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Acropolis - Episode 18033
161 Plays6 years ago
The ancient citadel, known as the Acropolis of Athens or just the Acropolis, best known for the monumental temples and structures including the Parthenon, is a symbol of ancient Athenian and Greek power and civilisation the world over.
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Transcript
Podcast Introduction
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Speaker
You're listening to the Archaeology Podcast Network.
The Acropolis of Athens: Significance and Structures
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Speaker
The ancient citadel, known as the Acropolis of Athens or just the Acropolis, best known for the monumental temples and structures including the Parthenon, is a symbol of ancient Athenian and Greek power and civilization the world over.
Introduction to ARC 365 Podcast
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This is episode 33 for February 2nd, 2018.
00:00:24
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I'm Chris Webster and welcome to the ARC 365 podcast, 2018 edition. ARC 365 is a podcast today, every day, in 2018.
Membership Benefits and Access
00:00:33
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This network is supported by our listeners. You can become a supporting member by going to arcpodnet.com slash members and signing up. As a supporting member, you have access to high quality downloads of each show and a discount at our future online store and access to show hosts on a members only Slack team. For professional members, we'll have training shows and other special content offered throughout the year.
00:00:57
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Once again, go to arcpodnet.com slash members to support the network and get some great extras and swag in the process. That's arcpodnet.com slash members.
Historical Overview of the Acropolis
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This episode was written by Christopher Booth. The Acropolis of Athens is located on a 3 hectare or 7.4 acre flat rock outcrop rising 150 meters or 490 feet above sea level in the city of Athens. The earliest archaeological evidence at the site is some sherds of pottery dated to the Middle Neolithic 3500 to 3000 BC. The first major evidence of habitation on the site was during the later Bronze Age.
00:01:33
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A fortification wall was built around the Acropolis in the 13th century BC and the citadel became the center of a Mycenaean kingdom. This early fortification is partially preserved among the later monuments and its history can be traced fairly accurately. It has also been suggested that there was a Megaran palace on the site, although the only remains linked to this possible palace are a single limestone column base and some sandstone steps.
00:01:58
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The Acropolis first became a sacred precinct in the 8th century BC, at the same time that the cult of Athena Polias was established. The sanctuary flourished in the mid-6th century BC when the Panathenaea, the city's greatest religious festival, was established and the first monumental buildings of the Acropolis erected, including the so-called Old Temple and the Hecate Malpedos, the predecessor of the Parthenon, both dedicated to Athena.
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Extremely opulent votive offerings include marble, bronze, and terracotta statues was often bare inscriptions dedicating them to Athena's cult or associated with this period of the history of the Acropolis. Athens was invaded in 480 BC by the Persians who pillaged the Acropolis and set fire to the monuments and temples.
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This period of destruction allowed Pericles, around 495-429 BC, to begin the construction of the now famous temples and remains on the site, including the Parthenon, the Propylaea, the Erechtheion, and the Temple of Athena at Nike.
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At the northern side of the Acropolis, the temples were mainly dedicated to the earlier cults of Athena and the Olympian gods. The southern part of the Acropolis was dedicated to the later and varied cult of Athena as Peleus, patron of the city, Parthanos, Promachos, goddess of war, Nike, victory, and several others.
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At the end of the Peloponnesian War in 404 BC, until the 1st century BC, no further major buildings were erected on the Acropolis. In the Roman period, unlike many other Greek sanctuaries, the Acropolis retained its sacred position and continued to attract worshippers. Additionally, in 27 BC, a small temple dedicated to Augustus and Rome was built. In more recent times, the Parthenon and other buildings on the Acropolis were damaged seriously during the 1687 siege by the Venetians when gunpowder
Restoration and Preservation Efforts
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being stored in the Parthenon, was hit by a cannonball and exploded. In 1801-1802, Lord Elgin removed significant portions of the sculptural decoration of the Parthenon, the Temple of Athena Nike, and the Erechtheion, which are now controversially housed at the British Museum in London. The Acropolis was finally handed over to the newly formed Greek state in 1822.
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The Acropolis Restoration Project began during 1975 and attempted to restore the monuments after centuries of decay, pollution, damage, and bad previous restorations. The project included collection and identification of all stone fragments from the Acropolis and its slopes, and the attempt was made to restore as much as possible with the new marble used sparingly. All restoration was made using titanium dowels and is designed to be completely reversible and a combination of cutting-edge modern technology and reinvented ancient techniques were used.
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A total of 2,675 tons of architectural members were restored, with 686 stones reassembled from fragments of the originals, 905 patched with new marble, and 186 parts made entirely of new marble. A total of 530 cubic meters of new, pentelic marble were used. As part of this restoration, a new acropolis museum was opened on the southern slope, 280 meters from the Parthenon. The museum houses artifacts and more fragile sculptural materials
Podcast Conclusion and Listener Engagement
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in a controlled environment so that they can be preserved for the future. Thank you.
00:05:11
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Thanks for listening to Arc 365. If you want to hear more Arc 365, check out www.arcpodnet.com slash Arc 365 for the 2017 and 2018 episodes. Check out arcpodnet.com slash Arc 365 dash G30 for the last 30 episodes. Please subscribe and rate on your service of choice. We're available on iTunes, Stitcher, and Google Play, among others. Support the APN at arcpodnet.com slash members. Thanks for listening and thanks for being awesome.
00:05:40
Speaker
This show is produced and recorded by the Archaeology Podcast Network, Chris Webster and Tristan Boyle, in Reno, Nevada at the Reno Collective. This has been a presentation of the Archaeology Podcast Network. Visit us on the web for show notes and other podcasts at www.archpodnet.com. Contact us at chrisatarchaeologypodcastnetwork.com.