The Probert Encyclopaedia of Architecture

ACROPOLIS

The acropolis was the fortified citadel of ancient Greek cities. The Athenian citadel was destroyed by the invading Persians in 480 BC, but Pericles instituted a rebuilding programme. The Parthenon, built between 447 and 432 BC, was a Doric temple containing a gold and ivory statue of Athena. This was followed by the gateway or Propylaea, the temple of Athena Nike (commemorating victory over the Persians), and the Erectheum, which housed the shrines of various cults. Many of the sculptures on the Parthenon were removed by Lord Elgin between 1801 and 1803 and purchased by the British government in 1816. The right to their possession is disputed between Britain and Greece.
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