The Acropolis (Paperback)

One of the most important monuments of human civilisation and  the new architectural jewel of Athens are both presented through  informative, easy to read texts in a fully illustrated edition  with colour representations and detailed site plans. This brand  new book begins with a look at the history of Athens and the  Acropolis. Starting at prehistoric times, this historical  overview describes the town's development, from a quite modest  Mycenaean settlement to one of the most powerful city-states of  the classical era, the one that gave birth to democracy and  theatre, and then its downfall to a small, provincial fortified  town of the Byzantine Empire. At the same time, the reader can  follow the historical steps of the Acropolis itself, originally a  fort, which was transformed to the most glamorous shrine of the  city, only to become a fort again, after the end of the ancient  world. Then, there is a short account of the Athenian myths,  especially the ones concerning the town's patron deity, Athena.

 

After discovering the exciting past of the town and the sacred  rock, the reader will get to know the temples, buildings in  general, that were constructed at the top of the Acropolis during  the archaic and classical era of Greece. Parthenon, the  masterpiece of Pheidias, Iktinos and Kallikratis is, of course,  the highlight, but there were other important and architecturally  innovative structures there, such as the Propylaea and the  Erechtheion. This part of the book gives a very good idea of how  the ancient hill looked, with all its buildings and its  uncountable offerings: statues that ancient Athenians were  bringing to their goddess Athena as a present. Then, the reader  will have the chance to learn everything about the very important  south slope of the Acropolis, with the famous theatre of  Dionysus, and enjoy an imaginary walk at the north and east  slopes of the ancient rock.

 

The second part of the book is devoted to the admittedly  impressive new Acropolis Museum. The reader can "navigate"  through the different levels of the museum exhibition, using the  book as a guide which gives interesting information and  highlights the most important exhibits. "Moschoforos", the Kore  of the Acropolis, the Caryatids, Parthenon's frieze are only a  few of the ancient pieces of art that this book presents, through  captivating pictures and texts. In conclusion, The Acropolis, the  New Acropolis Museum is a valuable reading for all those who want  to explore and understand one of the major archaeological sites  of the world and it's brand new Museum.