Virtual reconstruction of the Acropolis of Athens
The Propylaea and of the Acropolis of Athens return to their original splendor
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Visit Virtually Athens Acropolis totally rebuilt in digital. (italian language)
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The current conditions
The current conditions of Athens acropolis have only a vague idea of the ancient splendor as. At the time of Turkish domination, Parthenon and propile were used as explosives deposits, and when the Acropolis was bombed by the Venetians, it exploded.
The Acropolis today
The Propylaea
Acropolis plant in Roman age
A model with reconstructive hypothesis
Virtual reconstruction
The outside
The entrance to the Acropolis. Having been completely destroyed, the original appearance of the great staircase is unknown. Having been built in Roman times, I designed it in this style and taking it to the bottom of the mountain.
The Acropolis entrance
View from above
View from above
The Propylaea
In the work of Pausania mentioned above, it is immediately clear that in antiquity the true attraction of the Acropolis was not at all the Parthenon, but the propile, in particular their splendid ceiling. What made propyleans a masterpiece was the fact of being a perfect synthesis among the Doric and Ionic styles, and to be able to respect the principle of golden proportion despite being built on multiple levels of height and on the mountain side! Parthenon, though older, being built on a flat base, was much more “simple” to design and build!
Obviously this difficulty has remained such in virtual reconstruction, and even greater due to the fact that the monument is in ruins and lack all the decorations. The staircase (from Roman times) then is totally destroyed, so I rebuilt it in a Roman style.
Current conditions
The entrance
Current conditions
From left: the equestrian statue of Marco Aurelio, the Picture Gallery, the center of the Propylaea
Current conditions
Entrance with the Centaurs statues
The Picture Gallery
Current conditions
The Picture Gallery
Current conditions
The Picture Gallery
The central area
Current conditions
The huge access doors to the Acropolis as they appeared to the visitor
Currently the central ramp is covered by a wooden staircase
In the distance you can see the huge statue of Athena
The central ramp as it appears today
From the central ramp you could go up with wagons and animals
Current conditions
The Propylaea central area was dominated by the Ionian order
Current conditions
The Propylaea ceiling was the main attraction of the whole Acropolis
Current conditions
The large bronze doors
Current conditions
The side to the right of the central ramp
Current conditions
Reconstructive hypothesis of the side walls
The Temple of Athena Nike
Current conditions
The right side leads to the area of the Temple of Athena Nike
Current conditions
Temple of Athena Nike with the equestrian statue in the background
The rear side
Current conditions
View of the valley from the top of the Propylaea
Current conditions
In the back there were also other statues
The central area of the Acropolis
At the center of the Acropolis there was the famous and colossal statue by Fidia dedicated to Athena Promachos, made of bronze and high 8 meters (base excluded). Next to there was a bronze group with a horse-drawn cart.
Behind there was the terrace for the procession of the Panathaneans, the Temple of the Erechtheion and other buildings including the circular temple of Rome and Augustus added in Roman era
How it looks like today
Today there is almost nothing more
Virtual reconstruction
Current conditions
View of the center of the Acropolis with the colossal statue by Fidia
Current conditions
The back of the Propylaea with the statues of the goddesses Artemis and Athena, and on the left there is Laena, the Lioness of Athens.
Current conditions
View from the back of Propylaea, with entrance to the terrace of the Chalchotecke and the Parthenon in the background
The colossal bronze statue by Fidia dedicated to Athena Promachos. It was 8 meters high (base excluded). On the right side there is the bronze group of the horse-drawn cart.
The Erechtheion on the left, and the Parthenon on the right. In the background you can see the Temple of Rome and Augustus.
Current conditions
View from the back of the Parthenon, with the Erechtheion on the right.
View from the old temple of Athena next to the Erechtheion, with the huge Athena altar on the left, in the background the circular temple of Rome and Augustus, on the right the Parthenon.
The Sanctuary of Artemide Brauronia
It is currently totally disappeared, however, from the description by Pausania, there was also a model of the Trojan horse.
How it looks like today
Today it is almost totally disappeared.
Model in the Acropolis museum
Virtual reconstruction
The Parthenon and the Chalkotheke
In the Parthenon area there was also the Chalkotheke, the deposit for votive objects and arms in the Acropolis, the sacred bronze bull, the sculptural group of Teseo and the Minotaur, a statue of Hercules, etc.
How it looks like today
As it appears today. The Chalkotheke with its terrace and part of the Parthenon’s staircase have disappeared.
Model in the Acropolis museum
Virtual reconstruction
Current conditions
The entrance to the terrace of the Chalkotheke
Current conditions
Panorama from the Chalkotheke
Current conditions
Parthenon with the sacred bronze bull on the left
Panorama from the statue of Hercules to the right of Parthenon
View from behind the sculptural group of Teseo and the Minotaur