Acropolis in ancient Greece. Acropolis of Athens: a brief description of the complex

Acropolis(from the Greek word "acropolis" - which means "upper city") - is a fortified part of the city, located on a hill and intended for the defense of the city in wartime. The Acropolis was the site of the original settlement of people, and much later a lower city was built around it, which did not have significant defensive structures.

Walled cities were usually built around a hill or high rock. Internal fortifications were erected on the rock. Such a citadel in Ancient Greece was called the Acropolis. However, the building served not only the role of an internal fortress - the Greeks kept in the depths of their consciousness ideas about prehistoric times, and the square raised on the rock symbolized for them the celestial sphere, sacred soul-cleansing powers and immortality.

Fearless warriors and wise military engineers strengthened the entrance to the Acropolis only when the enemy approached. The threshold of the sacred site seemed to the Greeks as a kind of border between immortality and earthly prosaic affairs. On the acropolis there were temples dedicated to the ancient Greek gods. One of the outstanding monuments of world architecture is the Acropolis in Athens.

Acropolis of Athens occupies a rocky hill more than 150 meters high. Its top is flat and the temples are built on it in an ascending order. The hill reaches a width of 170 meters and a length of about 300 meters.

Structure of the Acropolis in Athens.

The ensemble of the Athenian Acropolis includes several temples and other important objects, among which are the following:

• - This is the central and most important temple of the Acropolis, dedicated to the patroness of the city, the goddess Athena. The temple was built in the middle of the 5th century BC by the architect Callicrates.

• Hecatompedon- one of the oldest temples in the Acropolis, which was built in honor of the goddess Athena, which was built much earlier than the Parthenon.
• - a temple as part of the Acropolis, located north of the Parthenon, which also had important religious and cult significance. The Erechtheion was dedicated to the goddess of wisdom Athena, the god of the seas Poseidon, as well as the legendary Athenian king Erechtheus.

• Statue of Athena Promachos- a huge bronze statue of the goddess Athena - the patroness of the city - the polis. Its author was the sculptor Phidias, who erected the statue in 465 - 455 BC on an elevated pedestal between the Parthenon and Erechtheion temples.

Athena holds a shield and a spear in her hands, and on the head of the statue there is a golden helmet. The spear was also made of pure gold. They sparkled in the rays of the sun, and their light was visible for many kilometers. That is why the statue of Athena Promachos served as a kind of beacon for sailors - they used it to navigate and successfully reach the shores of Hellas.

• Propylaea- represent a passage limited by a colonnade, which is intended for ceremonial processions. It is no coincidence that the Propylaea became the hallmark of the Acropolis - their slender colonnade forms the entrance to the ensemble.

• Temple of Nike Apteros- dedicated to the goddess Nike - the winner. The temple is located in the southwest direction from the Propylaea. It is built on a rock ledge, and therefore is additionally reinforced with a supporting wall 8 meters high. The Temple of Nike was built by Callicrates in 427 - 424 BC.

• Eleusinion
• Bravronion- This is the sanctuary of the goddess Artemis of Bravron, which was located in the corner of the Acropolis next to Chalcoteca. The goddess Artemis patronized pregnant women and women in labor. The temple is distinguished by its simplicity and grace.

• Chalcotheca- a special building in which weapons, ritual objects and utensils for making sacrifices were collected for storage. It was here that spears, shields, armor, catapults belonging to the city were kept, as well as captured weapons obtained in fair battle from the enemy.

• Pandroseion- this is a temple building - a sanctuary built in honor of the daughter of the first king of Attica Kekrops, whose name was Pandrosa. The courtyard of the sanctuary has a trapezoidal shape. On its territory there is an altar of the god Zeus Herkei, the patron saint of the family hearth.

• Arreforion- This is a small structure that serves as a residence for four arrephoros - young girls of noble origin who wove peplos, intended as a gift to the goddess Athena during the annual Panathenaic Games.
• Athens altar- a special place in the courtyard of the Acropolis, where it was customary to make ritual sacrifices in honor of the ancient Greek gods. Typically, sacrifices had to be made during ceremonial events and holidays.

• Sanctuary of Zeus Polyaeus
• Sanctuary of Pandion- today it is the ruins of a destroyed building, which in ancient times was located in the south-eastern part of the Acropolis of Athens. This small building was the temple of the legendary ancient Greek hero Pandeonis, one of the Athenian kings.
• Odeon of Herodes Atticus- is a building in the form of an ancient Greek theater, designed to accommodate 5 thousand spectators. The building was built in 165 AD by order of the Greek orator and philosopher Herodes Atticus in memory of his deceased wife Regina. Today, the building has been preserved almost completely, and performances and concerts are held there.

• Standing Eumenes is a two-story building with Doric order columns. Inside the structure there are Ionic columns, and the upper tier is decorated with capitals made in the Pergamon style. In front of the Stoa are the remains of the foundation of the Nicias monument. The Stoa of Eumenes was built on a hillside, and got its name from the architect Eumenes II of Pergamon.
• Asklepion is an ancient Greek temple built in honor of the god of healing, Asclepius. The sanctuary had not only religious and cult significance, but also served as a medical institution. The Asklepions contributed to the development of medical science in Ancient Hellas.

The treatment of the sick was carried out by the priests of the god of healing - Asclepiad. At first, only certain ritual actions were performed, but later the priests began to use various medicinal herbs and potions. This helped cure the sick and also contributed to the accumulation of special medical knowledge.

• Theater of Dionysus
• Odeon of Pericles
• Temenos of Dionysus
• Sanctuary of Aglavra

Propylaea.

This border was served by a colonnade called the Propylaea. The Greeks perfected the order, borrowed from traditional Egyptian architecture. The columns of the Propylaea are made in the Doric order, which the Greeks considered the embodiment of strength and courage.

The exterior of the Propylaea is not characterized by symmetrical lines. The right wing of the building seemed to shrink to make room for the marble temple. The four columns of the temple, thinner and more graceful, stand on turned stands and end with two elastic curls. These are columns of the Ionic order - the embodiment of graceful femininity.

Temple of Nike Apteros.

The goddess of victory Nike is depicted unarmed, for real victory is higher than weapons. Victory is fickle, which is why Nike has eagle wings. After the Greco-Persian Wars, the Greeks claimed that having settled in their city, Nike would never leave it, and therefore they depicted victory without wings, and the building was called the Temple of Wingless Victory - Nike Apteros. Thus, Victory became a domestic goddess for Athens.

And, as proof that she feels confident and comfortable, on one of the bas-reliefs of the temple she leisurely adjusts the string of her sandal. The Temple of Nike is located directly in front of the entrance to the Acropolis. The left wing of the Propylaea is a spacious marble pavilion in which the world's first art museum, the Pinakothek, was built.

Statue of Athena Promachos.

Just as other cities were poleis separate from each other, the Acropolis was a special world opposed to the city - a world in which reality merged with fiction. Those who came to the Acropolis were greeted by a huge figure in a scaly shell, cast in bronze.

In the struggle for independence there was a conscious unity between the people and the land. The Greek selflessly served his fatherland. The won peace could turn out to be fragile, and Athens could turn to war again at any moment. The armed world existed in the guise of the patroness of the polis in armor and helmet. The bronze figure leaning on a spear was for the Athenians the goddess Athena herself.

Greek sculptors did not adhere to once and for all established standards; they were constantly in creative search. The artist sought to give the figure a more expressive pose or a new gesture. The canons of Greek art were not immutable and the priests did not monitor their strict observance. Each master made his own changes. Also, Greek art was unfamiliar with once and for all established subjects.

The world seemed to the Greeks in constant cyclical movement. The plastic embodiment of gods and heroes was a statement of perfection. Sculpture was considered the main art, and work on the creation of sculptural compositions was led by the brilliant ancient Greek sculptor Phidias, the creator of the bronze statue of Athena.

As the myth said, two deities claimed the role of patron of the city - the polis - Athena and the god of the seas Poseidon. During the dispute, Athena lightly touched the rock with her spear, and an olive tree grew in this place. In turn, Poseidon struck the stone with his trident, and water began to gush out of it.

However, the gods unanimously recognized the miracle created by Athena as more useful, and gave the city under her protection. The city also received its name from the name of the goddess.

The god of the seas, Poseidon, was also the god of the rich, while the goddess of wisdom, Athena, patronized the working people. The myth of Athena's victory over Poseidon is captured in the sculptural composition on the western pediment of the Parthenon, the main temple of the Acropolis.

Most of the figures are depicted naked. The ideal of the Greeks was the harmony of external and internal beauty, the unity of body and spirit. The Greek gods, restless, ardent and active in character, were similar to the Greeks themselves.

The goal of educational tourism in Greece is to see and capture in memory and in photographs as many attractions as possible. There are really a lot of them in this country, but the leading position is occupied by Acropolis in Athens.
A special atmosphere reigns here - the spirit of ancient Hellas, when gods and people entered into invisible battles, the wisdom and knowledge of philosophers, ancient ruins, practically untouched by human hands, intertwined with modern architectural searches. The Athenian pearl of history is located on the rocky limestone hill of Acropolis, whose height above sea level is 156 meters. Its peculiarity is a flat area at the top and steep slopes (all except the western one). The ancient Greeks escaped here from enemy raids; the city was very clearly visible from above and all approaches to the site were controlled. The total area is about 3 hectares.

HISTORY OF THE ACROPOLIS OF ATHENS

The territory of the hill was divided into sacred areas, on which theaters, temples, and altars were located. From here there was an amazing view of the surrounding area; here in ancient times the military and social life of the capital was concentrated, there were outbuildings and warehouses for storing weapons.
In the middle of the 7th century. BC. The first large building is being built on the hill - the temple of Polyada on the site of the city treasury. In 490, a decision was made to build a new sanctuary - a six-column temple, where people came to worship Pallas Athena. But the authorities did not have time to complete their plan; the Persian raid on the capital destroyed the city and all the buildings.
And only in 450 BC. During the reign of Pericles, they began to create an architectural ensemble: first, the Parthenon grew on the hill, then the Temple of Athena, the official entrance - the Propylaea, near them the small temple of Nike Apteros and the Erechtheion shrine. The development of the construction plan belonged to the local sculptor Phidias. Upon completion of the work, he was condemned for allegedly misappropriating valuable materials during the construction process and was even accused of atheism for depicting himself and his friend Pericles on the reliefs dedicated to Athena. With the help of friends, he managed to escape from prison, after which the sculptor created a statue of Zeus - one of the seven wonders of the world recognized by the world.
The Acropolis was rebuilt several times; during enemy raids, some of the buildings were almost completely destroyed. Currently, all cultural values ​​are under vigilant state protection. Most of the buildings and statues are made of marble, the main enemy of which is the unfavorable Greek ecology. Large exhaust emissions caused increased levels of sulfur in the air, and marble gradually turned into limestone. Iron piles and slabs connecting individual parts of the structures contributed to the further destruction of the stone. These were later removed and replaced with brass elements. Some of the sculptures that you will see while traveling around the site are copies; you can see the originals in the Museum.

How to get to the Acropolis

The hill is located in the western part of the capital of Greece, you can get here by public transport, it is fast and inexpensive. Tourists use the second metro line (exit at the station of the same name), trolleybuses No. 1.5, 15 or buses (routes 135, E22, A2, 106, 208).
If you have time and prefer walking, you can walk from the city center along Dionysiou Areopagitou Street. You need to go straight towards the mountain, without turning into alleys. On the same street is the New Acropolis Museum, 300 meters from the entrance to the “upper city” near the Akropolis metro station. If you visit it before climbing the hill, this will not at all smooth out the impression of the temple architecture and remnants of an ancient civilization seen later. The ultra-modern building, which opened its doors to visitors in 2009, has 5 floors and a glass floor on the ground floor, under which winding streets can be seen - the result of archaeological excavations. The total number of exhibits is more than 4,000, including the statue of the goddess Athena. On the third floor there is a souvenir shop and a cafe. A special feature of the building is the constant coolness inside, which is very welcome by tourists after visiting the sights of the hill on a hot day.

Visiting rules

Excursions have no restrictions; at any time of the year you can enter the territory through the Propylaea (main gate) from 8.00 to 18.00. The ticket costs about 12 euros and allows unhindered entry for 4 days. It is better to walk around the site as part of an excursion group with a Russian-speaking guide; traveling on your own will not bring as much pleasure - you will simply contemplate the ancient ruins without knowing their amazing and rich history. At the entrance to the marble gate there is a sign stating the rules of tourist behavior. The main one is the ban on touching stones and exhibits with your hands and not taking them outside the gate.
Free visit days:
- April 18 - Greeks celebrate International Monument Day;
- June 5 - World Environment Day;
- March 6 is the day when the memory of the Greek actress Melina Mercury is honored;
- last Saturday and Sunday of September.
The Acropolis is closed on major public and religious holidays: Easter Sunday, January 1, Christmas.

Attractions of the Acropolis

Propylaea
The Propylaea is the official entrance to the "open air museum", which is a marble gate through which visitors enter the grounds. The modern structure was built on top of a previously existing one; it was designed in 437 BC. the famous architect Mnesikles and managed to completely complete the construction in 5 years.
The outer and inner facades are Doric porticoes consisting of six columns, and the outer part of the gate is a complex architectural composition and greater depth than the inner one. In total, the Propylaea has five passages for visitors, the central one is the widest (4.3 m), it was intended for the passage of riders on horses and the passage of animals, which were supposed to be sacrificed to the gods of Olympus. Instead of steps, a gentle ramp leads to it, framed by internal columns in two rows.
Temple of Nike Apteros
If you move southwest from the outside of the gate, you can see the small temple of Nike Apteros, which spreads its domain on a high bastion. This is the only structure located in front of the Propylaea. The frieze depicts scenes of battles for the country, episodes from ancient Greek myths. The miniature nature of the structure is amazing; the tall columns in the Ionic style, despite their bulkiness, seem weightless, and the internal lighting in the evenings makes this place mysterious.
Parthenon
This is the main and very first temple of the Acropolis, located in the northwestern corner of the “upper city,” built in 447-438 BC. Over the course of 9 years, the shrine was rebuilt according to the design of Kallicrates; during excavations, archaeologists found ancient tablets with reports from the authorities on the expenditure of city funds on construction to the population. The temple was almost completely destroyed several times; reconstruction work is still underway. In the depths of the sanctuary there was a statue of the goddess Athena, its height reached 10 meters, the body was made of wood, and its open areas were made of ivory, which gave the statue maximum resemblance to a person. The clothes and wreath were made of pure gold, the total weight of which reached 1150 kg. It is not surprising that the original of the statue has not survived to this day (according to the official version, it has been lost); the Museum has preserved several smaller copies of the goddess.
Unlike other buildings, Greek architects tried not only to build a beautiful building, but also took into account the peculiarities of the human visual organs. In their opinion, the following construction tricks were able to give the temple greater grandeur - not a flat, but a slightly convex floor inside, the diameter of the corner columns is larger than the others, and the size of the columns located in the middle is slightly smaller than the others.
Erechtheion
It is not for nothing that the Greeks call this temple a pearl of architecture. Created in the Ionic style (lighter and more refined), construction was completed after the death of King Pericles. The shrine was created mainly for priests who worshiped Athena (unlike the Parthenon, which could be visited by everyone); sacrifice rituals and religious sacraments were performed here. At this place, as legend says, a competition took place between the beautiful Athena and Poseidon for power over the capital. And when the god of the seas lost, he struck the ground with his trident in anger. In one of the reconstructed halls you can see a deep trace of it, which the architects decided to preserve.
King Erechtheus was a favorite of the local population. In one of the battles, he killed the son of Poseidon. As punishment, Zeus struck Erechtheus with lightning at his request - during a tour of the Acropolis, the guide will show tourists the place where the elements damaged the marble slabs, leaving several deep cracks in them. The temple was erected next to the resting remains of the king.
The main building is divided into two uneven parts located at different levels from the ground line. The eastern part with a separate entrance was dedicated to Athena, in front of the statue in the sanctuary an unquenchable fire burned in a golden lamp, the western part had three separate entrances, three altars were located here in worship of the gods Poseidon, Hephaestus (the god of fire and blacksmithing) and the first priest of Athena Butu, brother of King Erechtheus.
The entrance to the western part of the temple was designed in the form of a rectangular portico supported by six columns depicting full-length female figures. The portico of the Caryatids got its name in honor of the priestesses of the goddess, who during the holidays performed a special ritual dance with large baskets filled to the brim with ripe fruits. Caryatids are women originally from the small town of Karia, known for their beauty and refined figure. Even during the capture of the Greek capital by the Turks, who did not recognize human images on statues due to Muslim beliefs, the columns were not destroyed. They limited themselves to carefully cutting off the stone faces of beautiful women.
Temple of Augustus
To the east of the Parthenon was a small circular temple built in 27 BC. The roof was supported by 9 columns in the Ionic style. Archaeologists managed to find only the foundation of the building; they were able to correlate it with the real building only after discovering a dedicatory inscription at the foot. It said that the temple was dedicated to Roma and Augustus and was erected by grateful Athenians, this is a symbol of veneration by the local residents of Octavian Augustus. It is the only one erected for the purpose of glorifying the cult of the Emperors. The construction ideas belonged to the architect who was involved in the restoration of the Erechtheion during the Roman Empire, so the two buildings have many similar features.
Bule Gate
They are part of the architectural ensemble; their construction dates back to 267. The gate is considered an emergency entrance to the site; this small opening in the wall after the raids of the ancient Germanic tribes of the Heruls made it possible for residents to leave the territory unnoticed. They are named after Ernest Bullet, an architect from France, who in 1825 was engaged in archaeological excavations in the area and discovered a secret gate.
Sanctuary of Zeus
Located east of the Erechtheion, its main feature is the lack of a roof. There is no information about what the sanctuary looked like before, and all data obtained varies, so future reconstruction of the structure may not correspond to reality. In accordance with one of the scientists' hypotheses, this site was ideal for worshiping the main god of Olympus, since the highest point of the hill above sea level is located on it. On the territory of the sanctuary, a bronze altar was installed, as well as a small chapel, in the center of which there was a sacrificial pit. In those days, sacrifices were considered to be a joint meal between gods and people. Feasting was prohibited until some of the food went into the big fire. At first, food, fruits, cookies, incense and other offerings were burned near the sanctuary, and the ashes were carefully poured into this niche. No evidence has been found of people performing nal rituals in honor of the gods.
Bravronion
The structure is located near the surviving ruins of ancient Mycenaean walls to the east. Artemis Bravronia was the patroness of girls until marriage and the protector of pregnant women.
According to documents, the creator of the sanctuary is considered to be Pisistratus, in whose homeland this goddess was worshiped. The shape of the small temple is a colonnade in the Dorian style, adjacent to it are two wings in the shape of the letter “P”, where statues of the goddess Artemis were kept, one belongs to the hands of the sculptor Praxiteles, the author of the second is unknown. The date of construction of the sanctuary is not precisely known, approximately 430 BC. The sanctuary did not play a major role in the complex, so instead of the traditional ancient altar there were 4 porticoes, to which women laid their offerings.
Once every four years, residents of the capital celebrated the holiday of “Bravronia”: from Athens to Bravronia (38 km) a procession of girls (7-10 years old) walked on foot to stay there for at least one year and play the role of she-bears for Artemis (she was considered the Bear goddess). Rituals were regularly held here; after the last one, the girls took off their long capes, which they wore all year, which symbolized the onset of the period of female maturity.
Chalkoteka
Behind the sanctuary there was a structure with an additional separate room (“inner room”), where shields, throwing weapons, and religious objects for the rites of worship of Athena were kept. The exact date of construction is unknown; according to preliminary data, it was the mid-5th century. BC, large-scale reconstruction was carried out during the Roman period. Today, what remains of the Chalcotheca are several large building blocks and a large basin made of stone.
Theater of Dionysus - the first "entertainment center" of the Greeks
Bread and circuses were what the locals demanded, and it was in abundance in ancient Greece. The first and most ancient Athenian theater is located on the southern side of the hill. It was built in honor of the god of wine, who, according to legend, the Athenians killed, mistakenly believing that he gave them poisoned wine. On the day of his death, the festival of Dionysus was celebrated, accompanied by noisy feasts and mass celebrations. This is how the first theater was created, on the stage (then it was an “orchestra”) of which the audience first saw the theatrical performances of Euripides and Sophocles, and the tandem of poetry and tragedy was born here. The open-air stone structure could accommodate up to 17 thousand spectators at a time.
The orchestra was separated from the rows by a rather deep ditch with water; scientists suggest that this trick improved audibility, thanks to which even in the upper seats the dialogue of the actors was perfectly audible.
Behind the stage there was a small building (skhena) intended for changing clothes for participants in productions. The walls of the theater were decorated with bas-reliefs depicting gods and episodes from mythology, fragments of some of which tourists can still see.
At first, the seats were made entirely of wood, but in 325 BC. they were replaced by more durable marble ones. Their height was only 40 cm, so that you could see everything that was happening on stage, and they were equipped with soft pillows.
The chairs in the first row were named, this can be judged by the inscriptions that could not be destroyed by the forces of nature. In the 1st century, the amphitheater was rebuilt, which marked the beginning of gladiatorial fights and circus performances. A high iron side was built between the first row of spectators for the safety of visitors.

Hill Caves

Cave of Zeus
Every year in the spring, the “chosen” Athenians came here to expect lightning - a natural phenomenon considered a sign of the arrival of the main deity of Olympus on the Hill of Arma. He showed them the correct and safe course to Delphi, this was a signal that the deity was protecting and blessing.
Altar of Apollo
Not far from the cave of Zeus you can see a recess in which the altar of the Sun god was located. After local residents elected 9 archons (highest officials of the capital), they went to take an oath of allegiance and honor at the altar of Apollo of Patros, the second solemn oath was pronounced here.
Cave of Pan
If you walk a little east from the altar, you can see a small cave that is almost overgrown. This is a tribute to Pan, the god of shepherds and forests. It appeared in the minds of the Greeks and official literature after the Battle of Marathon in 490 BC. He is credited with instilling fear in the Persians and winning the locals.
Source of Clepsydra
In the western part there is a small stone niche with a source, previously called "Embedo". Its waters periodically disappear, then spring water appears on the surface of the earth again. In the 5th century BC. the Greek commander Kimon turned it into a fountain, which was later filled with stones. During the heyday of Christianity, Clepsydra received the status of a “saint”; a small church of the Holy Apostles began to be built near him.

Acropolis as a unique ecosystem

The hill is not only the cradle of Greek civilization, but also a protected area significant for environmental organizations. Biologist Grigoris Tsounis claims that the Acropolis is a corner of heaven on earth. The scientist studied the diversity of flora and fauna on the slopes of the hill for a long time and came to the conclusion that rare species of birds and butterflies are present in this ecosystem. Seeing one of the representatives of the fauna in our time is a great success.
Among the poppy and chamomile meadows there is also a unique plant called “micromeria acropolitana”. Micromeria grows only on the slopes of the Acropolis, in places where rocky areas predominate and there is a minimum of soil. It was first noticed in 1906, after which it disappeared without a trace. G. Tsunis discovered it again only in 2006; Professor Kit Tan from the University of Copenhagen came to confirm the presence of Micromeria. A team of scientists does not stop developing further actions to protect the ecosystem of the area, so that for a long time this amazing corner will greet tourists not only with historical ruins, but also with natural resources that have not yet been destroyed by the elements and destructive actions of man.

If you want to buy souvenirs, it is better to do it in the capital’s craftsmen’s shops or shops. The triple markup on trinkets in the form of magnets, stones and mugs will hit your pocket hard, and the range of Acropolis sellers is limited - local authorities do not give permission to turn the attraction into an ordinary trading platform. But the Greeks are a wise people, they understand that it is difficult for foreign tourists to understand all the greatness of the holy land; there have been and will be attempts to take with them a piece of a temple or theater dilapidated by winds, precipitation and time. Every night, caretakers go up to the site and scatter pieces of marble, shells and colored glass that you can take home as souvenirs.

Greece has many architectural sites of high historical value. One of them is Athenian - what is it? Translated from Greek, acropolis means “high city.” This is a limestone flat hill above the city (about 80 m high) with steep slopes on all sides except the western one. In ancient times, the main function of this structure was protection from invaders.

Ancient settlements

The ancient Acropolis in Athens is mentioned long before the classical period of history. As a result of the excavations, elements of cultural heritage were discovered that corresponded to the Bronze Age (mainly early and middle). In the VII-VI centuries. BC e. Temples were built, but later destroyed by the Persians.

According to legend, the Greek Acropolis was founded by the Athenian king Kekrops. The elevation in the center bears a name derived from its name - “cecropia”.

Meaning of words

“Parthenon, propylaea, acropolis” - what do these concepts mean, and what is the origin of these words?

• The Parthenon is the main temple on the Greek Acropolis, dedicated to the goddess Athena. From Greek “parthenos” is translated as “virgin”. Athena had this nickname.
• The word "propylaea" comes from the Greek propylaion. This is the front arch at the entrance to the Acropolis of Athens. It has two multi-level Doric porticos.
• The meaning of the word “acropolis” in Greek literally translates as “acro” - hill, “polis” - city. That is, this is a fortified part located on a hill.
• The Erechtheion is a temple dedicated to Poseidon and Athena. It has an asymmetrical composition located on several levels.
• The Hekatompedon is the very Acropolis, which is dedicated to Athena.

Acropolis and its purpose

Acropolis - what is hidden in this ancient name and what is its meaning? This was the main place for the king to be found. There were also many temples inside where prayers were offered to the Greek gods and sacrifices were made. During the conquest by the Turks, the Acropolis served as a mosque. Today it is an ancient monument of architectural art.

The Acropolis of Athens as an architectural ensemble

The Acropolis shapes the appearance of the city of Athens. In ancient times, this place had the significance of a sanctuary and cultural center. All internal structures and temples form a single ensemble. The architecture of the Acropolis is unusually skillful, all its parts are integral, there is no place for chance - buildings and monuments, their location are carefully thought out and extremely logical. This ensemble was built asymmetrically and corresponds to two main principles during its heyday: harmony in the balance of masses and the perception of architectural art in the dynamics of its construction. The temples of the Parthenon and Hekatompedon are the center. The Acropolis consists of 21 building elements (theater of Dionysus, the statue of Athena Promachos, the Propylaea, the Athenian altar, the sanctuary of Zeus and others).

Material of manufacture

What does the Acropolis look like today? What materials are all its buildings made of?

Currently, many of the architectural monuments of the acropolis are undergoing restoration. Therefore, when viewing the sights, you can see that some of them are surrounded by scaffolding. Many buildings, after centuries, have retained their grandeur; from them one can judge the uniqueness and complexity of all architectural details. Examining ancient columns, you might think that the material they were made of was limestone. In fact, all elements of the Acropolis were built from marble, which was quite dilapidated under the influence of atmospheric phenomena, and some of its parts were destroyed by wars.

Propylaea

On the western side of the hill is the entrance to the Acropolis. What is Propylaea? This question worries many people who visit the main attraction of Athens for the first time. The Propylaea is the main entrance to the Acropolis, a majestic gate made of marble. They have five openings for passage. The widest of them (equipped with a ramp instead of steps) is located in the middle and was previously intended for horsemen and driving animals for sacrifices. Its width is 4.3 m. The facades of the gate consist of six-column Doric porticoes. In ancient times, the Propylaea, of all the structures of the Acropolis, was most famous and was mentioned much more often than the Parthenon.

Parthenon

The Parthenon is the main temple for which the Acropolis is famous, where bas-reliefs depict scenes from ancient Greek myths, including the birth of Athena from the head of Zeus. The size of the temple is quite impressive: its width is 30 m, its length is about 70 m. The columns along the perimeter are 10 m high. The structure of the columns is amazing: they widen towards the center, and the corner ones are installed with a slight slope in relation to the floor. Thanks to the cunning of ancient architects, the temple looks equally proportional no matter from which side it is viewed. The famous sculpture of the goddess - Athena the Virgin - was installed inside. It was created by the main creator of the Acropolis, the architect Phidias. The goddess's hands and face were made of ivory, parts of her clothing and weapons were made of gold, and the shine of her eyes was achieved through the use of natural precious stones. The statue has not survived to this day. Its appearance was restored thanks to ancient copies found.

Erechtheion

A temple where several gods were glorified at once: Athena, Poseidon and Erechtheus (the ancient king of Athens). Inside was Poseidon's well, filled with salt water. According to legend, this well arose as a result of a blow from a trident, which the great Poseidon held in his strong hand. Based on the fact that the temple building was intended for various purposes, it had two entrances, on the northern and eastern sides. Each of them contained its own portico, mounted on Ionic columns. The opening was decorated with an ornate pattern with many carved details and was considered the most beautiful casing of the era of Pericles. Not far from the temple there was a cave in which the sacred snake of the goddess Athena lived. The snake personified the great ruler of the city, Erechtheus. To this day, the interior decoration of this temple has not been preserved; only in the writings of contemporaries can one find a description of the premises.

Theater of Dionysus

Greek theaters were always built on a hillside, with seats for spectators in front of which was a wooden stage. The spectator seats had the shape of a semicircle (they were called “theatron”) and surrounded the area where the choir was located (the area was called an orchestra). In the 4th century. BC e. seats for spectators were made in the form of a depression in the rocky ground and then lined with marble. The Theater of Dionysus is the first monumental Greek theater, located on the southern slope of the Acropolis. Marble chairs that were intended for significant guests and honored residents of Athens have survived to this day. The theater's capacity is 17 thousand people.

Temple of the Goddess Nike

This is another temple that has survived to this day and is part of the ensemble (Acropolis). What is "apteros" - the word for the name of the goddess? Usually Nike was depicted with wings behind her back. But this temple is an exception to the rule, since the inhabitants of Athens decided to keep the victory for themselves. Therefore, the wings were deliberately not made in order to prevent Nika from flying away and leaving her in the city forever. Accordingly, "apteros" means "wingless".

The temple has four Ionic columns, the upper parts of which are decorated with spiral scrolls. The Temple of Nike Apteros was built during the Peloponnesian War, so the bas-reliefs depicted the victory over the Spartans and Persians. During the capture by the Turks, the sanctuary was dismantled for the construction of military fortifications. At the moment, the Nika Temple is often closed to visitors due to restoration.

What is destroyed by time

Some architectural objects have not survived to this day. In their place, only foundations or shapeless ruins of buildings that once adorned the Acropolis were discovered. What did they keep, what did they look like during their heyday? For example, Hekatompedon or Pandroseion? This can be judged from the results of excavations or from literary evidence left to the world by Ancient Greece. At the site of the Hekatompedon, remains of columns and parts of sculptural compositions were discovered. The Sanctuary of Artemis was almost completely destroyed: only minor remains and a warehouse where weapons were stored were found.

New Museum

Located on the territory of the Acropolis, it began its work in 1874. It mainly displays elements that were previously located in the Upper City. The collection grew larger and, after a while, the available premises became insufficient. Not far from the Acropolis, construction began on a new, more spacious building. But the work did not always go smoothly, as some obstacles and problems arose related to the choice of architects or land plot. At the beginning of construction, at the stage of preparing the ground for laying the foundation, historically significant architectural objects were discovered. As a result, the construction of the museum was suspended.

In 2009, a three-level museum complex with a glass floor was opened, giving visitors the opportunity to observe the excavations.

The Acropolis of Athens, which is a 156-meter-high rocky hill with a gentle peak (approx. 300 m long and 170 m wide), is the site of the oldest settlement in Attica. During the Mycenaean period (15-13 centuries BC) it was a fortified royal residence. In the 7th-6th centuries. BC e. There was a lot of construction going on on the Acropolis. Under the tyrant Pisistratus (560-527), on the site of the royal palace, the temple of the goddess Athena Hekatompedon was built (that is, a temple one hundred steps long; fragments of pediment sculptures have been preserved, and the foundation has been identified). In 480, during the Greco-Persian Wars, the temples of the Acropolis were destroyed by the Persians. The inhabitants of Athens swore an oath to restore the shrines only after the expulsion of enemies from Hellas. In 447, at the initiative of Pericles, new construction began on the Acropolis; the supervision of all the work was entrusted to the famous sculptor Phidias, who, apparently, was the author of the artistic program that formed the basis of the entire complex, its architectural and sculptural appearance.

The sacred road, along which the procession of Athenians moved from the agora to the temple of the patron goddess during the main festival of the Great Panathenaia, leads to the Propylaea, which has 5 passages and in ancient times was flanked by two equestrian statues of the Dioscuri. In the left, protruding wing, there was a Pinakothek (a collection of pinak paintings donated to the goddess Athena), in the right there was a storage room for manuscripts and a room for the gatekeeper and guards. To the right of the Propylaea, on a pyrgos (an outcrop of a fortified rock), stands a small, light and graceful Ionic temple dedicated to Athena Nike, known as the Temple of Nike Apteros (Wingless Victory; 443-420, architect Kallicrates).

After the participants of the procession passed the Propylaea and entered the sacred territory, a panorama of the central part of the complex opened before them. In the foreground, just to the left of the road, stood a colossal bronze statue of Athena Promachos (Warrior), cast by Phidias. Behind it in the distance was the Erechtheion (architect unknown), the temple of Athena and Poseidon at the site of the dispute between these gods for the possession of Attica. The temple has an asymmetrical plan unique in Greek architecture; its three porticos are located at different levels: on the western side there is a portico leading to the temple of Athena Polyada (City), on the northern side there is the entrance to the sanctuary of Poseidon-Erechtheus, at the southern wall of the temple there is the famous portico of the caryatids; the entire building was surrounded by a frieze with overhead white figures (not preserved). In the Erechtheion, the oldest sanctuary of Athens, there was the sacred xoan of Athena (a wooden statue), which according to legend fell from the sky, the altars of Hephaestus and the hero But, the tomb of the legendary Athenian king Kekrops, and the sanctuary of the Attic dew goddess Pandrosa adjoined to the west. In the courtyard of the Erechtheion there grew a sacred olive tree, donated to the city by Athena, and a salt spring flowed, which Poseidon carved with his trident.

The lightness of its forms, the special sophistication of decorative decoration and the complexity of the composition of the small-sized Erechtheion contrasts with the strict and majestic, emphatically monumental Parthenon (Temple of the Virgin Athena; 69.5 m in length and 30.9 m in width, the height of the columns is 10.5 m ; built in 447 - consecrated in 438; architect Ictinus with the participation of Callicrates), representing a Doric peripter. The building is perceived from the Propylaea in three quarters - viewers saw not one of its facades, but the entire volume of the structure, got an idea of ​​​​its appearance as a whole, and before seeing the main, eastern facade, they had to walk around the temple from the outside.

In the temple itself, in the naos, there was a chrysoelephantine statue of Athena Parthenos (Virgin) by Phidias; the sacred money of the goddess and the treasury of the Athenian Maritime League were kept in the opisthodome. In the pediments there were sculptural groups depicting the most significant events in the cult of Athena - her birth and the dispute with the sea god Poseidon for the possession of Attica. The metope reliefs along the perimeter of the building depicted scenes of mythological battles. Architectural details, sculpture and reliefs were brightly painted. The plan and order of the Parthenon also differ from the traditional ones in a number of features: in front of the naos there was a hall - the maiden's chamber (the Parthenon, which gave the name to the entire temple), along the wall of the naos there was an Ionic frieze depicting the Panathenaic procession.

In front of the Parthenon, on the right side of the Propylaea, there were also the sanctuaries of Artemis Brauronia and Athena Ergana (Craftswoman), and the repository of weapons and sacred armor - Chalkoteka (450). The open area of ​​the Acropolis was occupied by numerous altars and gifts to the gods - statues, steles. Adjacent to the northwestern slope of the Acropolis was the temple and theater of Dionysus (6th century BC - rebuilt in 326), the Odeon of Pericles (a covered round building for musical competitions) (2nd half of the 5th century BC) .), Theater of Herodes Atticus (2nd century AD), Sanctuary of Asclepius, Stoa (Porticus) of Eumenes.

Parthenon

In ancient times, the Parthenon rising above the hill could be seen from any part of Attica and even from the islands of Salamis and Aegina; The sailors approaching the shore could already see from afar the shine of the spear and helmet of Athena the Warrior. In ancient times, the sanctuary was known not only as a cult center, but also as a monument of art, confirming the glory of Athens as the “school of Hellas” and the most beautiful city. The thoughtful composition of the entire ensemble, perfectly found general proportions, a flexible combination of various orders, the finest modeling of architectural details and their unusually accurate drawing, the close relationship between architecture and sculptural decoration - make the buildings of the Acropolis the highest achievement of ancient Greek architecture and one of the most outstanding monuments of world art.

In the 5th century, the Parthenon became the Church of Our Lady, and the statue of Athena Parthenos was transported to Constantinople. After the conquest of Greece by the Turks (in the 15th century), the temple was turned into a mosque, to which minarets were added, then into an arsenal; The Erechtheion became the harem of the Turkish pasha, the temple of Nike Apteros was dismantled, and the bastion wall was built from its blocks. In 1687, after a cannonball hit a Venetian ship, an explosion destroyed almost the entire central part of the Temple of Athena the Virgin; during an unsuccessful attempt by the Venetians to remove the Parthenon sculptures, several statues were broken. At the beginning of the 19th century, the Englishman Lord Elgin tore out a number of metopes, tens of meters of frieze and almost all the surviving sculptures of the Parthenon pediments, and a caryatid from the portico of the Erechtheion.

After the proclamation of Greek independence, during restoration work (mainly at the end of the 19th century), the ancient appearance of the Acropolis was restored as much as possible: all late buildings on its territory were eliminated, and the Temple of Nike Apteros was rebuilt. Reliefs and sculptures of the Acropolis temples are in the British Museum (London), the Louvre (Paris) and the Acropolis Museum. The sculptures that remained in the open air have now been replaced by copies.

Everyone has heard about such a world landmark as the Acropolis of Athens, many can give a brief description of it, and everyone knows where this historical and cultural monument is located from history lessons at school.

However, the Acropolis of Athens is much more than a few paragraphs from a school textbook.

A little bit of history

As myths and legends tell, this ancient monument of human civilization was founded by Kekrops, a sage and warrior, who was half a snake and half a man, and the first king in Athens. What exactly attracted him to the towering hill, which even today has a height of over 150 meters - its flat top, close to the heavens and convenient for construction, or its convenience from a strategic point of view - the myths do not tell.

Costas Tavernarakis/flickr.com

Whether this is true or not, whether Kekrops ever lived or whether this is a collective image is not known, it is only known that the earliest finds made by archaeologists do not date back to the classical time in Greek history, but to the archaic era. Moreover, these are not just the remains of settlements or ceramics, but the foundations of religious buildings and the remains of sculptures.

Each time brought something different to the hill of the Athens Acropolis. In the Mycenaean era, that is, from the 15th to the 13th centuries BC, it served not only the gods, but also the kings of Athens, since it was on the hill that the residence of the kings was located, however, according to archaeologists, it was quite modest.

The most intensive construction in the acropolis and, of course, the reconstruction of old buildings, during which the architecture of the entire complex changed, took place from the 7th to the 6th centuries BC.

And the most famous building, which became a kind of symbol of Greece and actually illustrates the acropolis in Athens - the huge temple of the goddess of wisdom and war, Pallas Athena at that time, Hekatompedon, the predecessor of the Parthenon, was erected during the reign of Peisistratus, that is, between 560 and 527 BC era.

Peisistratus was not only a tyrant whose cruelty was reflected throughout the centuries, but also the son and student of Hippocrates himself. By his direct command, the ancient royal residence was demolished and the Hekatompedon, which was exactly one hundred steps long, grew in place of the palace.

A lot is known about this monument of the Athens Acropolis; excavations have discovered a perfectly preserved foundation, remains of pediments, bases and fragments of statues, and much more. The possibilities of reconstruction made it possible to fully imagine the plan of the building, and computers helped scientists create a three-dimensional model that ideally fits the ancient description of this temple.

Jean-Pierre Dalbera/flickr.com

The Old Acropolis Museum has a permanent exhibition, which presents both models of the development of the hill in various cultural eras in general, and recreated “in miniature” copies of various buildings of the Acropolis, which are the “stars” of ancient culture, including models of the royal palace, and the Parthenon and, of course, the Hekatompedon.

For the first time, the Athenian Acropolis suffered serious destruction, after which it was never fully restored, in a sad and tragic year in the ancient history of Athens - 480 BC.

This was the time of the war with the Persians, as a result of which, during the siege and assault of the city, all the buildings on the hill remained for a long time lying in dust and ruins, since the inhabitants of the city vowed to begin restoring the temples only when the last Persian left the lands of the Greeks.

In 447 BC, the time of destruction and oblivion for today's main attraction of Greece ended. Pericles “got his hands on” the Acropolis, who not only decided to restore individual buildings, but, on the contrary, to build a new, unified in its architectural design, huge complex of the Athenian Acropolis, so that all of Greece would see in it a symbol of the eternity and greatness of Athens.

What the Athenian Acropolis looks like today, of course, if we imagine what remains of the sights of antiquity intact, was first presented in diagrams before Pericles by Phidias himself, the most famous sculptor, engineer and architect of antiquity, whose name has survived to this day.

Carole Raddato/flickr.com

Not only Phidias worked on creating the plan for the new complex on the hill; the best and most worthy Athenian architects of that time worked under his leadership. History has preserved their names - Mnesicles, Callicrates, Ictinus and Archilochus, who, in addition to architecture, also made money from satirical poetry.

His poetic activity is known to our contemporaries much better than his architectural works, and it was Archilochus who made most of the engineering calculations for the Parthenon - the future main building of the entire complex under construction on the hill, designed so that a walk along the Athenian Acropolis would always lead to it, to the Parthenon.

Since the time of this global development initiated by Pericles, significant changes have bypassed the Acropolis of Athens, but every historical time has sought to find its own use for the buildings on the hill above Athens.

For example, in the 5th century AD, Christians turned the Parthenon into a sanctuary of the Mother of God, and the statue of Athena herself was taken to Constantinople, and after the seizure of Greek land in the 15th century by the Turks, the Parthenon was turned from a church into a mosque and even minarets were added to the structure. However, the Turks over time appreciated the military strategic benefits of the location of the hill where the Acropolis is located, and from a mosque the Parthenon became an arsenal.

However, some of the sights of the Acropolis that survived Christianity could only envy such a fate. For example, the small temple of Nika Apteros, which played the role of a chapel for Christians, was dismantled by the Turks - a number of additional fortifications were erected from the blocks, and a harem was located in the Erechtheion, which stood just north of the Parthenon.

In the 17th century, namely in 1687, during the siege of Athens from the sea, a direct hit from a cannonball practically demolished the central part of the Temple of Pallas Athena; moreover, the Venetians, trying to remove the sculptures from the Parthenon, in a hurry, smashed most of them.

In the 19th century, the British distinguished themselves, namely, Her Majesty's diplomat Thomas Bruce Elgin, who was the 11th Earl of Kincardine and 7th Earl of Elgin, an art connoisseur and one of the creators of the antique collection of the British Museum, its patron and trustee. This “exceptional culture” lord ordered everything that could be physically broken out and loaded onto ships.

Thus, the following people left for Britain:

1. Tens of meters of frieze with metopes - that is, sculptural compositions.
2. All the statues from the Parthenon remaining after the Venetian robbery.
3. Caryatid of the portico of the Erechtheion.

During the liberation Greek rebel war against the Turks, at the same time, in the 19th century, the entire Acropolis of Athens was almost destroyed; even the hill itself might not have remained on the map. The Turks attempted an explosion, which was prevented by Kostas Hormovitis, who became a national hero, whose name many Greek streets bear to this day.

However, shelling from the sea still greatly damaged the sights, with the Erechtheion suffering the most, as if the Turks were trying to destroy the building that they had most altered and most often used, turning it into a harem.

Almost from the moment Greece declared independence from the Turks, restoration and restoration of the appearance of the Athens Hill began, and the first excursion to the Athens Acropolis took place at the end of the 19th century.

The first thing every tourist who wants to see the sights of the Athens Hill with their own eyes should know is that all the statues and columns standing on it are not originals, but the subject of the works of modern sculptors engaged in reconstruction. To see real sculptures and everything that was in the temples at least since the time of Pericles, you need to go not to Greece, but to London, Paris and Rome.

The finds of archaeologists, which are the result of work since the beginning of the last century, are also not in the open air. They are presented in the exhibitions of the Museum of the Acropolis of Athens. The local guide will tell you interesting facts about the history of the finds and their study, as well as about curiosities at the excavations.

Today, the Athens Acropolis is not only a visiting card of the country for tourists, and not just a hill on which you can see architectural dilapidated sights, it is an entire historical, cultural and entertainment complex, which includes both the Acropolis itself and the historical monuments adjacent to its hill .

The territory of the complex is open around the clock; moreover, at night life here is simply in full swing. Although museums are closed until the morning in the evenings, as dusk sets in, amazingly beautiful lighting turns on, and students and young people from all over the world gather on Ares Hill with guitars and cheap wine - to the attention of Russian youth, beer is not in honor at these parties.

Guillen Perez/flickr.com

The reconstructed ruins of the Theater of Dionysus often host performances of completely different types:

• world-famous tenors sang here;
• various laser and light shows came here;
• simple street mimes performed here as part of various festivals;
• performances of Greek theaters were and are still going on here.

This area has retained incredible acoustics and is certainly worth taking a seat on the semicircular stone bench, which, by the way, is genuine, since the theater “pit”, which remembers Socrates, was excavated only in the last century, so no one had time to remove the stones. The Theater of Dionysus today can accommodate about 17 thousand people, all 67 rows for spectators are fully ready to receive them.

Carole Raddato/flickr.com

In addition to the Theater of Dionysus, there is another historical site, partly preserved from the time of Pericles, and partly representing a reconstruction. This is the Odeon of Herodes Atticus, the place where all city meetings took place, where politicians spoke, and where Pericles himself gave a brief address, essentially telling the citizens that the last Persian had left Greek soil, and the time had come to restore the temples on the hill.

Robert Anders/flickr.com

Now the Odeon, just like under Pericles, is designed for 5,000 people, but you can go inside during performances only with tickets. As a rule, dancers perform here; for example, the Russian Bolshoi Theater ballet often comes on tour.

When visiting the complex, the Erechtheion, which has not been fully restored, deserves special attention. This large temple, dedicated to Poseidon and named after King Erechtheus, said to be the son of the god of the seas, boasts a number of reconstructed statues and even illumination in the evening, which opens up great opportunities for artistic photography.

Today the entire hill is a huge construction site, with reconstruction, restoration and archaeological research being carried out simultaneously and everywhere. However, it looks very neat and does not interfere at all with either tourist buses with curious lovers of antiquities on them, or tourists walking on their own, or photographers, or performing artists, or anyone else.

How to get there?

Before you get from Athens airport to the entrance to the historical complex, you should think about the fact that it will take all day to explore everything on the hill and near it, not counting the fact that the most beautiful and interesting things happen here after sunset.

Brian Jeffery Beggerly/flickr.com

Therefore, if you come directly to Athens, you should first decide on a hotel, but if you need to spend several hours between flights during transit, then you should use one of three possible ways to leave the airport and visit the Acropolis of Athens:

1. Bus - its stop is located between entrances 4 and 5 of the airport, number X95, you need to get to the final one, to the square with the loud name SYNTAGMA. The ticket costs 5 euros, buses leave every 20 minutes, and the driver collects the fare. From the square you need to literally climb up, on foot, along the pretty cobblestones of Makrigianni Street. It is impossible to get lost - the hill with the Acropolis is clearly visible and it is quite difficult to confuse it with something else.
2. Metro - the station is located at the airport itself, it is easy to find by following the signs, the final destination is the same - SYNTAGMA Square. There is only one line at the airport - blue. It's impossible to get confused. The fare is 8 euros, tickets are available at the metro ticket office at the entrance to the station. The Greek metro has a "collective" ticket system and a "round trip" ticket system. For example, a round-trip ticket costs 14 euros, that is, a savings of 2 euros. The more people travel together “back and forth”, the cheaper the trip. Having reached the square, you can either get out and walk along the Athens streets, or transfer to the neighboring red line and drive to the ACROPOLI station. That is, before entering the museum and the historical complex itself.
3. A taxi is not the most budget option, the only advantage is that the car will take you directly to the entrance steps to the historical complex. The taxi stand is located between the 2nd and 3rd entrances to the airport. The cost will be 35 euros during the day, that is, from 5 am to midnight, and 50 euros for those who want to ride at night.

Video: empires made of stone - Acropolis, Athens, Greece.

What is the price?

The excursion train stops near the New Acropolis Museum. This is a sightseeing tour, very interesting and, most importantly, allows you to decide where to go first. The price of the “train” is 6 euros, the duration of the mini-tour is 60-70 minutes.

The cost of visiting individual monuments sometimes changes, it depends on the load on them from archaeologists and restorers, for example, if a building is closed to visitors, then after opening the ticket will be more expensive than it was before the closure.

However, everything is very democratic in general, for example, visiting the Panathinaikos stadium, where the ancient Olympic Games and other athletic competitions took place, costs 3 euros.

A general entrance ticket to the complex costs 12 euros, is valid for 4 days from the date of purchase, and includes the right to visit:

• Theater of Dionysus;
• Temple of Zeus;
• ruins of the Hadrian Library;
• ancient ancient cemetery - Keramik;
• Parthenon;
• Agora, both classical and later, so-called Roman.

At any moment, you can interrupt the inspection and go down from the entrance to the complex onto Mnisikleous Street, surrounded by greenery and restaurants for every budget and taste. It is impossible to make a mistake with the direction; you need to focus on the visible Mount Lycabettos, with which the street connects the historical complex of the Acropolis.

After having a snack, you can return to the inspection, or just go for a walk, because the ticket to the Acropolis is valid for four days, an unlimited number of times, this “limitation” makes visiting the complex extremely convenient and allows you not to get tired during the inspection.