" The original town stood upon a rock in the
centre of a plain, which was afterwards covered with buildings; the
upper part was called the "Acropolis," the lower the "Katopolis;"
only a part of the fortress, the famous Acropolis, remains on the
mountain, where the principal works of art of Athens stand. The
principal feature was the temple of Minerva, or the Parthenon; even
its ruins excite the astonishment of the world. The building is
said to have been 215 feet long, ninety-seven feet broad, and
seventy feet high; here stood the statue of Minerva, by Phidias.
This masterly work was executed in gold and ivory; its height was
forty-six feet, and it is said to have weighed more than 2000
pounds. Fifty-five columns of the entrance to the temple still
remain, as well as parts of enormous blocks of marble which rest
upon them, and belonged to the arches and roof.
This temple was destroyed by the Persians, and was again restored
with greater beauty by Pericles, about 440 years after the birth of
Christ.
There are some fine remains of the temples of Minerva and Neptune,
and the extent of the amphitheatre can still be seen; there is but
little of the theatre of Bacchus remaining.
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