Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
of Nike (the goddess of victory) in her right hand, and in her left a spear with a serpent at
its base. On top of her helmet was a sphinx with griffins in relief at either side.
In AD 426 the statue was taken to Constantinople, where it disappeared. There is a
Roman copy (the Athena Varvakeion) in the National Archaeological Museum.
ENTERING THE ACROPOLIS
There are several entry points to the Acropolis. From the south, walk along
Dionysiou Areopagitou to the stairs just beyond the Odeon of Herodes Atticus to
reach the
main entrance
, or go through the
Theatre of Dionysos entrance
near the
Akropoli metro station, and wind your way up from there. Anyone carrying a back-
pack or large bag (including camera bags) must use the main entrance and leave
bags at the cloakroom. The main approach from Plaka is along the path that is a
continuation of Dioskouron.
People in wheelchairs can access the site via a cage lift rising vertically up the
rock face on the northern side. Go to the main entrance for this.
Arrive as early as possible, or go late in the afternoon; it gets incredibly crowded.
Also, wear shoes with rubber soles - the paths around the site are uneven and slip-
pery.
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Erechtheion
Although the Parthenon was the most impressive monument of the Acropolis, it was
more a showpiece than a sanctuary. That role fell to the Erechtheion, built on the part of
the Acropolis held most sacred, where Poseidon struck the ground with his trident, and
where Athena produced the olive tree. Named after Erechtheus, a mythical king of
Athens, the temple housed the cults of Athena, Poseidon and Erechtheus.
The Erechtheion is immediately recognisable by the six larger-than-life maiden
columns, the
Caryatids
(so called because they were modelled on women from Karyai,
modern-day Karyes, in Lakonia), that support its southern portico. Those you see are
plaster casts. The originals (except for one removed by Lord Elgin, and now in the Brit-
ish Museum) are in the Acropolis Museum.
The Erechtheion was part of Pericles' plan, but the project was postponed after the
outbreak of the Peloponnesian Wars. Work did not start until 421 BC, eight years after
his death, and was completed around 406 BC.
Architecturally it is the most unusual monument of the Acropolis, a supreme example
of Ionic architecture ingeniously built on several levels to counteract the uneven bedrock.
The main temple is divided into two cellae - one dedicated to Athena, the other to Posei-
