Acropolis, Athens Postcards

The Acropolis of Athens is the best known acropolis (high city, The "Sacred Rock") in the world. The Acropolis was formally proclaimed as the pre-eminent monument on the European Cultural Heritage list of monuments on 26 March 2007, and was added to the UNESCO's list of World Heritage Sites in 1987. The Acropolis is a flat-topped rock which rises 150 m (490 ft) above sea level in the city of Athens. It was also known as Cecropia, after the legendary serpent-man, Kekrops or Cecrops, the first Athenian king.

Acropolis of Athens Postcard 1

The Acropolis of Athens and its monuments are universal symbols of the classical spirit and civilization and form the greatest architectural and artistic complex bequeathed by Greek Antiquity to the world. In the second half of the fifth century bc, Athens, following the victory against the Persians and the establishment of democracy, took a leading position amongst the other city-states of the ancient world. In the age that followed, as thought and art flourished, an exceptional group of artists put into effect the ambitious plans of Athenian statesman Pericles and, under the inspired guidance of the sculptor Pheidias, transformed the rocky hill into a unique monument of thought and the arts.

Acropolis of Athens Postcard 2

Site Monuments: Parthenon, Erechtheion, Propylaea, Temple of Athena Nike, Brauronion, Temple of Rome and Augustus, Pedestal of Agrippa, Beule Gate, Acropolis fortification wall, Chalkotheke, Old temple of Athena

SOURCES:Acropolis of Athens Wikipedia Entry
UNESCO World Heritage: Acropolis, Athens