Acropolis Tour Private

The Theatre of Dionysus, the prototype of Greek theatres, situated on the south side of the Acropolis in Athens, is where all extant classical Greek plays were first presented. Dedicated to Dionysus, the god of wine, revelry, and drama, it was established in the sixth century BC but took its current form a couple of centuries later. Placed adjacent to temples of nature and of the fertility god Dionysus, it was used for dramatic performances, which together with a procession and sacrifices, comprised the annual spring festival of the god. Interesting Information: During the 5th century BC, the theatre served as the setting of the contests in which the plays of Sophocles, Euripides, Aeschylus & Aristophanes were first performed. Must see: The stone reliefs on the stage depicting scenes from the life of Dionysus. Fun fact: Front row seats were elaborate thrones, with carved legs and armrests and the name of the spectator for which they were reserved inscribed on each seat.

The Temple of Athena Nike, built entirely of Pentelic marble, on the southwest bastion of the Acropolis, was completed in 420 BCE during the restoration of Athens after the Persian invasion of 480 BCE and was designed by Kallikrates to greet those visiting Athena’s complex. Athena, the patron deity of Athens, and Nike, the goddess of victory, were often so closely associated that the two were often identified together as Athena Nike ("Athena of Victory"). The temple was the first Ionic structure to be built on the Acropolis and honored Athena in her role as protector and defender of Athens. It provides visitors with a kind of preview of the other temples dedicated to the goddess. It was built over the remains of an earlier sixth-century BC temple to Athena that had been demolished by the Persians in 480 BC. The temple was an expression of Athens’ ambitions to defeat Sparta and become a world power. The frieze of the temple depicts the Athenian victory over the Persians.

The Parthenon is the centrepiece of a 5th-century BC building campaign on the Acropolis in Athens. It was built in the mid-5th century BC by the architects Ictinus and Kallicrates with the supervision of the sculptor Phidias. It was dedicated to the Greek goddess Athena Parthenos. Constructed during the High Classical period, it is generally considered to be the culmination of the development of the Doric order, the simplest of the three Classical Greek architectural orders. The temple’s harmonic proportions, precise construction, and lifelike sculptures have been celebrated and emulated throughout history. The Parthenon is often regarded as a monument to democracy, which was founded in Athens during this period, as well as a tribute to the Athenians’ victory in the Greco-Persian Wars (492–449 BC). The careful placement of precisely cut masonry ensured that the Parthenon remained essentially intact for over two millennia withstanding wars, fires, earthquakes, explosions, and more.

The Erechtheion, designed by the architect Mnesikles, was a complex building constructed in the last twenty years of the 5th century BC. It incorporated the sacred symbols of Poseidon’s struggle with Athena for hegemony over Αthens: the olive tree given to the city by Athena; the marks in the bedrock left by Poseidon's trident; and the spring of salty water that arose after he smote the rock. An Ionic frieze surrounded the Erechtheion’s main building and north porch, decorated with figures of gods, heroes and mortals depicting scenes related to the myths and cults encompassed by the temple. Highlight: The Erechtheion’s best-known feature is its south porch, whose roof, instead of being supported by columns, rested on the heads of six ‘’Korai’’ statues – the famous Karyatids.