Athens Gallery Photos by Nikolaos

• ACROPOLIS . The holy rock of Athens. The citadel and the sanctuary of the city in antiquity. Tel. 32.14.172. , 32.36. 665 . , 92.38.724. Open Daily 8:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. for Summer and 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. for winter. Closed on Holidays : January 1st. March 25th, May 1st, Easter Sunday, Christmas Day and Boxing Day. Taking Pictures : The use of cameras and video cameras is allowed. A special permit is required for the use of a tripod. Entrance fee 12 Euro (with the same ticket -valid for three days- you can visit other sites also, Keramikos, Ancient Agora, Temple of Zeus). Free for children under 6. and students from other countries, holders of the International Student Card (ISIC).

• ANCIENT AGORA. The Ancient Agora Museum was founded in 1957, after the reconstruction of the Stoa of Attalos by the American School of Classical Studies(1953-56). The Stoa was originally built by Attalos II, king of Pergamon (159-138 BC.), as a token of his gratitude to the city of Athens. The Museum display consists of finds from the excavations of the ancient Agora . Adriannou str. 24 - Thission. Tel 32.10.185. Open daily 8:30 a.m. - 2:45 p.m.. Monday closed. Entrance fee 4 Euro.

• SOUTHERN SIDE OF THE ACROPOLIS . Sanctuary of Dionyssos, where one can see the most ancient theater of Greece. Tel. 32.24.625. Open daily 8:00 a.m. - 2:30p.m. Entrance fee 2 Euro.

• KERAMIKOS CEMETERY AND DIPILO .  The Kerameikos, the largest Cemetery of ancient Athens, was situated outside the city wall. From the 6c BC. the graves were marked with gravestones and statues which were most flamboyant in the age of Pericles. Iera Pili ke Dipilo  The Sacred Gate was built at the same time as Themistocles' wall (5c BC.) and marks the beginning of the Sacred Way to Eleusis . The Dipylon, which dates from the same period, was a double gate with a square tower at each corner and the main entrance to Athens. Hermes Str. 148 . Tel. 34.63.552. Open daily 8:00 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. Closed on Monday. Entrance fee 2 Euro.

• TEMPLE OF OLYMPIAN ZEUS . (Olympieion) An impressive temple dedicated to the father of the Gods -Zeus . The biggest Temple of antiquity. As early as the 6c BC. the Peisistratids had chosen this site for a colossal temple, but the work was interrupted when they fell from power and not resumed until the 2c BC. but construction was again halted some time later. The temple was not completed until AD 132 under Emperor Hadrian who also erected a colossal statue of Zeus. Of the 84 original marble columns only 15 remain.  Vas. Olgas Str. 1 Tel. 92.26.630. Open daily 8:30 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. Entrance fee 2 Euro.

• ROMAN  AGORA . The Agora, which extends over the north-west slopes of the Acropolis, was the heart of ancient Athens from the late 6th c. BC onwards. At the Mycenaean and Geometric periods, the site was used as a cemetery before it became an agora, a place for political gatherings and debate, for elections, religious occasions and trading activities, theatrical performances and athletic competitions. Open daily 8:30 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. Closed on Monday. Entrance fee 4 Euro.

• ARIOS PAGOS / MARS HILL . The oldest court of ancient Athens. The place where the gospel was first preached in Athens by the Apostle of the Nations, St. Paul. Entrance free.

• PHILOPAPPOS HILL . A beautiful hill opposite the Acropolis with the nicest view of the Parthenon (The temple of the Goddess Athena / Do not miss it ). The grave monument of Philoppapos decorates the top of the hill. Entrance free.

• PANATHINAIKON STADIUM . The stadium stands on the site of the ancient stadium laid out under Lycurgus in the 4c BC. and rebuilt by Herod Atticus in AD. 144. It fell into ruin and was turned into a wheat field. In 1896 it was rebuilt on its original plan for the modern Olympic Games. From the top of the white marble terraces which can accommodate 70.000 spectators, there is a view of the National Garden and the Acropolis. Entrance free.

• ADRIAN'S GATE . An impressive Roman monument of the city. It was built in 131 AD. with Pentelic marble to honor the Roman Emperor Adrian. It marked the border between the old city and the new city of Athens. Free entrance.

You can view my portfolio of photos at http://www.panoramio.com/user/45649/tags/Acropolis or http://www.flickr.com/photos/nickolaos/tags/akropolis/