⏳ A Journey Back in Time: Centered Around the Acropolis
🏛 Acropolis of Athens
📍 Location: Central Athens, on a rocky hilltop fortress
🎫 Integrated Ticket Available / Entrance Fee: €20
❌ Closed on: January 1, January 6
🎭 Odeon of Herodes Atticus
The first thing that catches the eye is this magnificent ancient theater.
Built in 161 AD by the Roman nobleman Herodes Atticus, it was restored in the 1950s and is still used today for summer festivals.
It’s astonishing that over 2,000 years later, Athens’ performance culture continues to this day.
🏯 Major Sites within the Acropolis
Passing through the Boule Gate, the official entrance, visitors are greeted by temples of Athens — each distinct in style and purpose.
🌄 The Heart of Athens — The Center of an Ancient City
The name “Acropolis” comes from the Greek ἄκρον (akron, “highest point”) and πόλις (polis, “city”) — literally, “the city above the city.”
It is not merely a tourist site but a living history book, layered with millennia of civilization, faith, and art.
People lived here as early as 4000 BC. During the Mycenaean period, it served as a fortress; in the 5th century BC, under Pericles, it became the center of Athens’ Golden Age.
The temples that remain today — the Parthenon, Propylaea, Erechtheion, and Temple of Athena Nike — were all constructed during that era.
📖 [From Wikipedia]: The Acropolis of Athens is an ancient citadel located on a rocky outcrop above the city, containing the remains of several buildings of great architectural and historic significance, the most famous being the Parthenon.
The term Acropolis is derived from ἄκρον (akron, “highest point”) and πόλις (polis, “city”).
While Greece has other acropoleis, the Athenian one — once called Cecropia — is the most renowned.
Legend says it was named after the serpent-man Cecrops, the city’s first mythical king.
🏗️ Evolution and Destruction Through the Ages
During the Hellenistic period, foreign rulers built commemorative monuments, while the Romans added structures like the Temple of Agrippa and Odeon of Herodes Atticus.
In the Byzantine era, the Parthenon was converted into a Church of the Virgin Mary;
under Ottoman rule, it became a mosque.
In 1687, during the Morean War, a Venetian bombardment caused the gunpowder stored inside the Parthenon to explode, devastating much of the site.
After Greece’s independence, architect Leo von Klenze led the restoration in the 19th century, giving the Acropolis much of its current form.
🕊️ The Acropolis in Modern History: A Symbol of Resistance
In 1941, during the Nazi occupation, German forces hoisted a swastika flag over the Acropolis.
Two young men — Manolis Glezos and Apostolos Santas — bravely climbed up one night and tore it down, marking the first act of Greek resistance.
When Greece was liberated in 1944, the nation’s Prime Minister declared freedom from this very hilltop.
🎭 Theatre of Dionysus
Located on the southern slope of the Acropolis, this is regarded as the world’s first true theater.
Built in the late 6th century BC, it could seat up to 17,000 people and hosted the origins of tragedy and comedy — the foundation of modern theater.
The annual City Dionysia Festival, devoted to the worship of Dionysus, was held here, premiering the works of Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides.
Originally built with wooden benches, it was later rebuilt in stone during the Lycurgus era (4th century BC).
📸 Time at the Acropolis
From the lookout point, the Temple of Zeus and the city of Athens unfold in a breathtaking panorama.
The scent of ancient stone mingled with sunlight brings the realization: “This is where theater began.”
Around me, tourists asked one another to take photos — all holding Samsung phones.
In the seats of the Theatre of Dionysus, where actors once performed, sat people simply resting —
reading books, waiting for loved ones, or, like me, just lost in thought.
"I wonder if anyone comes here alone to practice acting?"
The thought made me smile.
After this quiet time travel through the Acropolis, I slowly stood up to leave.
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