Athena Nike temple is standing on the south-side bastion of the entrance to Acropolis. The above photo was shot from the southern foot of Acropolis hill.
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| The back side of Athena Nike, seen from below |
The bastion, on which the temple is standing, was originally built by the Mycenaeans who used the acropolis as the king's fortified residence.
The construction of the temple was decreed in 449/8BC and was commission to Kallikrates, one of the architects of the Parthenon. The actual construction, however, did not start until later, because of the internal strife and the Peloponnesian War. It probably started around 426BC (others think 430 or 427BC) and was dedicated in 425/4BC.
It is a temple of the Ionian order with four columns in front. The sculpted frieze decorates four sides: east side is the Assembly of the Olympian Gods, the south side the battle between the Greeks and the Persians, and the other two sides battle between the Greeks. The sculptures on the pediments represented probably Gigantomachy and Amazonomachy.
The wooden cult statue of Athena Nike - now lost - is know to have held a helmet in her right hand and a pomegranate (or a branch of pomegranate) in the left.
A marble balustrade was installed behind temple for safety. The balustrade, on which Athena and Nikai are represented, is now in the New Acropolis Museum. It was made by Agorakritos and his collaborators.
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| The back side of the temple seen from the entrance to Acropolis |
The temple stands on a four-stepped base (klepidoma) and the stylebate (the upper layer) is about 8.3m x 5.6m in size. The cella is about 3.8m x 4.1m.
The four Ionian columns in front are monolithic and about 4m high.
Archaeological research found a base of smaller temple below the present one. It is dated to the 6th century BC and an epigraphic evidence shows that it was also dedicated to Athena Nike.
In 1687, when the Venetians led by Francesco Morosini sieged the acropolis, the Turks inside dismounted this temple to construct a defensive wall. In the 19th century, after the independence of Greece, the temple was reassembled, and in the early 20th century it was again needed to reassemble it for reinforcement. It was in restauration until 2010 and was hidden to the eyes of the visitors, but it was completed in early 2011 and this elegant temple was revealed.
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| Athena Nike Temple standing at the entrance to Acropolis |
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| Temple of Athena Nike while in restaurantion |
References
- G. Papathanassopoulos, The Acropolis : A New Guide of the Monuments and Museum, Athens : Krene, c1991 (2002 reprint), pp. 32-34.
- Christopher Mee & Antony Spawforth, Greece. An Oxford Archaeological Guide. Oxford/ OUP, 2001, p. 50-51
- Acropolis Museum : Short Guide. Text by Dimitrios Pandermalis et al. Athens : Acropolis Museum. 2009, pp. 42-43.
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