A Guide to Ancient Athens

Classical or ancient Athens was named after its patron goddess Athena, the goddess of wisdom, and is considered to be the birthplace of both democracy and Western Civilization. Between the time period of 508 to 322 BCE, Athens was a democracy, with Athenian hegemony reaching its height during the 440s to the 430s BCE. Known as the Age of Pericles, this time period consisted of a great time for arts, architecture, philosophy and learning. The result of this period of intellectual, political, cultural, and artistic growth spread out its influence throughout the rest of Europe during the 5th and 4th centuries BCE as well as beyond.

Architecture is the aesthetic design and construction of a building. Between 1200 and 700 BCE, no real architecture took place while ancient Greece built up its civilization and prosperity. Between 700 and 500 BCE, most public works returned, but were largely made of wood or bricks made of mud or clay which did not last over the years. By the 6th to 4th centuries BCE, however, construction using stone such as limestone and marble took place and were often detailed with metals. Although the building types of Ancient Greece fell under the following categories of religious, civic, funerary, recreational, and domestic, the greatest architecture of ancient Athens revolved around those elements of society deemed to be the most important: religion, government, and learning. In addition, the ancient Greeks developed three architectural systems, called orders: Doric, Iconic, and Corinthian.

Ancient Athens is a foundation for the architecture of Western Civilization and throughout the world. In an ongoing effort to provide excellent architecture resources, compiled below is a collection of online resources related to ancient Athens. These resources are meant for teachers, students, parents, and architectural enthusiasts alike.

Overview of the Architecture of Ancient Athens

As mentioned above, the ancient Greeks had three separate styles of architectural design. The Doric order is the least ornate of the three and was the style most often used in mainland Greece and the Italian colonies in southern Italy, including Sicily. The Ionic order had columns that were more slender and ornate, used a scroll-like design, and was typically used in eastern Greece and on the islands. The Corinthian order was more frequently used in ancient Rome than in ancient Greece. Its pillars were the most ornate of the three orders and included designs of acanthus leaves.

The Acropolis, the Parthenon, the Erechtheion, the Propylaia, and the Temple of Athena Nike

The Acropolis was located on a large hill of rock and made up the fortified city and sanctuary of ancient Athens. During the second half of the 5th century, the famous buildings on the Acropolis were built: the Parthenon, the Erechtheion, the Propylaia, and the temple of Athena Nike. The Parthenon, the most impressive temple on the Acropolis, was constructed between 446 and 432 BCE of the Doric order, was dedicated to the goddess Athena. Pallas or Parthenos (virgin), held the gold and ivory statue of Athena created by Pheidias, and was the heart of the Acropolis building complex. The Erechtheion was constructed between 420 and 406 BCE in the Ionic order and was a temple built to accommodate religious rituals. The Propylaia,was built around 437 BCE in the Doric order and served as the elaborate and ornate entrance to Acropolis. Finally, the Temple of Athena Nike, which in 480 BCE was destroyed by the Persians (as was the rest of the Acropolis) and was not to be rebuilt until 435 BCE, is of the Ionic order.

  • The Stoa Consortium is an online classical resource that has information on the Acropolis, including a list of image catalogues of the Acropolis, the Parthenon, the Erechtheion, the Propylaia, and the Temple of Athena Nike.
  • Ancient-Greece.org has details on Acropolis, including the Parthenon, the Erechtheion, the Propylaia, and the Temple of Athena Nike, includingimages.

The Greek Agora of Athens

The Greek Agora, Forum, or market, of Acropolis served as both the commercial district and the public forum for political debates and votes. This place is located to the northwest of and below the Acropolis. This agora is considered to be the actual place of birth of democracy.

The Arch of Hadrian

The Arch of Hadrian was constructed in the 2nd century CE, likely sometime before 131 to 132 CE, when Emperor Hadrian visited Athens. This arch was built over an ancient road. The road led from the Acropolis and its Athenian Agora to the Olympieion and southeast Athens.

  • The Stoa Consortium has information on the Arch of Hadrian. A select bibliography and images are also included.
  • AthensInfoGuide.com offers information on Hadrian’s arch. This guide includes background information as well as images.

The Kerameikos

The Kerameikos is the region of Athens located northwest of the Acropolis that exists both inside and outside the city walls, with the inner Kerameikos containing the potter’s district, and the outer Kerameikos containing the largest and most significant necropolis, or vast cemetery, of Athens. The name Kerameikos orginates from Keramos, who was the hero of potters. Keramos was also the son of Dionysios and Ariadne. The kerameis were the community of potters situated along the banks of the Eridanos river.

  • Greece-Athens.com offers both text and images on the Kerameikos. Links to the museums that hold artifacts found in excavations of Kerameikos are also listed.
  • The Stoa Consortium is a classical resource that provides information on the Kerameikos, including a select bibliography, a recommended websites list, and images.

The Library of Hadrian

The Library of Hadrian was built in 131 to 132 CE by the Emperor Hadrian. This complex was much more than a mere library. More like a multi-plex, it consisted of a multi-purpose public square and cultural center that included a library, a garden, lecture halls, and numerous works of art.

  • The Stoa Consortium is an online resource that offers information on The Library of Hadrian. A select bibliography, additional websites, and images are also included.
  • Greece-Athens.com provides a description and image of Hadrian’s library.

The Lysikrates Monument & the Street of the Tripods

The Lysikrates Monument was the result of a choragic effort in which a public work was financed by individuals. Choruses trained and competed in both musical performances and dramas. The choregos, or producers, funded these efforts on their own. The winning choregos received the prize of a bronze tripod. The tripods were then displayed in one of two places: 1) on the south slope of the Acropolis, in or near Dionysos’ sanctuary or 2) along the Street of the Tripods, which was an ancient road from Dionysos’ sanctuary around and out to the northeast and east sides of the Acropolis. The Lysikrates Monument itself was constructed on the western side of the Street of the Tripods in commemoration of a choral victory that took place sometime around 335 to 334 BCE.

The Olympieion & Southeast Athens

The Olympieion lies to the southeast of Athens. It is the Temple of the Olympian Zeus. Work on it was begun as far back as 515 BCE, but was not completed until the rule of Emperor Hadrian around 129 to 131 CE.

The Philopappos Monument

The Philopappos Monument was constructed sometime between 114 and 116 CE. It is located on the Mouseion Hill to the southwest of Acropolis. This monument is the tomb Caius Julius Antiochos Philopappos, who was a member of the royal family of a small Hellenistic kingdom located in southeastern Turkey and northern Syria. This family was called Commagene.

  • The Stoa Consortium provides information, images, resources, and links regarding The Philopappos Monument.
  • Greece-Athens.com offers images and information on the tomb of Philopappos, which is known as the Philopappos Monument.

The Pnyx

Located on a hill southwest of the Acropolis, the Pnyx was the official meeting place of the ekklesia, or the official democratic assembly of Athens. Although theekklesia originally met in the Greek Agora of Acropolis, this meeting place moved to the Pnyx sometime in the early 5th century BCE. The word Pnyx comes from the ancient Greek language and means “tightly packed together.”

  • The Stoa Consortium has a resource entitled The Pnyx that includes images and distinguishes the three phases of its construction.
  • Greece-Athens.com also offers information entitled The Pnyx. This area was a large, theatre-like enclave on the hill to the west of Acropolis.

The Roman Agora and the Tower of the Winds

The Roman Agora, or Forum, of Athens differs from the ancient Agora of Acropolis. This agora is located to the north of the Acropolis and to the east of the ancient Greek Agora of Acropolis. Also known as the Market of Caesar and Augustus, this market was funded by Caesar and Augustus in the 1st century BCE and was connected to the Greek Agora by a paved street. The Tower of the Winds was located at the second, eastern entrance of the Roman Agora and constructed in the mid-2nd century BCE. Also known as the Horologion of Andronikos of Kyrrhos, this building is tall and octagonal in shape and was designed by the famous astronomer Andronikos of Kyrrhos. It is a combination of an elaborate water clock on the inside and a sundial on the outside, with a weather vane on top of the building. “Tower of the Winds” is a nickname based on the personifications of the eight winds, each of which is carved on one of the building’s eight sides.

The Temple of Hephaestus (‘Theseion’)

The Temple of Hephaestus, the Hephaisteion, or the Theseion was a temple erected in honor of the Greek god Hephaestus, or the Roman god Vulcan, in commemoration of the work of Theseus. It is thought to be the best-preserved of the Greek Temples, as it remains today almost entirely intact. It is located to the northwest of the Agora of Athens, on top of the Agoraios Kolonos hill. Constructed between 449 and 415 BCE, this temple is of the Doric order.

  • Wikipedia’s Temple of Hephaestus article offers information on this structure. Its construction and history, as well as further resources, are provided.
  • PBase.com shares images by R McBee on the Temple of Hephaestus.