Acropolis of Athens

A temple above the cradle of democracy and philosophy

The Acropolis is a group of ancient temples on a rock above the city of Athens. The most famous is the Parthenon, dedicated to the goddess Athena, built 2,500 years ago. Its columns aren't actually straight — they curve slightly so they look perfectly straight to the eye! In this city, people first invented choosing their own government — democracy.

The Acropolis ('high city') is a temple complex on a 156 m rock in Athens, built mainly under Pericles (447–406 BC): the Parthenon (temple of Athena, architects Ictinus and Callicrates, sculptor Phidias), the Erechtheion (caryatids), the Propylaea and the Temple of Nike. The Parthenon is the peak of the Doric order, with 'optical refinements' — columns lean inward, the platform bulges, corner columns are thicker — so the building looks perfectly straight. Inside stood a 12 m statue of Athena in gold and ivory. In 1687 a Venetian shell hit a gunpowder store and the temple exploded. Some of the marble sculptures (the Elgin Marbles) are in London — Greece demands their return. A UNESCO site (1987); the Parthenon is on UNESCO's emblem.

Fun facts

• There isn't a single straight line in the Parthenon — everything is deliberately slightly curved.
• The Parthenon stood for 2,000 years until a gunpowder explosion wrecked it in 1687.
• The building on UNESCO's emblem is the Parthenon.