Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
1
Akrópoli to the south, along pedestrianized Dhionysíou
Areopayítou past the Acropolis Museum, Theatre of Dionysos
and Herodes Atticus Theatre (or through the South Slope
site). Disabled access to the Acropolis is available via a lift on
the north side (by arrangement only T 210 321 4172).
Cafés, shops and cloakrooms You can buy water and
sandwiches, as well as guidebooks, postcards and so on,
from a couple of stands near the main ticket office. There's
also a handy branch of Everest right opposite Akrópoli
metro station (at the corner of Makriyiánni and Dhiakoú)
and plenty of similar places around Monastiráki metro. If
you want to sit down to eat, there are cafés and tavernas
nearby in almost every direction: Pláka (p.102), Monastiráki
(p.102), Makriyiánni (p.107) and Thissío (p.106). Backpacks
and large bags are not allowed in to the site - there's a
cloakroom near the main ticket office.
The Summit of the Acropolis
Daily: April-Sept 8am-6.30pm; Oct-March 8am-4.30pm • €12
As well as the iconic Parthenon, the summit of the Acropolis is home to the
Erechtheion, the Temple of Athena Nike and the Propylaia, as well as lesser remains of
many other ancient structures.
The Propylaia
Today, as throughout history, the Propylaia are the gateway to the Acropolis. In Classical
times the Sacred Way extended along a steep ramp to this massive monumental double
gatehouse; the modern path makes a more gradual, zigzagging ascent, passing first
through an arched Roman entrance, the Beule Gate , added in the third century AD.
The Propylaia were constructed by Mnesikles from 437-432 BC, and their axis and
proportions aligned to balance the recently completed Parthenon. They - the name is
the plural of propylon, gateway, referring to the fact that there are two wings - were
built from the same Pentelic marble (from Mount Pendéli, northeast of the city) as the
temple, and in grandeur and architectural achievement are almost as impressive. In
order to offset the difficulties of a sloping site, Mnesikles combined, for the first time,
standard Doric columns with the taller and more delicate Ionic order. The ancient
Athenians, awed by the fact that such wealth and craftsmanship should be used for a
purely secular building, ranked this as their most prestigious monument.
The Panathenaic Way
he Panathenaic Way was the route of the great annual procession for ancient Athens'
Panathenaic Festival, in honour of the city's patron goddess Athena. The procession
- depicted on the Parthenon frieze - wound right through the Classical city from the
gates now in the Kerameikos site (p.88) via the Propylaia to the Parthenon and, finally,
the Erechtheion. You can see traces of the ancient route just inside the Propylaia, where
there are grooves cut for footholds in the rock and, to either side, niches for
innumerable statues and offerings. In Classical times it ran past a 10m-high bronze
statue of Athena Promachos (Athena the Champion), whose base can just about be
made out. Athena's spear and helmet were said to be visible to sailors approaching from
as far away as Sounío.
Close to the Propylaia too are the scant remains of a Sanctuary of Artemis . Although its
function remains obscure, it is known that the precinct once housed a colossal bronze
representation of the Wooden Horse of Troy. More noticeable is a nearby stretch of
Mycenaean wall (running parallel to the Propylaia) that was incorporated into the Classical
design.
The Temple of Athena Nike
Simple and elegant, the Temple of Athena Nike stands on a precipitous platform
overlooking Pireás and the Saronic Gulf. It has only recently reappeared, having been
dismantled, cleaned and reconstructed. Not for the first time either: demolished by the
Turks in the seventeenth century, the temple was reconstructed from its original blocks
two hundred years later.
 
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