The Acropolis

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THESIS STATEMENT The advanced styles and designs of the Acropolis show the genius behind their beginnings which make the Acropolis one of the most iconic complexes in the Ancient World. PURPOSE STATEMENT The information will be pooled from several reliable resources and is meant to inform the reader on the history and design of the Acropolis. INTRODUCTION Travel back to the time of gods wielding thunder bolts and the power to move the Sun across the sky. Gladiator’s fought for blood in monumental arenas and men ran faster than thought possible. Where a crown of olive branches was worth more than a wagon-load of gold. A time when men combined their strength to lift tons of stone more than 50 feet in the air to construct immense temples and monuments that would last thousands of years to come. This is Ancient Greece during its Golden Age. The worship of gods was not just a practice for the Ancient Greeks it was a passion and they took it very seriously. Huge temples were built across the Peloponnesus and beyond that honored their respective gods in the Greek religion. Parades, sacrifices, banquets, and week long celebrations were held in honor of these gods that the Greeks based nearly their entire society off of. The Greeks would offer their lives, their family’s lives, all of their possessions to please the gods. Possibly one of the greatest testaments to the Greeks passion for their gods is the Acropolis and Parthenon in Athens, Greece. “. . . temple after temple, each more gorgeous and more perfect than the one before, rose all over the Greek main land, to reach a final climax in the Athenian Parthenon . . .” (Hamlin 124). Here Hamlin explains the greatness of what was achieved in Athens at the Acropolis and h... ... middle of paper ... ...e Ages. New York: G.P. Putman's Sons, 1953. Print. Hillyer, V. M., and E. G. Huey. Architecture,. New York: Meredith, 1966. Print. Hitchcock, Henry Russell, and Seton Lloyd. World Architecture; an Illustrated History. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1963. Print. Hopper, R. J. The Acropolis. New York: Macmillan, 1971. Print. Kostof, Spiro, and Greg Castillo. A History of Architecture: Settings and Rituals. New York: Oxford UP, 1995. Print. University Press Inc. "Ancient Greece - The Acropolis." Ancient Greece - History, Mythology, Art, War, Culture, Society, and Architecture. Ancient Greece Forum, 2008. Web. 03 May 2011. . Wikipedia the Free Encyclopedia. "Acropolis of Athens." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., 30 Apr. 2011. Web. 03 May 2011. .

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