Past: The Greek Acropolis (5th Century BCE)
The Greek Acropolis personifies the high-level architecture of the Greek Hellenic period. The term Acropolis actually means “high city.” In 5th century BCE, Pericles controversially funded a massive building project on the highest hill in Athens, creating the gleaming colonnaded buildings, fronted by the Propylaea, the gateway into the complex, the religious temple Erechtheion, and the famous Parthenon, dedicated to Athena, patron goddess of Athens. One of the world’s best-known buildings and UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Parthenon stands tall amongst Pericles’ architectural wonders on the Acropolis Hill. Its massive Doric columns and artistic pediments have come to symbolize Greek architecture. Despite invasion, neglect, reuse, looting, and a 1687 firebombing that ignited gunpower stored in the building and blowing its roof to pieces, the Parthenon endures as ancient Greece’s lasting legacy.
