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338-86 B.C.
ACROPOLIS & SOUTH
SLOPE
During the Hellenistic
period only a few changes
can be observed
on the rock of
Acropolis. The only new building
was the wing
extension added in the
eastern gallery of
the Stoa of Artemis Brauronia. Also, many sculptures-offerings
were erected by the kings of
hellenistic kingdoms. Three of them
can be distinguished.
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just click on them!
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The
Stoa of Artemis Brauronia with the new stoa on the left. |
The most important of them were the statues
depicting the war between Greeks and Gauls, a gift to Athens by the
king of Pergamon Attalos I. Many
Roman marble copies of these statues
can be found in several museums
around Europe. This work (copies
the bigger that was
erected in Pergamon) was set up south
of the Parthenon next to the wall
between 230-220 B.C.
The two other statues were two
tethrippa (four horse chariots) set up
on gigantic pillars. One
of those was a dedication from the king of Pergamon,
Eumenes II for his victory in the
Panathinaic games (178 B.C.) and it was
located west of the
Pinakotheke of Propylaea where the big pedestal is
still visible today.
Another one almost similar to the previous
one was erected in north-eastern side
of Parthenon covering this corner of
the temple. It was
dedicated either to Eumenes II or Attalos II.
The same type of
tethrippon with
the pillar-pedestal was set up at the
same period in
front of the Stoa of Attalos in the Agora.
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Panoramic view of the Acropolis and its south slope. In the
foreground is the Stoa of Eumenes. Between the stoa and the
theatre of Dionysus is the choragic monument of Nikias. |
A lot of work was realised in southern side of
Acropolis. Many new choragic monuments were set
up. The most important was the one of Nikias. It was
built in 319 B.C. and had the form of
a small temple.
In 170 B.C. Eumenes II of Pergamon
builts the homonymous stoa. The stoa of Eumenes
offered protection to the spectators of the Dionysus theatre from bad weather.
It a was two-story Doric
building.
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The
Stoa of Eumenes (170 B.C.) had
a length of
163 metres and a a width
of 17,65 metres. It was
most likely destroyed
during the invasion of Herouli in
267 A.D. and the architectural material
was used for the post-roman wall of
the city. |
The monument of Nikias
next to the Stoa of Eumenes near the
eastern end of Eumenes' Stoa.
According to the inscription written on the
entablature, it was constructed by the
theatrical choregos (sponsor) Nikias son of Nikodemos
during the administration of Neaichmos (319 B.C.).
In 237 A.D. its parts
were used for the construction of
a new Roman Acrpolis
gate (gate Beulé) that still
exists in perfect condition.
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The
tethrippon
of Propylaea on the left. |
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The
tethrippon
of Propylaea. In the
end of the 1st century B.C. the
initial inscription was erased and the
monument was dedicated anew
to Marcus
Agrippa, general and son in law of Octavian
Augustus. |
The
tethrippon
at the NE corner of the Parthenon. It was a
dedication from Eumenes II or Attalos II but in 31 B.C. was
rededicated to Octavian Augustus. |
Close
view of the bronze, natural size, tethrippon near the
Parthenon.
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For other monuments of Hellenistic Athens click below:
THE AGORA
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