Acropolis of Athens History

The Acropolis of Athens is a citadel located on a plateau in modern day Athens, Greece and served as the city center of ancient Athens. The ruins tower over the modern day city of Athens, Greece and are viewable from almost anywhere within the city. Origins date back all the way to 6000 BC when a Stone Age settlement arrived and settled on the plateau. The first major building took place around 2000 BC when a Mycenaean settlement built a palace and wall on the plateau. None of the buildings during the Mycenaean period remain on the Acropolis today, and some have even refuted their presence all together. It wasn't until 600 BC when construction started on the buildings we see today on the Acropolis. A period of accelerated construction took place between 460 and 430 BC including the Propylaea (the city gate), the Temple of Athena, a Statue of Athena, and the Parthenon among many others.

There are many important buildings in the Acropolis that are still intact today. The Propylaea is the massive entrance to the Acropolis. It served as the only access in and out of the Acropolis. It was important to control access to the Acropolis as several important buildings and the nation's wealth were stored there. The Parthenon, the most recognizable and imposing building on the Acropolis, was originally built as a temple to Athena and as a state treasury. It would later become a church under the Byzantine Empire and then a Mosque under the Ottoman Empire. The Parthenon features some of the finest examples of ancient Greek art and sculpture. The Acropolis has survived many attacks over the years. Today, many of the ruins in the Acropolis of Athens remain intact. The Parthenon is still undergoing a major reconstruction that started in 1975, due to natural deterioration and to repair damage caused by a Venetian siege in 1687. The Acropolis also contains theatres, sanctuaries, temples, and many works of ancient Greek art that are all still visible today. The biggest threat to the Acropolis now is the pollution from the city of Athens. Much like the Colosseum in Rome, the modern day amenities are causing discolorization of the ruins and there have been to good solution yet to solve the problem.

In June, 2009, the new Acropolis Museum opened on the south slope of the plateau. It is a much larger museum that replaced an old museum that was located within the ruins. The museum itself was built upon some ruins and it caused some controversy no whether the location was the best choice. It contains thousands of artifacts from nearly every building from within the Acropolis.

The Acropolis of Athens is considered by many as the birthplace of modern civilization. It gave rise to democracy and is the precursor to western civilizations throughout Europe and the United States.

The Acropolis of Athens: Wonder of the World

On November 25th, 2009, The Acropolis of Athens was voted as the 8th of 12 Wonders of the World on our own Wonders of the World Vote. The other seven already voted in are Machu Picchu in Peru, The Colosseum in Rome, The Pyramids of Giza in Egypt, and The Great Wall of China in China, The Taj Mahal in India, Angkor Wat in Cambodia, and Teotihuacan in Mexico.