Acropolis

The Acropolis, in Athens, is a small limestone hill rising to a height of 500 ft. above the sea; in ancient times, it was the holiest shrine of the Goddess Athena. It's been occupied continuously since the late Stone Age, perhaps from 4000 BC, but from the first three millennia of this long period hardly anything remains but some of the pottery and tools used by those who lived there. At the end of the Bronze Age, c.1200-1100 BC, when Athens was threatened by invasions from the north, the hill was surrounded by a massive wall of Cyclopean masonry, resembling the walls at Tiryns and Mycenae. This wall dates from the time of Theseus, the Athenian hero in Greek legend who overcame the Cretan minotaur, and who as king of Athens united all of Attica under his sceptre.

Ruins

The early citadel had a fortified entrance at the west and a postern gate on the northeast side. An abundant water supply was provided by a concealed fountain, reached through a cleft in the rock by a curiously constructed stairway. The water level was 110 ft. below the Acropolis.

The fortification wall, many times rebuilt, was formidable, and so high as to shut out the view except at one point at the southwest corner. When the Persians attacked the Acropolis in 479 BC, they were unable to gain possession of it by direct assault, although it was defended chiefly by old men. In the end, the Persians effected an entrance only by secret stairs originally built to reach the underground fountain. The citadel was then sacked, the temples were plundered