Acropolis of Athens Notes Module 5 done

Shrines to mythical kings of Athens, Cecrops and Erechteus, were found within the Erechtheion.
The Erechtheion was the ending site of the Panathenaic festival, where the peplos on the olive-wood statue of Athena was annually replaced with new clothing.

A porch on the south side of the Erechtheion is known as the Porch of the Caryatids, or the Porch of the Maidens.
Six sculpted women (caryatids) support the entablature.
The women replace the columns and look columnar themselves.
Their drapery creates a parallel to the fluting on an Ionic column.
Each statue has its own stance, facial features, hair, and drapery.
They carry egg-and-dart capitals on their heads.
A sculpted cushion softens the load of the building's weight.
The sculpted columnar form of the caryatids is named after the women of Kayrai, a town allied to Sparta.
The town betrayed Athens to the Persians during the Persian Wars.
In retaliation, the Athenians sacked their city, killing the men and enslaving the women and children.
The caryatids are symbolic representations of Athenian authority and the punishment of traitors.

The temple of Athena Nike (Athena as a goddess of victory) is the smallest temple at the Acropolis in Athens.
It is located at the southwest corner, at the edge of a high cliff.
Construction was completed in 420 BCE during the High Classical Period.
The architect was Kallikrates (who also designed the Parthenon).
The temple replaced an earlier small temple that was destroyed during the Persian wars.
The location was appropriate for the worship of the goddess of victory because it was vulnerable to attack but also well-placed for defense.
There is archaeological evidence that the location was used for religious rituals in the Mycenaean age (1600 to 1100 BCE).
Mycenaeans raised the first defensive bastion on the spot.

Mnesicles designed the Propylaea (437-432 BCE), the monumental gateway to the Acropolis.
It funneled all traffic to the Acropolis onto one gently sloped ramp.
The Propylaea created a massive screen wall that was impressive, protective, and welcoming.
It was designed to appear symmetrical but was not.
The illusion was created by a colonnade of paired columns that wrapped around the gateway.
The southern wing incorporated the original Cyclopean walls from the Mycenaean citadel.
This space was truncated but served as a dining area for feasting after a sacrifice.
The northern wing was much larger and served as a pinacoteca, where large panel paintings were hung for public viewing.
The order of the Propylaea and its columns are Doric, and its decoration is simple, with no reliefs in the metopes and pediment.
Upon entering the Acropolis from the Propylaea, visitors were greeted by a colossal bronze statue of Athena Promachos (c. 456 BCE), designed by Phidias.
The statue portrayed a fearsome image of a helmeted Athena striding forward, with her shield at her side and her spear raised high, ready to strike.

The structure is sometimes called the pearl of the Acropolis because it was designed and decorated with great care.
Its side columns have volutes both in the front and at the side to create a pleasant view from any viewpoint.
The Greeks considered their temples as monumental sculptures to be viewed from all sides.
Romans prioritized the frontal view.
The columns of the temple of Athena Nike are not as slender as those of many other Ionic buildings.
The usual proportion between the width and the height of an Ionic column was $1:9$ or even $1:11$ .
Here the proportion is $1:7$ , possibly to create a harmonious whole with other buildings nearby.
The temple of Athena Nike stands next to the Propylaea, a heavy, monumental gateway to the Acropolis, built in the Doric order.
The architect may have widened the columns to counteract the massive structure of the Propylaea.
The ancient Greeks were very aware of mathematical ratios while constructing architecture or creating statues, feeling that the key to beauty lies in correct proportion.

The Acropolis of Athens is commonly known as The Acropolis without qualification due to its significance.
The Acropolis has played a significant role in the city from the time that the area was first inhabited during the Neolithic era.
There is evidence that the hill was inhabited as far back as the fourth millennium BCE.
In the High Classical Period, Pericles (c. 495-429 BCE) coordinated the construction of the site's most important buildings, including the Parthenon, the Propylaea, the Erechtheion, and the temple of Athena Nike.
The buildings on the Acropolis were constructed in the Doric and Ionic orders, with dramatic reliefs adorning many of their pediments, friezes, and metopes.
Its architecture has influenced the design of many public buildings in the Western hemisphere.
Archaeological evidence shows that the acropolis was once home to a Mycenaean citadel.
The citadel's Cyclopean walls defended the Acropolis for centuries and still remain today.
The Acropolis was continually inhabited, even through the Greek Dark Ages when Mycenaean civilization fell.