The Pnyx is a semicircular hill of eroded stone and exposed bedrock located less than one kilometer west of the Acropolis. This hillside features a large, flat, rectangular platform carved directly into the rock, known as the bema. From…
History of Athens
This walk traces the transformation of Athens through its most significant ancient assemblies, Roman and Byzantine monuments, and modern constitutional landmarks.
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1. Pnyx
2. Odeon of Herodes Atticus
The Odeon of Herodes Atticus is recognizable by its massive, three-story stone facade punctuated by arched openings, set directly into the steep southwestern slope of the Acropolis. Completed around one hundred sixty-one AD, this theater…
3. Temple of Olympian Zeus
The Temple of Olympian Zeus is marked by its fifteen colossal Corinthian columns, which rise from the site as the remaining fragments of what was once the largest temple in ancient Greece. This structure occupies a vast open space, where…
4. Syntagma Square
Syntagma Square is identifiable by the large, neoclassical Hellenic Parliament building that looms over its eastern side. Formerly the Old Royal Palace, this structure was built between eighteen thirty-six and eighteen forty-three for King…
5. Kapnikarea
The Church of Panagia Kapnikarea sits directly in the center of Ermou Street, a busy pedestrian shopping thoroughfare. You can distinguish this eleventh-century Byzantine building by its complex, multi-part structure and the dome rising…
6. Museum of Modern Greek Culture (Tzistarakis Mosque)
The Tzistarakis Mosque is a two-story structure defined by its large hemispherical dome resting on an octagonal base. Built in seventeen fifty-nine by the Ottoman governor of Athens, Mustapha Agha Tzistarakis, the building sits directly in…