a  Monument   of   virtue

        of   democracy

  of   Logic

spanning a period of  two and a half millennia

inspiring us  to exceed  our  human standards


 shining  under the bright sky

  a  noble presence  reflecting  some of

     the   finest concepts

   of  the human species

The history of the Acropolis of Athens is long, with great moments, when democracy, science, philosophy and art flourished leading to its creation. Then there were the dark times, when a British ambassador vandalised the monument's best standing pieces, breaking sculptures off the sacred temples, and shipping them away to Britain. Today, the international community wants to commit the ultimate act of antiquity conservation - to reunite the Acropolis sculptures in Athens and thus restore the meaning of a unique monument!

The Parthenon is the most important and characteristic monument of the ancient Greek civilisation and continues to stand as its international symbol. It was dedicated to Athena Parthenos, the patron goddess of the city of Athens, and built under the instructions of Pericles, an outstanding political figure in the history of democracy. The Parthenon was constructed between 447 and 438 BC and its sculptural decoration was completed in 432 BC. In 1987 it was inscribed as a World Heritage Site (UNESCO, 1987). Uniquely, capturing the gravity of the Athenian Acropolis as a symbol, UNESCO recognises that "[...] the Acropolis, the site of four of the greatest masterpieces of classical Greek art - the Parthenon, the Propylaea, the Erechtheum and the Temple of Athena Nike - can be seen as symbolizing the idea of world heritage" (UNESCO, 2006).

Despite the unique historical, symbolic and cultural value of the monument, the cultural offense of the brutal removal of the sculptures from the Athenian Acropolis, committed by Elgin in the 19th century, is continued today by the British Museum, who refuse to return the sculptures to Athens.

It is recommended that you start your reading about the Parthenon and the Acropolis of Athens at the Acropolis of Athens page of the Hellenic Ministry of Culture. You can also start from The Review of the Seizure of the Parthenon sculptures, or read The Memorandum of the Greek Government for The Restitution of the Parthenon Marbles. But you can read much more. On this website you can find key concepts and links to major official pages and initiatives related to the Acropolis and the reunification of the Parthenon sculptures in Athens, all collected in one of the richest information portals about the Athenian Acropolis on the web! Welcome to AcropolisofAthens.gr!