for the Olympic Games.