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Acropolis of Athens

Light is the word that comes to mind when one looks up at the holy rock of the Acropolis. Submerged in the mystical aura of the ancient world, crowned with the impressive temple of Parthenon, the Acropolis rises 100 m above the city as the undisputed symbol of the emergence of western civilization. A visit to the Acropolis is a pilgrimage to antiquity. The breathtaking view from the five mountains that surround Athens, to the harbor of Piraeus and the Saronikos Bay, will captivate you. The walk through the ruins tracing the steps of Olympic gods and common people alike will launch you to an unforgettable timewarp spiraling from the end of the millenium to the golden era of Pericles 2500 years back.    |    Acropolis, consisting of the words Akron (edge, summit) and Polis (city), means "the highest point of a city". Every city in ancient Greece had its own acropolis, the quivalent of the fortress in the medieval times. An acropolis was always built on a rock or a hill overlooking the city; not necessarily the highest one but the one with water supply was chosen. High walls were built around it in order to offer refuge and protection to the citizens in case of invasion or war.    |     The Acropolis of Athens was both a fortress and a sanctuary mainly for the worship of the goddess protecting the city, goddess Athena, after whom the city was named. The monuments lying here today were built in the 5th century B.C. to celebrate the rise of the city-state of Athens to the zenith of its power. Famous sculptors and architects, like Phidias, Νesicles, Iktinos, took it upon themselves to create a monument that would reverberate down the centuries the glory of their city.