Acropolis

The Parthenon’s Columns Are Not Straight and That Was Deliberate

The architects Iktinos and Kallikrates introduced subtle curvatures throughout the Parthenon (447 to 432 BCE) to counteract optical illusions: the stylobate (platform) curves slightly upward at the centre, the columns lean inward and taper toward the top, and the corner columns are slightly thicker than the rest. Without these adjustments, the long horizontal lines would appear to sag and the columns would appear to lean outward. Greek architects of the Classical period understood that what you perceive and what exists are different things, and they engineered for the perception. That level of sophistication, in a building that has been standing for 2,450 years, is the actual reason to come.

The Acropolis is a rocky hill 156 metres above sea level in central Athens. The monuments on its summit were built during the Classical period under Pericles in the 5th century BCE. The Persians had destroyed an earlier set of buildings during the invasion of 480 BCE; the ruins were deliberately left unrepaired as a reminder of what had happened before the new temples were built.

The Essential Buildings

The Parthenon is the largest Doric temple in Greece, built as the home of Athena Parthenos (Virgin Athena). The original held a chryselephantine statue of Athena at over 12 metres tall, now lost. The sculptural programme included the friezes, metopes, and pediment sculptures that were removed by Lord Elgin in the early 19th century and are now divided between the British Museum and the Acropolis Museum. The question of whether they belong in Athens is a legitimate debate that has not been resolved.

The Erechtheion (421 to 406 BCE) is instantly recognisable for the Porch of the Caryatids: six female figures serving as supporting columns. The originals (five of them) are now in the Acropolis Museum; what you see on the building are high-quality replicas. The asymmetrical design of the building reflects the challenging terrain and the presence of sacred spots that could not be moved.

The Temple of Athena Nike (427 to 424 BCE) is a small Ionic temple perched on the bastion to the right of the Propylaia – the monumental gateway to the sacred precinct. The Propylaia itself (437 to 432 BCE) was never completed, construction likely interrupted by the outbreak of the Peloponnesian War.

The Theatre of Dionysus on the southeastern slope is where Greek drama was performed – Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, and Aristophanes all had works staged here. Capacity was roughly 17,000.

Practical Notes

Go at opening (typically 8am) in the first hour before tour groups arrive. July and August midday temperatures exceed 38 degrees Celsius on the exposed marble; arrive early or stay late. The marble surfaces are polished smooth by millions of feet and become dangerously slippery; wear rubber-soled shoes with grip.

Tickets are booked online at odysseus.culture.gr. A combined ticket covers the Acropolis, Theatre of Dionysus, Ancient Agora, Temple of Olympian Zeus, Kerameikos, and Hadrian’s Library and offers good value. The Acropolis Museum, five minutes’ walk from the entrance, houses the original Caryatids and the surviving pediment sculptures; visiting it alongside the site is important for context, either before or after. Admission is EUR 10.

For food after the visit: Plaka below the Acropolis has tourist restaurants of varying quality; Anafiotika, the tiny neighbourhood on the northeastern slope built by settlers from the island of Anafi, is quieter and more interesting. Monastiraki’s Sunday flea market and souvlaki stands are ten minutes’ walk.