acropolis

acropolis
acropolitan /ak'reuh pol"i tn/, adj.
/euh krop"euh lis/, n.
1. the citadel or high fortified area of an ancient Greek city.
2. the Acropolis, the citadel of Athens and the site of the Parthenon.
[1655-65; < Gk akrópolis. See ACRO-, -POLIS]

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(Greek: "city at the top") Central, defensively oriented district in ancient Greek cities, located on the highest ground and containing the chief municipal and religious buildings.

The renowned Athens Acropolis (5th century BC), atop a craggy walled hill, is home to four main edifices
the Propylaea (see propylaeum), Parthenon, Erechtheum (Ionic temple noted for its caryatid porch), and Temple of Athena Nike
all built from white marble plentiful in the region.

The Acropolis, Athens, second half of the 5th century BC, with the Parthenon at centre and the ...

Toni Schneiders

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▪ ancient Greek district
Greek“city at the top”
  central, defensively oriented district in ancient Greek cities, located on the highest ground and containing the chief municipal and religious buildings. Because the founding of a city was a religious act, the establishment of a local home for the gods was a basic factor in Greek city planning. 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.

   Athens has the best-known acropolis, built during the second half of the 5th century BC. The Athenian acropolis, located on a craggy, walled hill, was built as a home of Athena, the patron goddess of the city. The structures that survive consist of the Propylaea (propylaeum), the gateway to the sacred precinct; the Parthenon, the chief shrine to Athena and also the treasury of the Delian League; the Erechtheum, a shrine to the agricultural deities, especially Erichthonius; and the Temple of Athena Nike, an architectural symbol of the harmony with which the Dorian and Ionian peoples lived under the government of Athens.
 

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Universalium. 2010.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Acropolis — (Gr. akros, akron, [acro . (n.d.). The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Retrieved September 29, 2008, [http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/acro from Dictionary.com website:] Quote: [From Greek akros,… …   Wikipedia

  • Acropolis — (Nice) 43° 42′ 17″ N 7° 16′ 51″ E / 43.704662, 7.280942 …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Acropolis — (Парика,Греция) Категория отеля: 1 звездочный отель Адрес: Parikia, Парика, 84400, Греция …   Каталог отелей

  • Acropolis — (Агрополи,Италия) Категория отеля: Адрес: Via Granatelle 3, 84043 Агрополи, Италия …   Каталог отелей

  • acrópolis — (plural acrópolis) sustantivo femenino 1. Lugar más alto y fortificado en la ciudades griegas: la acrópolis de Atenas …   Diccionario Salamanca de la Lengua Española

  • Acropolis — A*crop o*lis, n. [Gr. akro polis; a kros extreme + po lis city.] The upper part, or the citadel, of a Grecian city; especially, the citadel of Athens. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • acropolis — (n.) 1660s, from Gk. akropolis citadel (especially that of Athens), from akros highest, upper (see ACRID (Cf. acrid)) + polis city (see POLICY (Cf. policy) (1)) …   Etymology dictionary

  • acrópolis — (Del gr. ἀκρόπολις). 1. f. Sitio más alto y fortificado de las ciudades griegas. 2. Parte más alta de una ciudad …   Diccionario de la lengua española

  • acropolis — ► NOUN ▪ a citadel or fortified part of an ancient Greek city, built on high ground. ORIGIN Greek, from akron summit + polis city …   English terms dictionary

  • Acropolis — [ə kräp′ə lis] the fortified upper part of Athens, on which the Parthenon was built …   English World dictionary

  • acropolis — [ə kräp′ə lis] n. [Gr akropolis < akros (see ACRO ) + polis, city] the fortified upper part of an ancient Greek city …   English World dictionary

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