There is usually a confusion when researching Acropolis vs Parthenon as people often don’t know what the difference is between these 2 and make this very simple mistake. I was actually born in Athens and lived there most of my life and even my parents were also born literally a few hundred meters away from the famous temple of Parthenon. I am explaining below what the differences are between Parthenon vs Acropolis.
BEST ACROPOLIS TICKET & TOUR: Parthenon & Acropolis Guided Tour
I will make it as simple as possible to get it out of the way before I explain a bit about the monument’s history and why it looks like this today:
Acropolis vs Parthenon
Acropolis is the name of the hill that is located in the center of the city of Athens (others call it just a “rock” in Greece) where also all the monuments are sitting, including the Parthenon which is the largest temple in this complex.
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Acropolis is called the “holly rock” in Greek even today (“ιερός βράχος”).
So, Acropolis is literally the hill and Parthenon ust the largest temple of Athina that sits in the middle of this archaeological complex.
THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT THE ACROPOLIS
- The word “Acropolis” in Greek comes from 2 words: acro (edge) + polis (city) and it the word that was usedin ancient Greece to describe the fortress of any city
- The rock of Acropolis is actually flat at its top which made it ideal to be used as a natural fortress for the city of Athens since 3000 BC.
- There are several natural water sources around the hill which also made it perfect for people to use it in the past for any reason
- Before the famous temple and the surrounding buildings were built, the hill was basically hosting the house of the governor of the city and a few other residencies
