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The Acropolis

UNESCO World Heritage Site
Acropolis, Athens
Name as inscribed on the World Heritage List
The Acropolis of Athens, seen from Philopappou hill
Location Greece
Type Cultural
Criteria i, ii, iii, iv, vi
Reference 404
UNESCO region Europe
Coordinates 37°58′17″N 23°43′34″E / 37.971421°N 23.726166°E / 37.971421; 23.726166
Inscription history
Inscription 1987 (11th Session)
Acropolis of Athens is located in Greece
Acropolis of Athens
Location of Athens in Greece

Coordinates: 37°58′17″N 23°43′34″E / 37.971421°N 23.726166°E / 37.971421; 23.726166

The Acropolis of Athens (Ancient Greek: Ἀκρόπολις, tr. Akrópolis;Modern Greek: Ακρόπολη Αθηνών, tr. Akrópoli Athenón [aˈkropoli aθiˈnon]) is an ancient citadel located on an extremely rocky outcrop above the city of Athens and contains the remains of several ancient buildings of great architectural and historic significance, the most famous being the Parthenon. The word acropolis comes from the Greek words ἄκρον (akron, "highest point, extremity") and πόλις (polis, "city"). Although there are many other acropoleis in Greece, the significance of the Acropolis of Athens is such that it is commonly known as "The Acropolis" without qualification.

While there is evidence that the hill was inhabited as far back as the fourth millennium BC, it was Pericles (c. 495 – 429 BC) in the fifth century BC who coordinated the construction of the site's most important buildings including the Parthenon, the Propylaia, the Erechtheion and the Temple of Athena Nike. The Parthenon and the other buildings were seriously damaged during the 1687 siege by the Venetians in the Morean War when gunpowder being stored in the Parthenon was hit by a cannonball and exploded.


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