Despite the significant destruction that time and especially people inflicted on the Athenian Acropolis, it still amazes with the skill of its creators and raises questions: “How? How did they do it? For example, how did they connect huge marble blocks together without any bonding mortar and fit so tightly that not even water can seep through them? And how many more secrets this creation keeps!
The Acropolis of Athens: a brief description of the complex
Acropolis is the name of the hill and the outstanding architectural ensemble located on it. In Greek, the spelling "Acropolis" looks like this: "Ακρόπολη". Usually this word is translated as "upper city", "fortified city" or simply "fortress". At first, the mountain was used as a refuge. Subsequently, there was a royal palace and even, according to myths, the residence of Theseus - the winner of the Cretan monster Minotaur.
Since the first temple of Athena appeared on the mountain, it has been considered sacred. Around this narrow cliff with three steep walls, the city of Athens has grown, whose heart and soul are on the holy Acropolis. From the top of the mountain, the capital of Greece is visible at a glance. Just as from the city, the buildings of the Acropolis are clearly visible from everywhere, next to which high buildings are prohibited.
In 1987, the Acropolis of Athens was listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. This organization uses the image of the Parthenon as its emblem.
The image of the Athenian Acropolis is recognized even by those who have never seen it with their own eyes. The greatest achievement of the ancient Greeks has deservedly become the hallmark of Greece. Settlements on a high, rocky, flat-topped hill were already around 4000 BC. The architectural and historical ensemble of the Acropolis, the ruins of which we see now, was created mainly in the 5th century BC. under the commander and great Greek statesman Pericles. It included:
- The Parthenon is the main temple. Built in honor of the patroness of the polis, the goddess Athena.
- Propylaea - the main entrance to the Acropolis
- wide marble staircase
- Pinakotheku - located to the left of the Propylaea
- 12-meter statue of Athena the Warrior, created by the sculptor Phidias from ivory and gold
- Niku-Apteros is the temple of the wingless Athena the Victor with an altar in front of it. The altar was dismantled by the Turks at the end of the 18th century, but in 1935-1936 it was recreated
- The Erechtheion is a temple dedicated to Athena and Poseidon. On one of its porticoes, instead of columns, the famous caryatids are installed.
- sanctuary of Zeus Polieus and others.
In the II century A. D. e. Herod Atticus erected the grandiose Odion Theater at the foot of the Acropolis.
The main architects of the Acropolis are Iktin and Callicrates, who built the Parthenon, and Mnesicles, the creator of the Propylaea. The sculptor Phidias was involved in the decoration and construction supervision together with Pericles.
The Parthenon is translated as "the room for the virgins." According to one of the assumptions, select girls in it weaved lightweight fabric for peplos - women's sleeveless clothing with many folds. A special peplos, embroidered with a pattern, was presented to the goddess Athena during the Panathenaeus - solemn ceremonies in her honor.
Destruction of the Acropolis
The centuries-old Acropolis has undergone repeated conquests by other peoples and the influence of other cultures. This was reflected in his appearance most often not in the best way. The Parthenon had to visit a Catholic church and a Muslim mosque. He was also a Turkish powder store, which played a tragic role in his fate.
During the Turkish-Venetian war, the Turks, hoping that the Christian would not shoot at the building, which had been a Christian temple for several centuries, placed weapons in the Parthenon and hid the children and women. However, on September 26, 1687, the commander of the Venetian army ordered cannons to be fired at the Acropolis. The explosion completely destroyed the central part of the monument.
The Acropolis suffered severely due to vandalism and unceremonious robbery. So, during 1801-1811, the British ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, Lord Thomas Elgin, took a significant part of the ancient Greek statues and frieze from the Parthenon to England, and then sold it to the British Museum.
Rebuilding the Acropolis
Research and restoration work has been carried out on the territory of the Acropolis since 1834. They have been especially actively produced since the end of the 20th century. A new modern spacious museum has been built in Athens. Archaeological finds discovered in the Acropolis are exhibited in its halls. Among them are fragments of the frieze of the Parthenon, sculptures, figures of the Caryatids, statues of the Kor, Kuros and Moskhofor (Taurus).
It is completely unrealistic to restore the monument, but with the help of modern digital technologies, you can see its greatness with the help of 3D reconstruction. During its heyday, the structures of the Acropolis, from buildings to statues, were decorated with colorful décor. The “Interactive Tour of the Athenian Acropolis”, which is open to the public from March 24, 2018 at Θόλος, allows you to immerse yourself in the new and at the same time old colored reality of Ancient Greece.
