Figure 47 Plan of the acropolis in Athens in the second century AD (1 = Parthenon, 2 = Erechtheum, 3 =
Propylaea, 4 = Temple of Athena Nike, 5 = Sanctuary and Theater of Dionysus).
Source: Reproduced from J. Travlos, Pictorial Dictionary of Ancient Athens (New York 1971), 71.
In a famous passage near the beginning of his history, Thucydides says that, if the land of the Spartans
were abandoned and all that remained were the temples and the foundations of buildings, posterity would
find it very difficult to believe that Sparta’s power was such as to justify its reputation; on the other hand,
if the same thing happened to Athens, people would imagine that its power was double what it actually
was, judging from the observable aspect of the city. This is a very astute statement on Thucydides’ part,
and shows his recognition that some states place a high priority on magnificent public buildings while
others do not. In the case of Athens, the tyrant Peisistratus had encouraged the development of public
building projects along with the expansion of the festivals of the Dionysia and the Panathenaea. The
acropolis was the focal point of both those festivals, since it was the site of the sanctuaries of Dionysus
and Athena, in whose honor the festivals were held. The construction that began in 449 BC had little
effect on the theater and the sanctuary of Dionysus on the side of the acropolis; instead, renovation was
concentrated on the surface of the acropolis, where the Persians had destroyed two large temples of
Athena, one of which was still under construction at the time. The Athenians now began construction of a
replacement for that temple. The replacement, which took 15 years to complete (from 447 to 432 BC),
was the building now known as the Parthenon, constructed of marble from Mount Pentelicus in Attica,
about 20 kilometers from the acropolis.