27/09/2026
Last July, I briefly stopped in Athens with my partner Laura. Both of us realised a lifelong ambition when we visited the Acropolis and Pantheon but, did you know the following facts?
High City": "Acropolis" translates to "highest point of the city" (akron + polis).
5,000+ Years Old: Inhabited since the Neolithic era; fortified as early as the Bronze Age.
Optical Illusion: The Parthenon has almost no straight lines—columns bulge (entasis) and lean inward to appear perfectly straight.
Treasury & Temple: Built under Pericles (447–432 BC) to honor Athena and hold the empire's gold reserve.
Colossal Statue: Housed a 38-foot gold-and-ivory statue of Athena, which disappeared in antiquity.
Vividly Painted: The white marble was originally decorated in bold red, blue, green, and gold colors.
Changing Faiths: Transformed over time from a pagan temple into a Christian church, a Catholic cathedral, and an Ottoman mosque.
1687 Explosion: Severely damaged when a Venetian mortar hit an Ottoman gunpowder depot stored inside.
Elgin Marbles: Lord Elgin removed nearly half its sculptures in the early 1800s, sparking an ongoing dispute between Greece and the UK.
WWII Resistance: In 1941, two Greek teenagers snuck up at night and tore down the N**i occupation flag raised on the hill.
