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Factual History of the Acropolis
The Acropolis is believed to have been inhabited since at least the 7th Millennium BC and there is evidence that there was a Mycenaean palace here. The tomb of Cecrops lies here, and the Athenians might have kept a snake here - symbolizing their first king. There were also other tombs and temples, all connected to kings, heroes and gods that had to do with Athens.
In the 6th century BC the Acropolis had changed quite significantly. It was no longer a place for palaces, but had turned more into a sanctuary. Every year a huge procession to the Acropolis took place, and the wooden statue of Athena was dressed and sacrificed to. The Panathenean games were also very important. The games included both athletic and musical competitions and the winner would receive an amphora filled with olive oil - the olive tree being the sacred tree of Athena.
It was during Pericles era, the so called Golden Age, when the Acropolis got the structure we see today; Starting in the middle of the 5th century, the Parthenon was built. Towards the end of the 5th century the Erechteion was built, as well as the temple of Athena Nike.
During the Middle Ages several of the temples on the Acropolis were converted into Christian churches. Quite characteristic is the fact that the Parthenon, which had been a temple to the virgin goddess Athena, now became a church to the virgin Saint Mary.
When the Turks came towards the end of the 16th century, they turned the Parthenon into a mosque. Until the 17th century the temple was relatively unharmed, but in 1687 the Venetians bombarded the Acropolis, and a projectile hit the Parthenon, which the Turks used as a storage room for gunpowder. The temple exploded and this is why the temple does not have a roof today.
Despite all that the Acropolis has been through, it is really the pollution in modern Athens that is its worst enemy. The problem has been known for many decades now, but still no real solution has been found.
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