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Pericles, a Greek politician, coordinated the start of construction of the major buildings of the Acropolis of Athens at some point between 460 and 429 BC.
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The Acropolis of Athens is located on a flat rock surface approximately 490 feet above sea level, covering approximately 7.4 acres of land.
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Artifacts have been discovered dating back to the Neolithic Era, providing evidence of the first inhabitants of the Acropolis of Athens location.
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In the 1200s a wall was built around the hill to protect the king and inhabitants close to his own dwelling.
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The 9-gate wall built around the spring known as Clepsydra was built during the Dark Ages. The wall was known as Enneapylon.
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The Acropolis of Athens became known as a sacred place following the construction of the temple 'Athena Polias' in the 6th century BC.
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The sacred temple 'Athena Polias' is also referred to as 'Bluebeard temple'.
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During the Peisistratos rule another sacred temple was built, called the Old Temple, or 'Archaios Naos'.
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The Athena Polias was destroyed in 490BC but another, larger, religious monument was built in its place. It became known as the Older Parthenon.
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The Athenians buried artifacts in caves and walls around Acropolis to protect them from the Persians. The walls are known as the 'Wall of Kimon', or the 'Wall of Themistokles. The artifacts are known today as the 'Persian Debris'.
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The Parthenon in the Acropolis of Athens was built in honor of Athena, the Greek goddess of Athens. Although damaged and no longer complete, it is believed that the Parthenon measured 228 x 111 feet.
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The Parthenon was designed by a sculptor Phidias, commissioned by Pericles, a Greek Politician. Pericles is credited with inspiring the Golden Age of Greece.
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'Acro' means 'high', and 'polis' means city. This is how the Acropolis of Athens came to be called what it is. There are other acropolises in existence in Greece but most refer to 'THE' Acropolis as the Acropolis of Athens.
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In the early 1800s the Venetians looted the temples in the Acropolis of Athens.
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Restorations to the buildings in the Acropolis of Athens have been ongoing since the early 1900s.
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An Englishman named Lord Elgin removed artifacts from the Parthenon, which are now on display at the British Museum of London. He claimed that the Turkish authorities gave him permission. The Greek government has demanded that the Parthenon Marbles (the name of the artifacts) be returned to them to be displayed at the New Acropolis Museum. It has not happened yet.
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