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| Peter Kwok | profile | all galleries >> Greece and Turkey 2015 >> Greece >> Athens >> Acropolis | tree view | thumbnails | slideshow | map |
| Acropolis, a citadel atop a rocky outcrop at the center of Athens containing remains of ancient monuments, is the most important cultural heritage site in Europe and a symbol of Greece being the cradle of Western civilization. Since prehistoric time, human settled here because of its defensive potential and availability of water during siege. Most of the major monuments, including the Parthenon, were built in the 5th century BC. After Greek independence in 1832, late additions during the Byzantine and Ottoman periods were cleared in order to restore the original monuments from the Antiquity.
The most important artifacts are on display inside the new Acropolis Museum to protect them from outdoor elements. |
| The top floor of the Acropolis Museum is devoted entirely to artifacts from the Parthenon in a hall large enough to enclose the Parthenon itself. Only replicas of the best artifacts are here. Those originals are on display in the British Museum in London as the Elgin Marbles collection. Back in 1801, the 7th Earl of Elgin, the British ambassador to Istanbul, obtained permission from the Ottoman Sultan, then sovereign ruler of Greece, to take possession of the Parthenon marbles and shipped them back to England. Since its independence, Greece has been trying the reclaim the collection from Britain. |
 Parthenon |
 Parthenon |
 Parthenon |
 Porch of the Maidens |
 Propylaea |
 Ionic Column |
 Erechtheion |
 Propylaea |
 Parthenon |
 Parthenon |
 Odeon of Herodes Atticus |
 Stoa of Eumenes |
 Hermes |
 Acropolis Museum |
 Erechtheion |
 Figures from Porch of the Maidens |
 Parthenon Hall |
 Parthenon Hall |
 Parthenon Hall |
 Birth of Athena |
 Acropolis from its Museum |
 Erechtheion from afar |
 Acropolis at Night |
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| Mike | 22-Jun-2015 23:25 | |