Athens Acropolis

For anyone visiting Athens for the first time, including yachtsmen who have rented yachts in Athens or Lavrio, we strongly recommend adding a day to your trip for visiting the Acropolis of Athens, most important attraction in Greece.

Propylaea and the Temple of Nika Aptero

The sacred road along which the Athenian procession moved from the agora to the temple of the patron goddess during the main celebration of the Great Panathinae led to the Propylaeum, which had five aisles and was flanked in antiquity by two equestrian statues of Dioscuri. In the left protruding wing was the Pinacotheca (a collection of pinnacle paintings donated to the goddess Athena); on the right were the repositories of manuscripts and the rooms for the janitor and guards. To the right of the Propylaeum on the pyrgos (ledge of fortified rock) stands a small, light and graceful temple of Ionic dedicated to Athena-Nica, known as the temple of Nika Apteros (Wingless Victory, architect Kallikrates).

Erechtheion

After the participants in the procession passed the Propylaeum and entered to the sacred area, the panorama of the central part of the complex opened before them.

In the foreground, just to the left of the road, stood a colossal bronze statue of Athena Promachos (the Warrior), created by Phidias. Behind her in the distance could be seen the Erechtheion (architect unknown), the temple of Athena and Poseidon at the site of the dispute between these gods for the possession of Attica. The temple had a unique asymmetrical plan in Greek architecture with three porticoes at different levels: on the west side was the portico leading to the temple of Athena Polyades, on the north the entrance to the sanctuary of Poseidon, the Erechtheus, and on the southern wall the famous Caryatid Portico. The entire building was surrounded by a frieze with superimposed white figures (not preserved).

In the Erechtheion, the oldest sanctuary in Athens, were the sacred xoan of Athena (a wooden statue), said to have fallen from the sky, the altars of Hephaestus and the hero Bute, and the tomb of the legendary Athenian king Kekrop. On the west was the sanctuary of the Attic goddess of dew Pandrosa. In the courtyard of the Erechtheion grew a sacred olive tree, presented to the city by Athena, and there was a salty spring that Poseidon had carved with his trident.

Caryatids

Sculptures depicting beautiful young priestesses were used to support the roof of the southern portico of the Erechtheion (420 BC).

It is very likely that they derived their name from the women of Caraea (the ancient city of Arcadia in the Peloponnese), who were supposedly the models of the sculptural images. During Turkish rule, the caryatids were called petrified princesses or fortress maidens. According to legend, when Lord Elgin stole one of the caryatids with a number of sculptures of the Parthenon, the remaining five wailed every night, mourning the loss of their sister. No matter how we treat the legend of the tears of the caryatids, there is no doubt that they are beautiful, unique and unforgettable.

Parthenon

The lightness of form, the particular refinement of decoration and the complexity of composition - Erechtheion contrasts with the strict and stately, emphasized monumental Parthenon (the Temple of Athena the Virgin; 69.5 m long and 30.9 m wide, height of the columns - 10.5 m; 447 - consecrated in 438; architect Ictinus with the participation of Callicrates), which is a Doric peripter.

The building is viewed from the Propylaeum in three quarters - the visitors saw not one of its facades, but the entire volume of the structure, getting an idea of its appearance as a whole, and before seeing the main, eastern facade, they had to go around the outside of the temple.

In the temple itself, in the naos, stood a chrysoelephantine statue of Athena Parthenos (the Virgin) by Phidias. The opisthodomos contained the sacred money of the goddess and the treasury of the Athenian Maritime Union. The pediments had sculptural groups that displayed the most important events in the cult of Athena - her birth and the dispute with the sea god Poseidon for the possession of Attica. The reliefs of the metopes around the perimeter of the building show scenes of mythological battles. The architectural details, sculpture and reliefs were brightly colored.

The plan and order solution of the Parthenon also differed from the traditional ones by a number of peculiarities: in front of the naos was a maiden hall (Parthenon, which gave its name to the whole temple); along the wall of the naos was an Ionic frieze with a depiction of the Panathenaic Procession. In front of the Parthenon, on the right side of the Propylaeum, were also the sanctuaries of Artemis Bravronia and Athena Ergana (the Craftsman) and the depository of weapons and sacred armor - Chalcoteca.

The open area of the Acropolis was occupied by numerous altars and gifts to the gods - statues and steles. To the north-western slope of the Acropolis were adjacent the temple and theater of Dionysus (6th century BC - rebuilt in 326), the Odeon of Pericles (covered round building for music competitions) (2nd half of 5th century BC), the theater of Herodes Atticus (2nd century AD), the sanctuary of Asclepius, the Stoa (Portico) of Everyman.

Acropolis Museum

In addition to the ancient buildings at the top of the cliff there is also the Acropolis Museum. The Acropolis Museum contains priceless treasures. A visit to the exhibition will give you a detailed idea of the history and role of the Acropolis as the main religious center of Athens. It is advisable to enter it before exploring the monuments of the Acropolis in detail, so that your subsequent walk along the sacred rock will bring you much greater pleasure. 

The most interesting exhibits are:

• Moschophorus - "Carrying the Taurus" - an exceptionally exquisite sculpture from the 6th century BC showing a young man carrying a calf on his shoulders as an offering to the goddess Athena.
• The archaic koras are statues of young girls who were dedicated during a long time to the goddess Athena. None of them looks like the other. The changes that occur over time in the execution of hairstyles and in the modeling of clothing folds make it possible to appreciate the development of the sculptural art in ancient Greece.
• The sculptures from the Parthenon decoration are the few that remain of one of the wonders of art of all time. Among the exhibits in this group, pay special attention to several plates from the frieze depicting the gods of Olympus, as well as to the metopes (rectangular intermediate plates of the frieze) depicting scenes of Lapiths fighting centaurs.
• The caryatids, sculptures depicting beautiful young priestesses were the support for the roof of the southern portico of the Erechtheion.

For yachtsmen who have rented yachts in Athens (most likely yachts are in the Alimos Marina), the easiest way to reach the Acropolis of Athens is by streetcar.