Acropolis & Ancient Sites

The Parthenon (447-432 BC) is the most perfect building humanity has ever created — at least according to architectural historians. Built under Pericles by architects Iktinos and Kallikrates, dedicated to the goddess Athena Parthenos (Athena the Virgin). The building is full of optical tricks: The columns are slightly inclined inward, the base is slightly curved, the corner columns are a bit thicker — all so that the building appears perfectly straight to the human eye. Without these corrections, it would visually sag.

Inside once stood the 12-meter-high statue of Athena by Phidias — made of gold and ivory, adorned with gemstones. Long gone, but reconstructions show it must have been breathtaking. The Parthenon friezes (metopes and the 160-meter-long Ionic frieze) depicted mythological scenes — much of which is now in the British Museum in London as the "Elgin Marbles," a perpetual point of contention between Greece and the United Kingdom.

The Parthenon has a wild history: It was a Greek temple, an early Christian church, a Byzantine cathedral, a mosque under the Ottomans — and in 1687, it exploded when a Venetian cannonball hit the Ottoman powder magazine inside. Since then, it has been a ruin. The ongoing restoration (since the 1970s) aims to carefully correct the damage of the centuries.

The Erechtheion (421-406 BC) is the temple everyone wants to photograph — because of the six Caryatids, those majestic female figures that support the roof of the porch instead of columns. What you see are replicas: Five originals stand in the Acropolis Museum (breathtaking!), the sixth was taken to London by Lord Elgin in 1801.

Architecturally, the Erechtheion is a special case: It stands on uneven ground (almost 3 meters difference in height!) and combines several cult sites in one building. Here, Athena Polias was worshipped, here was the sacred olive tree that Athena gave to the city, here the spring that Poseidon struck with his trident. The Athenians believed that the trident mark of Poseidon was still visible in the rock — and indeed, there are still holes in the floor of the temple.

The sacred olive tree next to the temple (a successor of the original) is one of the most emotional places on the Acropolis: It reminds us that Athena gifted the Athenians the olive tree and thus won the contest with Poseidon — and the city was named after her.

The Propylaea (437-432 BC) are the monumental gateway to the Acropolis — and in antiquity, they were almost as impressive as the Parthenon itself. Five passages, Doric and Ionic columns, white Pentelic marble. The north wing housed the Pinakotheke — the world's first known art gallery.

To the right of the Propylaea stands on a small bastion the Temple of Athena Nike (Athena the Bringer of Victory), a delicate Ionic temple (around 420 BC). From here, the Athenians supposedly watched the Battle of Salamis. The frieze reliefs depict the Persian Wars and a famous "Nike adjusting her sandal" (original in the Acropolis Museum). The small temple was dismantled by the Ottomans to make room for cannons — and meticulously reassembled in the 19th century.

The Acropolis Museum (2009, architect: Bernard Tschumi) is one of the best museums in the world — and that's no exaggeration. The building alone is spectacular: a modern glass and concrete cube hovering on stilts over an archaeological excavation site (visible through the glass floor!). The light changes with the time of day, bathing the ancient marble sculptures in ever-new moods.

The ground floor displays finds from the slopes of the Acropolis: vases, sculptures, everyday objects. The archaic korai (female statues, 6th century BC) with their enigmatic smiles and preserved traces of color are breathtaking. On the first floor stand the five original caryatids from the Erechtheion — with an empty space for the sixth, which is in London. A silent, dignified indictment.

The top floor is the highlight: A hall, exactly the size of the Parthenon, where the preserved Parthenon friezes and metopes are displayed in their original arrangement — exactly as they hung on the building. The missing parts (in London) are marked by bright plaster casts. Through the glass walls, you can see directly to the Parthenon on the hill — the message is unmistakable: These artworks belong here.

If the Acropolis was the religious center, the Agora was the heart of public life. Here, Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle discussed. Here, Cleisthenes invented democracy. Here, trade, judgment, politics, and philosophy took place. The Agora is less spectacular than the Acropolis, but historically just as significant.

The absolute highlight is the Temple of Hephaestus (Theseion, 449 BC) — the best-preserved Greek temple in the world. While the Parthenon is a ruin, the Temple of Hephaestus stands almost completely: roof, columns, pediment — all still there. The reason: It was early converted into a Christian church and thus preserved. From the north side, you have the perfect view with the Acropolis in the background — THE photo motif of Athens.

Also on the site: the Stoa of Attalos, a completely reconstructed Hellenistic colonnade (reconstructed in the 1950s with American money), now the Agora Museum with finds from daily life: pottery shards with inscribed names (ostraka — hence our word "ostracism," meaning banishment by vote), dice, coins, tools.

The Roman Agora (1st century BC) was the marketplace of the Roman period — less atmospheric than the ancient Agora, but with a real gem: the Tower of the Winds (Horologion of Andronikos, around 50 BC). This octagonal marble tower is an ancient marvel: simultaneously a sundial, water clock, weather vane, and wind indicator. Each of the eight sides features a relief depiction of the respective wind god. It is the best-preserved building in Roman Athens.

The rest of the Roman Agora is less spectacular — the Gate of Athena Archegetis (68 BC), financed by Julius Caesar and Augustus, and the ruins of merchant stalls and a public latrine. But the Tower of the Winds alone justifies the visit.

Imagine: 104 Corinthian columns, each 17 meters high, each made from a single block of marble. This is what the Temple of Olympian Zeus looked like in its heyday — the largest temple in Greece, begun in the 6th century BC, completed only under Emperor Hadrian in the 2nd century AD (over 600 years of construction!). Today, 15 columns still stand upright, a 16th has been lying on the ground since a storm in 1852 — a dramatic photo motif.

Inside once stood a colossal gold and ivory statue of Zeus, meant to imitate the statue in Olympia. Next to it, with fine self-confidence, a statue of Hadrian himself in the same size. The Romans had a sense of humor.

Right next to the temple stands the Arch of Hadrian (132 AD), a triumphal arch-like gate marking the boundary between the "old" Athens of Theseus and the "new" Athens of Hadrian. The inscriptions on both sides proudly proclaim this. It is freely accessible and one of the most photographed monuments in Athens.

The Kerameikos is Athens' most fascinating cemetery and one of the city's most underrated ancient sites. Here, in the old potters' quarter (hence our word "ceramics"), burials took place from the Bronze Age to the Roman period. The preserved grave stelae along the "Street of the Tombs" depict poignant farewell scenes: a woman reaching out to her deceased daughter; a warrior bidding farewell to his dog; a couple sharing a final handshake.

The site is also historically significant: Here ran the Dipylon Gate, Athens' mightiest city gate, and the Sacred Gate, through which the procession to the Eleusinian Mysteries passed. A small but excellent museum displays grave finds, ceramics, and the oldest known Greek inscription (Dipylon Vase, ca. 740 BC).

The Kerameikos is a quiet, green place — turtles live among the tombstones, herbs grow wild. A perfect contrast to the hustle and bustle of the city.

The Panathenaic Stadium (also Kallimarmaro, "the beautiful marble") is the only stadium in the world completely made of white marble — and it is breathtaking. Here, the first modern Olympic Games took place in 1896. The horseshoe shape dates back to the ancient original (330 BC), built for the Panathenaic Games. It could accommodate up to 50,000 spectators in antiquity.

Today, the stadium is used for special occasions: It is the finish line of the Athens Marathon (November) and is used for concerts and ceremonies. You can climb through the spectator stands on your own, stand on the winner's podium, and feel like an Olympic hero. In the tunnel under the stands, a small exhibition shows the history of the Olympic Games with torches, posters, and medals from all previous games.

The Areopagus (Ares Hill) is a bare limestone rock northwest of the Acropolis — and the place with the best free view of the illuminated Acropolis at night. In antiquity, the council of elders (Areopagus), the highest court of Athens, met here. The Apostle Paul is also said to have given his famous speech to the Athenians here (Acts 17) — a bronze plaque commemorates it.

Every evening, hundreds of people sit on the smooth rock, drink wine, play guitar, and watch as the sun sets behind Salamis and the Acropolis is bathed in golden light. It is one of the most magical places in Athens — and completely free. Caution: The ascent over the smooth marble rock is short but tricky. Sturdy footwear!