The Acropolis through its Museum

Τhe Acropolis through its Museum is not simply a guidebook to the works of art exhibited in the museum. These are the stimulus for re-synthesizing the history of the Sacred Rock as part of the cultural and the broader historical process of ancient Athens. The book follows the visitor’s tour of the museum, so that he can read about the antiquities displayed before him. However, it is written in such a way that through independent inquiry the reader is able to approach the subjects more deeply and to understand the preconditions – political, social, economic, ideological, artistic and technological – that led to the creation of the unique monuments on the Acropolis.

The book is lavishly illustrated with photographs, as well as numerous plans and reconstruction drawings, which facilitate comprehension of the fragmentarily preserved works, each one in its context. It also answers many of the questions raised by discerning admirers of antiquity, such as what was the size and the population of ancient Athens, what does the representation of beasts on the large Archaic pediments mean, what do the Korai statues represent, why did the Erechtheion become so complex and what was the role of the Karyatids, why was the temple of Athena Nike built in the Ionic order, what led Pericles and his advisers to opt for the specific building programme and how were the major public works financed, why was it decided to place an Ionic frieze on the Doric Parthenon, what political messages were transmitted by the sculptural decoration of the Parthenon, and so on.