Posts Tagged ‘ancient athens’
Top Things to Do in Athens
The Acropolis, a Unesco World Heritage Site, is one of the most significant and most visited monuments in the world. It was the original fortified ancient “high city” of Athens built on the Acropolis hill, a prominent rock plateau high above the city, with commanding views and an amazing array of ancient architecture dating back to the Classical period of Ancient Greece. The main buildings of the Acropolis are the Erectheion Temple, the Temple of Athena Nike and the famous Temple of Parthenon, dedicated to the Goddess Athena, protector of the ancient city of Athens. The external pillars of the Parthenon are slightly curved to give an optical illusion as being straight when viewed from every angle. Other sites to view are the Kerameikos, the Temple of Olympian Zeus, Roman Agora, Ancient Agora, and the nearby Odeum of Herodes and Theatre of Dionysus. There is a museum behind the Parthenon preserving many of the artifacts from the site.
Ancient Agora is the green parkland next to the Acropolis Hill with a very beautiful view of the Parthenon. An Agora was an open place of assembly in ancient Greek times where free-born male citizens would gather for military duty or to hear statements of the ruling king or council. Later in Greek history, the agora served as a marketplace where merchants kept stalls or shops to sell their goods. There is the Temple of Hephaestus, the best preserved ancient Greek temple, the Attalos Stoa and the museum of the ancient Agora.
Odeum of Herodes is a Roman theatre addition to the Acropolis, built in the city around 167 AD and located on the side of the Acropolis hill easily viewed from the front of the Parthenon. Today, concerts are held here and is where the popular musician Yanni recorded his album ‘Yanni Live at the Acropolis’.