First time visitors to Athens, generally head straight to Acropolis. There are very few who are not already familiar with the image of this distinctive stronghold of ancient Athens, perched on its steep flat-topped rock above the city below. It is here where Athens, and classical Greek civilisation began, and is a site of a collection of beautiful temples, most of which are dedicated to the goddess of wisdom, Athena.
The ruins that remain visible today date from the 4th century BC. Most of them were erected by Pericles after the Persians destroyed many of the original Acropolis buildings. Visitors work their way up the slopes past the souvenir stands and enter the site through the monumental entranceway, the Propylaia, which contained an art gallery in ancient times. To the right of the entrance is the tiny temple of Anthena Nike, which has been restored and reconstructed.
The Parthenon, the greatest surviving monument of Doric architecture, is built of Pentelic marble quarried from the distant mountains and form the backdrop to the breathtaking view of Athens from the Acropolis. Alongside the Parthenon is another temple, the Erechtheion, which bears holes on its northern porch, where Poseidon's trident struck it during his contest with Athena to have the city named after him.
There is a museum on the Acropolis which boasts some of the carving and friezes recovered from the temples, although many of the archaeological finds from the Acropolis are now housed in the British Museum in London.
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