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The Acropolis of Athens is an ancient citadel located on a high rocky outcrop above the
city of Athens and containing the remains of several ancient buildings of great architectural
and historic significance, the most famous being the Parthenon. 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 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 the Parthenon was being used for gunpowder storage and was
hit by a cannonball.
The entrance to the Acropolis was a monumental gateway called the Propylaea. To the south
of the entrance is the tiny Temple of Athena Nike. At the centre of the Acropolis is the
Parthenon or Temple of Athena Parthenos. East of the entrance and north of the Parthenon
is the temple known as the Erechtheum. South of the platform that forms the top of the
Acropolis there are also the remains of an outdoor theatre called Theatre of Dionysus.
A few hundred metres away, there is the now partially reconstructed Theatre of Herodes
Atticus. All the valuable ancient artifacts are situated in the Acropolis Museum, which
resides on the southern slope of the same rock, 280 metres from the Parthenon.