Acropolis of Athens (Greece) - Facts for Kids

Basic Information and Location

The Acropolis of Athens sits proudly on top of a giant rock in the middle of Athens, Greece, like a crown on top of a king’s head!

The word “Acropolis” means “high city” in ancient Greek, and this amazing structure sits 490 feet (150 meters) above sea level (the height above the ocean’s surface) — that’s as tall as a 40-story skyscraper — and its summit still towers about 70 meters (as tall as a 20-story building) above the streets of Athens!

The Acropolis became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987, which means it’s so special that the whole world works together to protect it!

The ancient builders of the Acropolis chose a high hill in Athens to build their sacred temples, making them easy to defend and visible to everyone in the city!

The Acropolis platform is huge — about 350 meters (1,148 feet) long and 170 meters (558 feet) wide — big enough to fit nearly six football fields!

People have been living on the Acropolis hill since the Stone Age, more than 6,000 years ago — that’s older than the pyramids of Egypt!

Today, more than 3 million people visit the Acropolis each year — that’s like filling up 37,500 school buses with excited tourists!

The marble used to build the Acropolis came from Mount Pentelicus, located 10 miles (16 km) away — imagine carrying huge blocks of stone that far without trucks!

The Acropolis of Athens is open to visitors every day of the year, aside certain public holidays, welcoming curious minds from sunrise to sunset!

From the top of the Acropolis, you can see all of modern Athens spreading out below you, just like the ancient Greeks could 2,500 years ago!

History and Origins

The golden age of the Acropolis began in 447 BCE when the great leader Pericles decided to rebuild it after it was destroyed in a war!

The Parthenon, the most famous building on the Acropolis, took 15 years to build — that’s about as long as it takes to finish school from kindergarten through high school!

The ancient Greeks built the Acropolis to honor their goddess Athena, who they believed protected their city and gave them wisdom!

The Acropolis has survived earthquakes, explosions, fires, and wars over its 2,500-year history, yet it still stands strong today!

Famous people throughout history have visited the Acropolis, including Alexander the Great, Roman emperors, and even modern presidents and kings!

The ancient builders of the Acropolis used no mortar or cement to hold the marble blocks together — they fit so perfectly that they’ve stayed in place for thousands of years!

The Acropolis wasn’t always white — in ancient times, the buildings were painted in bright colors like red, blue, and gold!

The workers who built the Acropolis were paid one drachma per day — a silver coin weighing around 4.3 grams.

The Acropolis has inspired thousands of buildings worldwide, including the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.!

Architecture and Design

The ancient Greeks used over 100,000 tons of marble to build the Acropolis — that’s as heavy as 25,000 African elephants!

The Parthenon’s columns aren’t straight – they’re built with a slight curve to make them look perfect to our eyes from below!

The Parthenon has 46 outer columns, each made from stacked marble drums that were carefully carved to fit perfectly together!

Each column of the Parthenon is about 34 feet (10 m) tall — about as tall as a three-story house!

The architects of the Parthenon used special tricks to make the buildings look perfect — including making the corner columns slightly thicker than the others!

The marble blocks used in the Parthenon were so precisely cut that you can’t fit even a piece of paper between them!

The ancient builders of the Parthenon used iron clamps covered in lead to hold marble blocks together — like ancient LEGO pieces!

The Propylaea, the grand entrance to the Acropolis, was designed to impress visitors and make them feel tiny as they walked through!

The Temple of Athena Nike is the smallest temple on the Acropolis, but it’s built on a platform that makes it look like it’s floating in the air!

The Erechtheion temple on the Acropolis of Athens has six giant statues of maidens (called Caryatids) that serve as columns — imagine if your school used statues instead of regular pillars!

Fun Numbers and Measurements

The Parthenon is 228 feet (69 m) long and 101 feet (31 m) wide — just a bit longer and wider than an Olympic swimming pool!

The heaviest marble block used in the Acropolis weighs 22 tons — as much as four large African elephants!

It took about 4,000 to 6,000 workers to build the Acropolis — more than enough to fill several elementary schools!

The Acropolis hill rises 490 feet (0.15 km) above sea level — just about the height of a 40-story building!

The ancient builders used approximately 13,400 pieces of marble to construct the Parthenon alone!

The steps leading up to the Acropolis are 10 meters (33 feet) wide — wide enough for 15 kids to walk side by side!

The wall around the Acropolis is about 2,500 feet (762 m) long — roughly the length of 8 football fields lined up in a row!

The restoration of the Acropolis has been going on for over 50 years — longer than most of your parents have been alive!

To build the Acropolis, the ancient Greeks used wooden cranes powered by people to lift heavy marble blocks — some weighing up to 5 tons, about as much as a big elephant!

Interesting Features

The Acropolis has secret underground caves that were used as shrines and hiding places in ancient times!

The Erechtheion temple on the Acropolis of Athens has a special porch where ancient Greeks believed Poseidon’s trident struck the ground!

There’s a tiny temple on the Acropolis dedicated to the goddess Roma and Emperor Augustus that many visitors miss — it’s like finding a hidden treasure!

The ancient Greeks built a special channel system inside the Acropolis to collect rainwater — like an ancient plumbing system!

The Acropolis rocks have mysterious carved stairs and niches that archaeologists are still trying to understand today!

The Propylaea, serving as the grand entrance to the Acropolis of Athens, has five giant doorways, getting bigger in the middle — like a giant’s doorway!

Cultural Significance

The Acropolis was the most important religious center in ancient Athens, where people would gather for festivals and ceremonies!

Greek myths say that the first king of Athens, Cecrops, was born from the Acropolis hill itself!

The Panathenaic Festival, celebrated every four years at the Acropolis, was like an ancient Olympic Games and religious ceremony combined!

The Parthenon once housed a giant statue of Athena made of gold and ivory that was as tall as a four-story building!

Ancient Greeks would leave special gifts called “votives” at the Acropolis — like birthday presents for the gods!

The Acropolis appears on Greek euro coins, showing how important it still is to Greek culture today!