The Acropolis refers to a complex of temple buildings, fortifications, constructed on high hills, used for ceremonial or religious purposes. When we use the term Acropolis with a capital “A,” it signifies the Acropolis in Athens, which rises 70 meters above the surrounding area, measuring 300×130 meters, built in the 5th century BC.
The Acropolis complex of temples and fortifications
Temple of Athena
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Goddess Athena |
Goddess Athena, a renowned deity in ancient Greek mythology, is the protector of the ancient capital of Greece (now the city of Athens, the capital of Greece). The people constructed a magnificent architectural complex to worship Goddess Athena on a hill known as the Acropolis. The Acropolis complex includes the Parthenon, the Erechtheion, the Propylaea, the Temple of Nike, and the statue of Athena.
The Greek artists dedicated their passion to worshiping Goddess Athena through architectural and sculptural masterpieces. The Parthenon is listed among the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. The architectural authors, architects Ictinus and Callicrates, designed and oversaw the construction of the temple from 447 to 438 BC. The sculptural work was completed by the master artist Phidias in 431 BC. The temple, made of marble, follows the powerful and solemn Doric column style, with beautiful proportions that have become a standard of classical Western architecture. The Erechtheion is also a masterpiece of Greek architecture but follows the Ionic column system; the architect Phiocles introduced a unique column form known as the Caryatid. Six graceful maidens with soft drapery replace the stone columns, supporting the roof beams. The Caryatid column style was popularized in classical Western architecture!
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The Erechtheion |
The Erechtheion was dedicated to the worship of both Athena and Poseidon. In Greek temple architecture, the Erechtheion is the only temple with an asymmetrical floor plan; this unique feature has become a masterpiece! The Erechtheion was built after the Parthenon, starting construction in 424 and completing it in 406 BC. The presence of the Erechtheion alongside the Parthenon enhances the beauty of the Acropolis complex. The two structures, each with entirely different styles, create a rich spatial dialogue. The Parthenon is strong and grand with a completely symmetrical floor plan featuring Doric columns, while the Erechtheion, smaller and more delicate with Ionic columns and Caryatid columns (the maidens from Caria), has a freeform asymmetrical layout.
Every year in Athens, a festival honoring Goddess Athena is held at the Acropolis, with a grand celebration every four years. During this event, a procession marches toward the Acropolis, allowing participants to admire the structures atop the hill from various angles. Following the stone steps, the procession ascends to the Propylaea; from here, the architectural complex and monuments unfold magnificently, featuring three main structures: the Parthenon, the Erechtheion, and the outdoor statue of Athena (as there is a statue of Athena inside the temple as well). The ceremony begins, and young women don new robes for the statue of Goddess Athena, a 9-meter tall bronze statue adorned with ivory and gold (weighing over a ton). This was a monumental sculptural work by Phidias, which no longer exists.
The Parthenon
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The Parthenon |
On the Acropolis in Athens, the Parthenon was the most beautiful temple in Greece at the time, designed and constructed by two outstanding architects of ancient times, Ictinus and Callicrates, completed between 447 and 438 BC.
The Parthenon’s layout is distinctly divided into three parts: the Pronaos (the porch), the Naos (the sanctuary, which houses the statue of Goddess Athena at the back), and the Opictodom (the room for treasures).
The temple is surrounded by a colonnade, with eight columns on the two main sides, using the Doric column style. Attention to the proportions relative to human size gives the structure a bright, lofty, and approachable appearance.
Constructed of white marble, the temple has a normal cold and soft surface; exposure to sunlight or moisture brightens the surface more than the upper parts of the triangular pediments, where strong colors were used in decoration to express a splendid beauty. The Narthéno measures 30 by 70 meters, possessing significant value in knowledge and sculpture.
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God Poseidon |
Today, the remnants of the Parthenon, Erechtheion, Propylaea, and Nike remain, albeit not intact, but they still serve as a famous tourist destination in Greece, exemplifying architecture and visual arts for architects and artists worldwide to study.
Ancient Greek artists were masters of visual arts: the end columns of the Parthenon are slightly larger than the spaces between the other columns. All these artistic techniques were aimed at correcting the visual inaccuracies of a colossal structure in space. Phidias’s sculptural work on the Parthenon consists of masterpieces with a large volume of sculptures on the two pediments, ninety-two sculptural figures on the metopes, and a 200-meter decorative frieze on the column heads.
The exemplary beauty achieved by Phidias is the harmony between the physical and spiritual aspects of humanity, embodying high humanistic values. Humanity is celebrated and becomes the measure of all aesthetic values. This is most clearly expressed in the sculpture depicting the birth of Athena on the eastern pediment and the battle between Athena and Poseidon on the western pediment. The Parthenon deserves to be the ultimate masterpiece of the beauty of classical Greek architecture; it has set the standard for architecture and sculpture in Western art for many centuries to come.
