Acropolis

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The Acropolis became a key part of the Golden Age of Pericles, a time when democracy was
born and exercised as well as a time of great architectural and artistic accomplishments.
The Acropolis is a flat-topped rock that rises 150 m  above sea level in the city
of Athens, with a surface area of about 3 hectares. It was also known as Cecropia, after
the legendary serpent-man, Cecrops, the first Athenian king.
The Acropolis rock is part of a Late Cretaceous limestone ridge that cuts
through the Attica plateau in the northeast to the southwest axis and includes the
Likavitos hill, the Philopappos hill, the hill of the Nymphs, and the Pnyx.
The Acropolis was formally proclaimed as the preeminent monument on the European Cultural
Heritage list of monuments on 26 March 2007.
When the Acropolis was ransacked by the Persians in 580 BC, the Athenians vowed never to
rebuild on it. But thirty-three years later, the great statesmen Pericles persuaded the
popular assembly to rebuild on it as a lasting testament to the glory of democratic Athens
and its empire.

The acropolis became indeed the focus of Pericles' rebuilding of the city and under the
direction of the great Pheidias, the Propylea, the Parthenon and the Erehthion were
copmpleted in the second half of the 5th century B.C.
Nowadays it is classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.


For more information on the Acropolis please visit:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acropolis_of_Athens
http://www.athensguide.com/acropolis.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parthenon