8 Fascinating Acropolis of Athens Facts You Didn’t Know

Forget the white marble you see today—the Acropolis was once a vibrant masterpiece of color! Temples like the Parthenon were adorned in bold blues, reds, and yellows, while statues gleamed with bronze, gold, and even precious stones. Some traces of this colorful polychromy still survive, visible under UV light in certain areas.

Though commonly referred to as a ‘temple,’ the Parthenon wasn’t a place for public worship like most Greek temples with active shrines. Instead, it served as a treasury, holding Athens' wealth, including gold and silver tributes from its allies. The enormous gold-and-ivory statue of Athena inside? It essentially acted as Athens’ ancient ‘gold reserve.’

Over centuries, the Parthenon has undergone several transformations. During the Byzantine Empire, it became a Christian church. Under the Ottoman Empire, it was converted into a mosque.

The six Caryatid statues supporting the Erechtheion’s porch are replicas—five of the originals are housed in the Acropolis Museum, while the sixth was taken by Lord Elgin to the British Museum. The delicate originals were removed to safeguard them from pollution and acid rain, which had started to erode their features.

Many visitors overlook the mysterious cave on the northern slope of the Acropolis, known as the Cave of Zeus. Older than the Parthenon by centuries, this ancient sanctuary was used for offerings to Zeus and Pan. Greeks believed caves were portals to the underworld, making this site a powerful place of worship.

The Parthenon’s architects, Iktinos and Kallikrates, designed the temple with built-in earthquake resistance. Its slightly flexible columns and interlocking marble blocks enable the structure to absorb and distribute seismic energy, making it one of the most resilient ancient buildings ever created.

The Tower of the Winds, located on the slopes of the Acropolis, is the world’s oldest weather station! This 2,000-year-old octagonal marble structure once featured a bronze wind vane above its sundial. Some historians believe it also had a clever water clock powered by water flowing down the steep hill, allowing Athenians to tell time—even at night. How cool is that?

The Panathenaic Games were Athens's equivalent of the Olympic Games, featuring a diverse array of events such as chariot races, mock cavalry battles, and competitions in poetry and music. A highlight of the celebration was a grand procession to the Acropolis, where a new robe would be draped over the statue of Athena Parthenos.