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10 Facts You Didn’t Know About Acropolis

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10 Facts You Didn’t Know About Acropolis

Predominant Missing Artifacts

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Some Artifacts of the Acropolis are predominantly missing. Lord Elgin a certain English man claimed the Turkish government gave him access to remove some of the Artifacts from the Parthenon and those Artifacts are now in the British Museum. It is worthy of note that after several years these Artifacts have not been returned to the new Acropolis museum. Click the next ARROW to see the next photo!

The Flag Pole at the Belvedere

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The Greek flag is located on what was referred to as the Belvedere tower during the medieval period of Acropolis. It serves more than a vantage point for photographs across Athens. During the world war II, some teenagers who inspired the resistance movement against the Nazi forces tore down the Swastika at night leaving the flagpole empty in what was described as the most famous act of resistance against occupying forces. Click the next ARROW to see the next photo!

The Book Matched Marble Restoration

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There has been an ongoing construction of the Parthenon and the surrounding temples since 1983. The Parthenon was originally constructed with over 70,000 pieces of marble from quarries on Mt Pentehous North-East of Athen. Click the next ARROW to see the next photo!

The Propylaea

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This can be described as the majestic pathway to the Acropolis. It was built of Pentelic marble by the Mnesikles replacing an earlier entrance. It was built from 437-432BC. Its construction was abandoned during the Peloponnesian war and was never completed. Click the next ARROW to see the next photo!

The Sunday Evzones

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Lucky visitors visiting the Acropolis on a Sunday are graced with the glimpse of the Greek Presidential  Guard referred to as the Evzones. It is worthy of note that the Evzones raises the Greek flag in the morning and lowers it at sunset, and they are always escorted by the members of an Athenian marching band playing their renowned national anthem. Click the next ARROW to see the next photo!

The Temple of Athena Nike

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The temple of Athena Nike is a temple located on the Acropolis of Athens. The temple oversees the entrance to the Acropolis and was constructed in 426BC during the Pericles’ building program. It was named after the Greek goddess, Athena Nike. The temple is known as the earliest fully ionic temple of the Acropolis. It was a replacement for the wooden 6th century, dedication to Athena Nike which was destroyed by the Persians. Nike means victory in Greek and Anthena was worshipped in this form as a goddess of victory. The Athens Nike was in place for 2,000 years until it was destroyed by the Ottomans who used the marble as a fortification wall on the Propylaea. The citizens worship the goddess with the belief to have a successful outcome in the long Peloponnesian war fought on both land and sea against the Spartans and their allies. Click the next ARROW to see the next photo!

The Erechtheion

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This is the ancient Greek temple located on the north side of the Acropolis of Athens in Greece and was dedicated to both Athena and Poseidon. The temple was built between 421 and 406 BCE. It derives its name from the legendary Greek hero Erichthonius. It is believed to be a perfect replacement for the Peisistratid temple of Athena Polias destroyed by the Persians in 480BC. Click the next ARROW to see the next photo!

Porch of the Maidens

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The Porch of the Maidens otherwise referred to as Caryatids of the Acropolis rests on the trodden platform blocks of the old temple of Athena which was eventually destroyed by the invasion of the Persians in 480B.C. It is located directly opposite the Parthenon. The ancient Roman era was characterized by column-shaped like women who are referred to as CARYATIDS and history shows they are from the ancient village of Karyes in Lacoma. It is derived from the Spartan city of Caryae where young women did a ring dance around an open-air stature of the goddess Artemis, locally identified with a walnut tree. The caryatids are identified by their long hair falling in a loose braid down the back with a fleshy physique distinctly revealed by their wet look robes. The maidens stand 7ft tall and they bare resemblance to the 5 originals which are on display at the Acropolis Museum. Click the next ARROW to see the next photo!

The Parthenon

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This is the symbol of classical Greece. It was built during the height of Athenian democracy for over 9 years between 447- 438BC. It is a former temple on the Athenian Acropolis, Greece dedicated to the God Athena who was considered patron to the people of Athens. It is the most important surviving building and generally considered the pinnacle of the Doric Order. It is referred to as a symbol of Ancient Greek, Athenian democracy, and western civilization and one of the world’s greatest cultural movement. It was converted to a church during the Byzantric period in the 5th century and then a mosque in the 1460’s during the Ottoman occupation. It was destroyed by the Ottoman during the Morean War. Click the next ARROW to see the next photo!

The History and Real Meaning of Acropolis

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The Acropolis of Athens is one of the most famous and historic revolutionary landmarks in the history of the world. It is described as the rocky remains of an ancient city of Greek, located on a rocky outcrop of the hill watching over the current city of Athens, Greece. It is referred to as a natural revived site of the world’s greatest architectural impact of modern day civilization and it represents the origin of democracy.  It is the remains of several ancient buildings of enormous architectural and historic significance, with the most famous being the PARTHENON. The word ACROPOLIS is of Greek origin, and even though there are many acropoleis in Greece, the ACROPOLIS of Athens is the most significant. The ancient hill has been inhabited as far back as the fourth century BC (460-429 BC).