Why do you think the Athenians decided to place their important buildings on top of a hill?

The Acropolis was built on a hill in the middle of the city of Athens. Surrounded by stone walls, it was originally built as a citadel and fortress where the people could retreat when the city was attacked. Later, many temples and buildings were built here to overlook the city.

Why was the Acropolis built on top of a hill?

From both a religious and a military point of view, a hilltop site was highly desirable: militarily, because an acropolis had to be a citadel; religiously, because a hill was imbued with natural mysteries—caves, springs, copses, and glens—that denoted the presence of the gods.

Why was building a wall important for Athens?

The Long Walls were a key element of Athenian military strategy, since they provided the city with a constant link to the sea and thwarted sieges conducted by land alone.

Why did the Athenians build their cities on an acropolis?

The acropolis was designed for defense. The temples on the acropolis were built for additional protection, and as a secondary purpose were also places of worship or festivals. At one time, there were over 2,000 different Greek city-states in ancient Greece, and nearly all of them had an acropolis.

What is the gathering place on top of the hill in Athens called?

Beginning as early as 507 BC (Fifth-century Athens), the Athenians gathered on the Pnyx to host their popular assemblies, thus making the hill one of the earliest and most important sites in the creation of democracy.

A day in the life of an ancient Athenian - Robert Garland

Why was Athens important in ancient Greece?

Athens was the largest and most influential of the Greek city-states. It had many fine buildings and was named after Athena, the goddess of wisdom and warfare. The Athenians invented democracy, a new type of government where every citizen could vote on important issues, such as whether or not to declare war.

What is Mars hill in Athens?

The first court in Ancient Athens

To bring Ares to trial, the twelve gods founded the first court in history up on a hill in Ancient Athens. This is the exact hill that we call Areopagus Hill, or Mars Hill, today.

Why was the Acropolis important?

Over the centuries, the Acropolis was many things: a home to kings, a citadel, a mythical home of the gods, a religious center and a tourist attraction. It has withstood bombardment, massive earthquakes and vandalism yet still stands as a reminder of the rich history of Greece.

What is the Acropolis famous for?

The Acropolis of Athens is an ancient citadel located on a rocky outcrop above the city of Athens and contains the remains of several ancient buildings of great architectural and historical significance, the most famous being the Parthenon.

How were buildings built in ancient Greece?

The upper elements of the temple were usually made of mud brick and timber, and the platform of the building was of cut masonry. Columns were carved of local stone, usually limestone or tufa; in much earlier temples, columns would have been made of wood.

When did Athens build the Long Walls?

The Long Walls (τὰ μακρὰ τείχη or σκέλη‎, 'legs'), were built between 461 and 456 bce to connect Athens with her ports, Phaleron and Piraeus. (Thuc. 1. 107.

Who built Athens walls?

The Athenian "Long Walls" were built after Xerxes' invasion of Greece (480-479); their construction was proposed by Themistocles, but the actual building started in 461, when Athens was at war with Sparta (the First Peloponnesian War).

What makes Athens great city?

We are talking about Athens in Greece, also the capital of Greece. Athens has been the most powerful centre for education, politics, sport and the birthplace of influential personalities who have contributed to great work in the world.

What was the main purpose of the Parthenon?

The main purpose of the Parthenon was as a temple for Athena, virgin goddess and patron of Athens. The building's very name means “the virgin's place” in Greek, according to the Columbia Encyclopedia.

How high is the Acropolis in Athens?

The Acropolis of Athens is the most striking and complete ancient Greek monumental complex still existing in our times. It is situated on a hill of average height (156m) that rises in the basin of Athens. Its overall dimensions are approximately 170 by 350m.

Where is Greece?

Greece is a country in south eastern Europe on the southern part of the Balkan Peninsula, bordering the Mediterranean Sea in south and the Ionian Sea in west. Greece is bordered by Albania, Bulgaria, Turkey, Republic of Macedonia, and it shares maritime borders with Cyprus, Egypt, Italy, and Libya.

What are 5 facts about Athens?

Who was Athena?

Athena, also spelled Athene, in Greek religion, the city protectress, goddess of war, handicraft, and practical reason, identified by the Romans with Minerva. She was essentially urban and civilized, the antithesis in many respects of Artemis, goddess of the outdoors.

When was the Acropolis built in Athens Greece?

The name derives from the Greek akro, "high" or "extreme/extremity" or "edge", and polis, "city", translated as "high city", "city on the edge" or "city in the air", the most famous being the Acropolis of Athens, Greece, built in the 5th century BCE.

Who lived in the Acropolis of Athens?

The first inhabitants we can trace to the Acropolis of Athens were Mycenaean Kings who fortified the rock with massive eight-meter tall walls, and built their palaces there in the 14th century BCE.

What is inside the Acropolis?

The sites on the Acropolis include the Propylaea, the Temple of Athena Nike, the Parthenon, and the Erechtheion. Those on the slopes are located on the south side of the Acropolis and include the Odeon of Herodes Atticus and the Theater of Dionysus.

Where in Athens is Mars Hill?

The Areopagus Hill or Mars Hill is a bare marble hill next to the Acropolis in Athens. It is especially popular with travelers for its connections with a speech made by Paul the Apostle.

What happened at Mars Hill?

On October 31, 2014, lead pastor Dave Bruskas announced plans to dissolve the church's 13 remaining campuses into autonomous entities, with the option of continuing, merging with other congregations, or disbanding, effective January 1, 2015. The Mars Hill network dissolved on January 1, 2015.

Why was Mars Hill named?

The area was named by a British Army chaplain in 1790 who held a service on the Hill and likened it to the hill in Athens dedicated to Mars, where “the Apostle Paul declared the unknown God to the Athenians.”