Acropolis tour

A popular story and one of the founding myths of ancient Athens is the legendary contest between Athena and Poseidon over the city of Athens. Both believed that they had the right to bring the city under their protection, name it after themselves and claim its glory. Both gods would give the town a gift and the people could decide which gift was the most useful. Gods and people met on the Acropolis hill.

First stepped Poseidon and struck his trident on the earth causing a spring of water to gush out of the ground. This was Poseidon’s gift to the people of Athens.

Then, it was Athena’s turn. She opened her hand and revealed a seed, which she planted on the ground. The seed grew into an olive tree. Her gift was met with great enthusiasm, because of its multiple applications.

People cheered Athena and she gave her name to the city, which was hence called Athens.

The Acropolis hill is a limestone hill high above Athens which stands as a reminder of the rich history of Athens and Greece. A hill dotted with some of the most significant monuments of the city’s past.

Inhabited since the early Neolithic, the hill transformed from an impenetrable fortress to a place of religious worship. Two temples were built to pay tribute to the patron goddess of the city. Yet, neither survived the Second Persian invasion of Greece in 480 B.C.

However, the invasion turned to the defeat of the Persians and Athens reached its cultural peak. Pericles, a popular political leader, initiated a massive building project that lasted 50 years and the most iconic structures in the world were constructed. Among them, the Parthenon.

During the times of the Byzantine reign, the Parthenon was repurposed to serve as a Church dedicated to Virgin Mary. Afterwards, Greece endured many invaders and its temples served as mosques and storehouses for ammunition.

On Sept. 26, 1687 the Venetians bombarded the Acropolis and many priceless artifacts were lost.I n 1801, the 7th Earl of Elgin, Thomas Bruce, began removing sculptures from the Acropolis with permission from the occupying Turkish government. Many of these sculptures reside today in the British Museum.

After the Greek War of Independence in 1822, the Acropolis was returned to the Greeks and at the turn of the 20th century its restoration began.