Erechtheion — Attraction in Athens

The Erechtheion2 or Temple of Athena Polias[3] is an ancient Greek Ionic temple-telesterion[4] on the north side of the Acropolis, Athens, which was primarily dedicated to the goddess Athena. The building, made to house the statue of Athena Polias, has in modern scholarship been called the Erechtheion (the sanctuary of Erechtheus or Poseidon) in the belief that Pausanias' description of the Erechtheion applies to this building.[5] However, whether the Erechtheion referred to by Pausanias is indeed the Ionic temple or an entirely different building has become a point of contention in recent decades.[6]

In the official decrees the building is referred to as “... το͂ νεὸ το͂ ἐμ πόλει ἐν ο͂ι τὸ ἀρχαῖον ἄγαλμα” (the temple on the Acropolis within which is the ancient statue).[7] In other instances it is referred to as the Temple of the Polias.[8] The joint cult of Athena and Poseidon-Erechtheus appears to have been established on the Acropolis at a very early period, and they were even worshipped in the same temple as may, according to the traditional view, be inferred from two passages in Homer and also from later Greek texts.[9] The extant building is the successor of several temples and buildings on the site. Its precise date of construction is unknown; it has traditionally been thought to have been built from circa 421–406 BC, but more recent scholarship favours a date in the 430s, when it could have been part of the programme of works instigated by Pericles.[10]

The Erechtheion is unique in the corpus of Greek temples in that its asymmetrical composition doesn’t conform to the canon of Greek classical architecture. This is attributed either to the irregularity of the site,[11] or to the evolving and complex nature of the cults which the building housed,[12] or it is conjectured to be the incomplete part of a larger symmetrical building.[13] Additionally, its post-classical history of change of use, damage and spoliation has made it one of the more problematic sites in classical archaeology. The precise nature and location of the various religious and architectural elements within the building remain the subject of debate. The temple was nonetheless a seminal example of the classical Ionic style, and was highly influential on later Hellenistic,[14] Roman[15] and Greek Revival[16]...

This elegant building of the lonic order is called, according to later literary sources, Erechtheion from the name of Erechtheus, the mythical king of Athens. The construc- tion started before the outbreak of the Peloponnesian War (431 B.C.) or after the conclusion of the "peace of Nikias" (421 B.C.) and was finished in 406 B.C., after the interruption of the works because of the war. The peculiar plan of the building is due to the natural irregularity of the ground and the need to house the ancient sacred spots: the salt spring, which appeared when Po- seidon struck the rock with his trident during the contest with Athena over the pa- tronage of the city, the trident marks and the tombs of the Athenian kings Kekrops and Erechtheus. The Erechtheion consists of a rectangular cella divided by an interior wall forming two sections. The eastern section, which was at a level at least 3 m. higher than that of the western, was dedicated to Athena Polis and housed the xoanon, the ancient wooden cult statue of the goddess. The western section was divided into three parts and was dedicated to the cult of Poseidon-Erechtheus, Hephaistus and the hero Boutes. At the north side of the cella there is a magnificent porch with 6 lonic columns. The bases and capitals along with the frame of the doorway leading to the interior of the cella, have elaborate relief decoration, while the ceiling coffers were painted. The famous Porch of the Maidens (Korai) or Caryatids dominates the south side of the building: six statues of young women, standing on a podium 1.77 m. high, support the roof of the porch, which was the part of Kekrops' tomb above the ground. At the upper part of the building is a frieze of grey Eleusinian stone to which relief fig- res of white Parian marble were attached. Today they are exhibited in the Acropolis Museum. Around the end of the Ist century B.C. the Erechcheion was repaired after a fire. During the Christian period it was transformed into a church, while in the Ottoman period it was used as a house. In the first years of the 19th century Lord Elgin carried off the third Caryatid from the west (Kore C) and the column of the northeast corner of the building. Today they have been replaced by copies, as well as the rest...

Erechtheion (or Erechtheion) is an ancient temple on the north side of the Acropolis in Athens. The temple is dedicated to Athena and Poseidon. The present form of the church dates from 421 to 406 BC. His architect was probably Minniskles, and the building owes its name to an altar dedicated to the legendary hero Erichthon. The sculptor of the building was Phidias, who had been appointed by Pericles to adorn Erechtheion and the Parthenon. There are some who argue that the temple was built in honor of King Erechtheus, who is believed to have been buried nearby. Erechtheus refers to the Iliad of Homer as a great king and ruler of Athens during the Archaic Period and often Erechtheus and Erichon were identified. It is believed that the temple replaced the Sanctuary of the Athenian Poliades, which was built on Pisistratids and destroyed by the Persians in 480 BC.The need to preserve many objects related to sacred rituals explains the complex design. The main building consists of four parts. The largest of these is the eastern nave, with an arc of Ionic style as a propylon at its eastern end. Other modern views consider that the entire interior at the lower NW level and the east propylon was used for access to the altar of Athena Poliada by propyl and stairs, as well as a public viewing platform. The entire temple is built on a slope, so the northwest side is about 3 meters lower than the southeast side. It was built exclusively of Pentelic marble, with black limestone friezes from Eleusis, bearing white marble relief sculptures. It had elaborately carved windows and doors and the columns were elaborately decorated (more than it looks today). They were painted, gold-plated and accented with gold-plated brass and inlaid multicolored beads. The building is known for its early examples of "egg and arrow" and "guilloche" decorative waves. Erechtheion is one of the most famous monuments of the Acropolis of Athens and is identified with the Caryatids. The area in which it is built is considered the most sacred on the hill of...