In Ancient Greece , an acropolis was a city developed on an elevated site.
The first thing we are going to do to establish the meaning of the term acropolis is to discover its etymological origin. In this sense, it must be determined that it is a word of Greek origin, "akropolis", which can be translated as "fortified place in the highest area of the city" and that it is the result of the sum of two different parts:
-The noun "akros", which is equivalent to "height".
-The word "polis" which is synonymous with "city."
What is an acropolis
Acropolis is a concept that refers to the highest place in a city . The notion used to be used in Ancient Greece to refer to the site of a town located at a higher altitude and walled or protected by a fortification.
It was common for the Greeks, Romans and other ancient peoples to begin to develop their cities on elevated terrain that made it easier for them to defend themselves. That space, called the acropolis, was the starting point for the growth of the urban area .
The most important buildings and structures were built on the acropolis, such as the agora (the square) and various temples . That is why the acropolis used to host the most important meetings in the city.
The characteristics of many acropolises are known through the study of their remains.
The case of Athens
The Acropolis of Athens , which is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site , is the best-known acropolis. It is 156 meters high and construction began several centuries before Christ . Today this acropolis houses very important ruins at a historical level, such as the Parthenon , the Theater of Dionysus and the Temple of Athena Nike , which are also great tourist attractions.
It is known as the sacred rock and the entrance to it is through a door called the propylaea.
The acropolis of Corinth
Acrocorinth , on the other hand, is the name of an elevation that functioned as the acropolis of Corinth . At its summit there was a temple that originally paid tribute to Aphrodite , then it was transformed into a church and later a mosque .
We can also highlight that Acrocorinth was used as an acropolis until the Middle Ages, that it reached 575 meters high and that today its ruins have become some of the most impressive in all of Greece. Hence, there are numerous visitors who every year when they visit the country do not hesitate to make a getaway to get to know it in depth.
The buildings of Lindos
In the same way, we cannot forget the so-called acropolis of Lindos , which is located in Lindos, south of the island of Rhodes. It has its origins in the year 100 BC and from that moment on it became a fundamental place in the cult of Athena.
Currently, thanks to the significant number of excavations that have been carried out in its territory, a wide variety of objects of great historical value have been discovered.
The Acropolis Rally
The Acropolis Rally , finally, is a traditional automobile competition that takes place in the mountains of Greece and whose first edition was held in 1951 .
Colin McRae, Sebastien Loeb, Carlos Sainz, Marcus Gronholm, Didier Auriol y Juha Kankkunen son algunos de los pilotos que se consagraron en el Acropolis Rally.