The Acropolis of Athens An acropolis (Ancient Greek: ἀκρόπολις, akropolis; from akros (άκρος) or akron (άκρον), "highest, topmost, outermost" and polis (πόλις), "city"; plural in English: acropoles, acropoleis or acropolises), , . was an ancient Greece settlement, especially a citadel, built upon an area of elevated ground—frequently a hill with precipitous sides, chosen for purposes of defense. Acropolises also had a function of a religious sanctuary with sacred springs highlighting its religious significance. Acropolises became the nuclei of large cities of classical antiquity, such as ancient Athens, and for this reason they are sometimes prominent landmarks in modern cities with ancient pasts, such as modern Athens.
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These and similar such structures found in other shelters are witnesses to the care which was taken here, as in other Mycenaean acropolises, to the basic problem of water access in a time of siege.
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The city included two acropolises while houses were in the lower city. The fortified palace was built in 750-600 BC on Ampileri Hill, the west acropolis of the city, and rebuilt in 600-475 BC against attacks by Kition. The Temple of Athena was also located there.
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These three plazas can be subdivides into seven smaller ones. The better preserved buildings are on the acropolises, while the plazas are surrounded by mounds of rubble and dirt.Martos López, p. 65 The architecture shares affinities with other sites such as Yaxchilan, Palenque, Lacanha and Bonampak but nevertheless also has unique elements.
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A large plaza occupies the center of the site, with two separate spaces named in Tzeltal: Alan (Lower) and Muku'l (Great). Muku'l occupies the space between North and East Acropolises. South of Plaza Alan are Plazas Tut (Small) and Beja' (of the Arroyo or stream). The latter is named after a ravine that crosses it.
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The extent of the site is no more than , however, the core is only a third of that. 72 buildings are spread out throughout the site. The core of the site was built around three natural hills that were built up into three acropolises. The intervening spaces between and around them became three main plazas, used for civic and religious activities.
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According to Arthur Evans, a "Minoan peace" (Pax Minoica) existed; there was little internal armed conflict in Minoan Crete until the Mycenaean period. However, it is difficult to draw hard-and-fast conclusions from the evidence and Evans' idealistic view has been questioned.Alexiou wrote of fortifications and acropolises in Minoan Crete, in Kretologia 8 (1979), pp. 41–56, and especially in C.G. Starr, "Minoan flower-lovers" in The Minoan Thalassocracy: Myth and Reality R. Hägg and N. Marinatos, eds.
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The Great Temple The eastern chamber of the prytaneion The Dorian city-state was built in a defensible position overlooking Mirabello Bay between two peaks, both of which became acropolises to the city. Although the city probably predates the arrival of the Dorians, the ruins date mainly from the Dorian period (5th and 4th centuries BCE). The city was destroyed c. 200 BCE, but its port (Lato Etera or Lato pros Kamara), located near Agios Nikolaos was in use during Roman rule.
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During the early 20th century, archaeological excavations conducted by the Italian Archaeological School and by the American Classical School on the Athenian Acropolis and on other sites within Attica revealed Neolithic dwellings, tools, pottery and skeletons from domesticated animals (i.e., sheep, fish). All of these discoveries showed significant resemblances to the Neolithic discoveries made on the Thessalian acropolises of Sesklo and Dimini. These discoveries help provide physical confirmation of the literary tradition that describes the Athenians as the descendants of the Pelasgians, who appear to descend continuously from the Neolithic inhabitants in Thessaly.
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Several other sites were considered, including Muckleneuk Ridge, on the opposite side of the city, and Pretorius Square, in the centre of Pretoria, where the City Hall now stands. However, Herbert Baker was strongly in favour of Meintjieskop, which was within a mile of the centre of Pretoria and reminded him strongly of some of the acropolises of Greece and Asia Minor, where he had studied Mediterranean architecture. The concept of an acropolis and a building that agreed with renowned British Architect Sir Christopher Wren's theory that a public building should be a national ornament which establishes a nation, draws people and commerce and makes people love their country easily persuaded the then powers that be, who were at the time, preoccupied with the ideal of establishing a new and united nation. The British high commissioner at the time, Lord Selborne, remarked; > People will come from all over the world to wonder at the beauty of the site > and to admire the forethought and courage of the men who selected it.
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