The Athenian Acropolis is possibly the best known acropolis in the world. The word Acropolis stems from the union of the following Greek words:

• akro (Άκρο): which means edge
• and polis (Πόλις): which means city

Even though other cities also have acropolises in Greece, the importance of the Athens Acropolis when compared to others is such that it is simply referred to as The Acropolis.

The Acropolis dates back to Mycenaean times. It initially was constructed as a settlement for monarchs during the 14th century B.C. 8 meter tall fortification walls were erected to safely guard the kings and their court inside. Beneath the Acropolis, a deep well supplied water to the palaces and served as another form of protection from invaders. During this era, the Acropolis also began to serve its religious function, housing altars for the goddess of fertility and the god Erechtheus.

While other Mycenaean towns fell to invaders from mainland Greece around 1200 B.C., Athens was the only one to remain intact and inhabited. Due to the Athenian culture and politics shift from a monarchy to a government of Aristocrats (that later became the beginning of democracy), administrative and official government functions moved from the Acropolis to the Agora.

The Acropolis housed the famous temple of Parthenon which became the hub of worship to the goddess of wisdom Athena, protector of the city. It later became the benchmark of Greek art and architecture, and the ultimate representation of the Classical age.