Acropolis of Athens
Ακρόπολη Αθηνών
Greece · Attica
In brief
The Acropolis is a sanctuary and fortified hill investigated through excavations. Its principal buildings, such as the Parthenon, Erechtheion and Propylaia, belong to the Athenian building program of the 5th century BC.
What was found?
- 1Archaic kore statues
Statues depicting clothed young women, dedicated at the sanctuary. They show that the Acropolis was a place of worship furnished with statues even before the Classical period.
- 2Pedimental sculptures of the Old Temple of Athena
Pediment fragments depicting the battle between gods and giants. They help us understand the architecture of Archaic temples and how religious narratives were used in buildings.
- 3Kritios Boy
A statue of a young man dated by the museum to after 480 BC. Alongside Archaic works, it is an important example for comparing Early Classical sculpture.
- 4Parthenon
The principal temple of the major building program during the time of Perikles. It allows the architectural and artistic work of Classical Athens to be studied on site.
What does it point to?
The finds show that the Acropolis was a thriving sanctuary with temples and votive offerings even before the Classical period. Monumental construction in the second half of the 5th century BC reveals the connection between Athens' political rise and art and architecture.
What did it teach us?
- Showed that a rich Archaic sanctuary existed beneath and before the Classical monuments.
- Votive statues revealed that worship was shaped by works offered by individuals as well as by temple buildings.
- Comparison of Archaic and Early Classical statues enabled changes in sculpture to be traced through tangible works.
Images
Record
- Culture
- Ancient Greek
- First modern dig
- 1835
- Coordinates
- 37.9717°, 23.7261°
Sources
- whc.unesco.org
- en.wikipedia.org
- cyathens.org
- culture.gov.gr
- Akropolis Müzesi — Arkaik Akropolis Galerisi
Nearby excavations
- Sanctuary of Asklepios at Epidaurus 71 km
- Ancient Corinth 75 km
- Mycenae 89 km
- Tiryns 91 km
- Delphi 121 km
- Delos 150 km
- —
- —
- 12.000
From beneath the soil: latest discoveries
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The walls of a large mudbrick structure identified through satellite and geophysical surveys were confirmed by a trial excavation. According to the researchers, a layer of sand placed beneath the foundations may have helped protect the structure in the waterlogged ground of the Nile Delta.
Heritage Daily ↗ · Excavation notebook - Celtic woman's grave containing jewelry and animal remains found in Germany
A woman's skeleton, heavy bronze anklets, a sapropelite arm ring, and the remains of a lamb or kid were found in the grave in Bavaria. According to the researchers, placing the animal in the grave as a food offering represents an unusual example of Celtic funerary practices in the region.
Arkeofili ↗ - Cupboard containing personal belongings, childhood amulets and coins found in Pompeii
Grooming items, 38 bronze coins and a necklace made up of at least 24 amulets were found in a cupboard in a house in Pompeii that had remained closed since the eruption in AD 79. The preservation of these objects together provides detailed information about everyday life and personal mementos in Roman times.
Arkeofili ↗ · Excavation notebook - Lead seal of a bishop named Stefan found in Croatia
Excavations on the islet of Lukovac uncovered a document seal bearing the name Stefan and the title of bishop in Latin. According to the researchers, the seal, tentatively dated to the 6th–7th centuries, offers rare evidence of early church administration in a region with limited written sources.
Heritage Daily ↗ - Roman-period sarcophagus of a child buried with toys found in Romania
A wheeled toy horse, a rooster-shaped rattle, jewelry and organic remains were recovered from a sealed child’s sarcophagus dating back approximately 1,800 years in the ancient city of Tomis. The preservation of wooden coffin fragments and the shroud also offers a rare opportunity to study child burials in Roman times.
HeritageDaily ↗ - Roman-period grave found in the seating area of the ancient theater in Gölyazı
A tile-covered grave dating to the 1st century AD and containing cremated human remains was uncovered in the theater of Apollonia ad Rhyndacum. Why the burial took place in the theater despite the city having a separate cemetery remains unknown; the find raises new questions about the use of public spaces.
Arkeofili ↗ - Marble portrait of Antinoos and 13 inscriptions found at Teos
A marble portrait of Antinoos and 13 inscriptions on reused stone blocks were found around the Temple of Roma and Augustus at Teos. The inscriptions shed light on the city’s political and legal relations, while researchers say the portrait and inscription fragments show that the temple was also connected to the cult of Antinoos.
Arkeofili ↗ · Excavation notebook - New prehistoric settlement identified on the shore of the Dardanelles
A newly published study presented Yaylatepe Höyük, identified during surface surveys in 2024, and its pottery spanning the end of the Late Chalcolithic to the beginning of the Late Bronze Age for the first time. According to the researcher, the settlement, which has a visual connection with Asartepe on the opposite shore, contributes to understanding prehistoric coastal connections along the strait.
Arkeoloji Dergisi ↗
All excavation sites (385)
Türkiye
- Acemhöyük
- Aizanoi
- Alabanda
- Alacahöyük
- Amos
- Ani
- Aphrodisias
- Arslantepe Mound
- Aspendos
- Assos
- Ayanis Fortress
- Aşıklı Höyük
- Barcın Höyük
- Blaundus
- Boncuklu Höyük
- Can Hasan I
- Carchemish
- Claros Sanctuary
- Clazomenae
- Domuztepe
- Ephesus
- Euromus
- Gordion
- Göbekli Tepe
- Hadrianopolis in Paphlagonia
- Hattusha
- Hierapolis
- Iasos
- Kaman-Kalehöyük
- Karahantepe
- Karatepe-Aslantaş
- Kaunos
- Kibyra
- Knidos
- Kültepe-Kanesh
- Laodicea on the Lycus
- Letoon Sanctuary
- Limyra
- Magnesia on the Maeander
- Medieval City of Beçin
- Metropolis in Ionia
- Miletus
- Myra
- Nemrut Dağ
- Nysa on the Maeander
- Olympus in Lycia
- Oymaağaç Höyük — Nerik
- Patara
- Pergamon
- Perge
- Phaselis
- Priene
- Sagalassos
- Sanctuary of Apollo at Didyma
- Sanctuary of Labraunda
- Sapinuwa
- Sardis
- Sayburç
- Side
- Stratonikeia
- Tell Atchana – Alalakh
- Teos
- Tripolis on the Meander
- Troy
- Uluburun Shipwreck
- Xanthos
- Yenikapı – Theodosian Harbour Excavations
- Yeşilova Höyük
- Yumuktepe
- Zerzevan Castle
- Zeugma
- Zincirli Höyük — Sam'al
- Çatalhöyük
- Çavuştepe Fortress
- Çayönü
- Çukuriçi Höyük

