The Acropolis [antikvár]

HISTORIC INTRODUCTION: The Prehistoric AgeThe sun-bathed plain of Athens extends in a semicircular sweep from Phaleron Bay to the foothills of the mountains in the hinterland of Attica. In its centre rises an imposing rock 156.2 metres above sea level, measuring 330 metres in length at the base, 270 metres at the summit, and slightly over 156 metres in width. This is the much-sung and much-praised Acropolis of Athens. The early inhabitants of the Neolithic Age built their crude dwellings in the confined space since it offered complete security and a safe refuge from enemies. All sides of the hill are precipitous and the only feasible approach is from the West. Moreover, a stream of clear sparkling water a blessing to the early settlers gushed from a crevice in the northwestern corner of the rock. This was to feed in later years the famous Klepsydra spring. In all probability the inhabitants of the Acropolis worshipped their benevolent god of water and the magnanimous deity who had blessed them with the olive-clad plain and the security of the natural citadel, the Acropolis, the name of which signifies the peak of a town. No one possibly could have dreamt that the roughly hewn stones supporting the masonry of their crude dwellings would some day become the foundation stones of an architecture second to none and of a story unique in the annals of history.When the visitor ascends the hill and looks upon the rock beneath the dazzling light of the Grecian sun, he is overawed by the grandeur of the monuments and the richness of its history. Well might he exclaim in astonishment that he has never set eyes on a more glorious stony vision. One can still touch stones whose age goes back to remotest times, those huge boulders of