Photos of the Athens Acropolis Ancient Greek Temples

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Photos of the Beautiful Parthenon temple & the Erechtheion Athens Acropolis Ancient Greek Temples Archaeological Site, Turkey. Photos by Photographer Paul E Williams. (TIP – use the icons below the slideshow for thumbnail photos and info)

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Photos of the Parthenon temple & Erechtheion of Athens Acropolis

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Photos of the Iconic Athens Acropolis with photos of the Parthenon temple & the Erechtheion.

The Acropolis was the ancient citadel of Athens sitting on a rock with steep cliffs 150m above the city of Athens, Greece. During the Golden Age of Athens under Pericles, 460-430 BC, many major Greek Temples were built and the Acropolis became the fortified treasury of the Delian League and its funds were used to build the Parthenon.

The Acropolis of Athens Parthenon Temple

The Parthenon is considered to be the pinnacle of development of the Doric order. Greek architects used optical illusions to make it look symmetrical. The columns bulge as they rise and lean slightly inwards and the west front is built slightly higher than the east front to counter the visual effect of curvature between the two parallel lines of columns.

The sculpted friezes and statues of the Parthenon are also thought to be the pinnacle of Greek classical art. The sculptures from the Pediment of the Parthenon depicted scenes from the birth and life of the goddess Athena. The Metope panels depicted scenes of a battle between the Lapiths & Centaurs.

The friezes depict the annual procession to the Parthenon to make sacrifice to Athena.

The Acropolis of Athens ErichthoniusTemple

The other great icon of the Acropolis is the “Porch of the Maidens” on the Erechtheion temple. Built between 421 and 405 BC the temple was dedicated to the Greek hero Erichthonius. The “Porch of the Maidens” uses caryatids which are female figures used as supports instead of columns.

Parthenon Converted to a Church the a Mosque

When the Roman Empire converted to Christianity the Parthenon became a church. Its pagan artworks were damaged and cult images of Athena were taken to Constantinople. In 1456 Athens fell to the Ottomans are became part of the Ottoman Empire. The Parthenon then became a mosque with a minaret.

In 1687 the Venetians attacked Athens. The Acropolis was fortified by the Ottomans and the Parthenon was used as an arsenal. A Venetian mortar made a direct hit on the Parthenon and the arsenal exploded destroying the internal building, the columns of the south side and damaging its sculptures.

Lord Elgin Buys Parthenon Friezes

In 1801 the British Ambassador at Constantinople, Lord Elgin, obtained permission to make casts of what was left of the sculptures on the Acropolis and remove them. Controversy still runs high about this today.