Mike's review
Visited 2019The Erechtheion might be the Acropolis building I would tell someone not to rush past. It is irregular, layered, and more intimate than the Parthenon, with the Caryatid porch giving it a human scale.
The appeal is in the asymmetry. It feels less like one perfect temple and more like a building trying to hold several sacred stories at once.
From the source
The Erechtheion stands north of the Parthenon, with slender Ionic columns and an irregular floor plan shaped by the sloping ground and several older sacred sites. Built around 421-406 BCE, it joined cults associated with Athena Polias, Poseidon-Erechtheus, and the city's foundation stories within one structure.
Its south porch is carried by six female figures known as the Caryatids. The figures on the building are casts installed to protect the originals from weather and pollution. Five originals are displayed in the Acropolis Museum, while the sixth is in the British Museum. The olive tree beside the west side refers to the contest between Athena and Poseidon for patronage of Athens. The temple is viewed from the Acropolis paths rather than entered.
Supporting sources: Legacy import provenance, Wikipedia
Plan your visit
Hours
Apr-Aug daily 08:00-20:00; September closing shifts from 19:30 to 19:00; October from 18:30 to 18:00; Nov-Mar daily 08:00-17:00.
Features & amenities
Good to know
- Photos allowed
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Planning Athens
The rest of my Athens saves, on the city's planning pages.