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The South Slope of the Acropolis
The south slope of the Acropolis played a significant role in the artistic, spiritual and religious activity of ancient Athens. Important public buildings were erected in the area: the Odeion of Perikles, the sanctuary and theatre of Dionysos, the choregic monuments, the Asklepieion, the stoa of Eumenes and the Odeion of Herodes Atticus.
Recently, architectural members in the orchestra and the retaining wall of the east parodos of the Dionysos Theatre were restored.
Excavations at the sanctuary of Dionysos started in 1838 by the Greek Archaeological Society and lasted for about a century. They brought to light the theatre and the greater part of the sanctuary which includes the two temples of Dionysos. The excavations at the Odeion of Perikles were carried out almost sixty years ago and revealed a large building with many columns. The excavations, conducted by Kastriotes (1914-1927) and Orlandos (1928-1931), revealed the north side of the building and five column bases at the NE corner.
The excavations at the Asklepieion were conducted in 1875-76 by the Greek Archaeological Service under the direction of St. Koumanoudis and uncovered the Early Christian basilicas and remains of the most important buildings of the sanctuary.
The most important monuments of the area are:
The Theatre of Dionysos. No trace has been preserved of the 5th-century theatre which must have been simple in form with a few rows of wooden and stone seats. The preserved ruins belong to the monumental theatre built by Lycourgos. The permanent skene (stage) was then constructed, extending in the width of the orchestra. After its destruction by Sulla in 86 B.C., the theatre and the skene were rebuilt.
The old temple of Dionysos sheltered the old, cult statue of Dionysos Eleuthereus. It was constructed in the 6th century B.C. , during the rule of tyrant Peisistratos and his successors.
The later temple of Dionysos sheltered the chryselephantine statue of the god, a work of the sculptor Alkamenes. The building cannot be dated earlier than the middle of the 4th century B.C. as is attested by the pottery found in its foundations in 1963.
The choregic monument of Thrasyllos. It was erected by Thrasyllos in 320/19 B.C., high on the south slope of the Acropolis, at the "katatome", the great artificial scarp of the rock which had been evened out vertically during the construction of the Dionysos Theatre. Carvings on the rock visible in the same area point to the conclusion that several more choregic monuments were erected, but no trace of them has been preserved.
The stoa of Eumenes. It is dated to the Hellenistic period and is attributed to Eumenes II, the king of Pergamos (197-159 B.C.). The stoa was constructed along the "peripatos", the road which runs above it and runs around the bot of the hill. It was built of conglomerate, poros stone, Hymettian marble and Pergamene marble, imported in cut blocks.
The Odeion of Herodes Atticus. It was the third Odeion to be built in Athens, after the Odeion of Perikles and that of Agrippa. It was erected by Herodes in memory of his wife Regilla, who died in A.D. 160. It is shaped as a semicircular theatre, with a radius of 38 m., and could seat around 5,000 people. The facade, 28 m. high, was massive, having a width of 2,40 m. The wall of the skene was lavishly decorated with architectural elements. The Odeion was destroyed during the invasion of the Herulae who also destroyed most of the city's monuments in A.D. 267.
The Asklepieion. It was erected after 420 B.C. and includes the foundations of the temple of Asklepios, the two-storeyed Doric stoa which was used as the "katagogion", the Ionic stoa which dates from the end of the 5th century B.C., and the altar.
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