Athens

The capital of Greece took its name from the goddess Athena, the goddess of wisdom and knowledge. This is where democracy was born. This is where that marvel of architecture, the Parthenon, was created. This is where art became inseparable from life. In Athens memory never fades. Wherever you stand, wherever you turn, the city's long and rich history will be alive in front of you.

In the center of town are two hills, Lycabettus with the picturesque chapel of Ai Giorgis and the Acropolis which refers to the upper, fortified portion of an ancient Greek city. Greek cities were usually founded around a defensive piece of high ground and the acropolis in Athens is no exception.  

The Parthenon in Athens is a temple to Athena in the Doric style, and the result of over 4 centuries of refinement in Greek temple architecture. The Parthenon is the most important and characteristic monument of ancient Greek civilization to this day. The Parthenon was built from 447 to 438 BC, and the sculptural decoration was completed in 432 B.C. After the Parthenon, temples were never quite built to the same rigid standards.

The two pediments of the temple are decorated with mythological scenes: the east, above the building's main entrance, shows the birth of Athena, and the west, the fight between Athena and Poseidon for the city of Athens. Only fragments survive of the pedimental figures of the Parthenon today, but fortunately, a French artist made sketches of them in 1674 before their destruction.

Mars' Hill

On his visit to Athens , Paul gave a speech to the learned men of the city at the Areopagus (Mars' Hill).  Mars' Hill is a prominent site located 140 ft below the Acropolis and in Paul's day was the meeting place of the main governing body of the city.  While some think that Paul's appearance here indicates some sort of judicial proceeding, most see the reference as only the location of his preaching (Acts 17).

Picture at top and below right courtesy of www.bibleplaces.com