Set on a site covering 30,000 sq.m., the Acropolis of Athens is a perfect example of how ancient architecture was adapted to a natural site to form what has become a model worldwide and down the ages. It was the ancient city’s most important religious centre its monuments, (the Parthenon, the Erechtheion, the Propylaea -the monumental entrance to the Acropolis- and the small Temple of Athena Nike) has become an important symbol of ancient Greece’s bequest to Europe and the world.The first signs of occupation on the ‘sacred rock’ of the Acropolis date back to the Neolithic period (2nd millennium BC). In Mycenaean times (1200-1100BC) it was the seat of the king, whose palace stood roughly where the Erechtheion was built many centuries later. After the 11th century BC until the end of Antiquity, it was home to the cult of Athena, patron goddess of the city that took her name. There, Athena was worshipped at majestic temples, brilliant buildings and a vast number of votive monuments. The most renowned were built in the second half of the 5th century BC, when Athens took a lead among the ancient world’s city states, following important victories against the Persians and the establishment of Democracy. In the golden age that followed, thought and art flourished, and an exceptional group of artists made the ambitious plans of Athenian statesman Pericles reality, under the guidance of the sculptor Pheidias. The most important monuments were built during that time: the Parthenon, built by Ictinos (447-432BC), the Erechtheion, with its shrines to Athena Polias and Poseidon-Erechtheus and the porch adorned with the famous Caryatids hand-maidens (421-406BC), the Propylaea - the monumental entrance to the Acropolis designed by Mnesicles (437-431BC) - and the small temple of Athena Nike (421-407BC).