The Acropolis is the hill and the whole fortified complex on top of it. The Parthenon is one building on that hill — the temple of Athena. Every Greek city had an acropolis; there is only one Parthenon.
The core difference
- acropolis — a fortified high point of a Greek city, and by capitalisation the one in Athens.
- Parthenon — the temple of Athena Parthenos, the largest building on the Athenian Acropolis.
Acropolis is a common noun
The word means high city — akros (highest) plus polis (city). Corinth, Argos and many other Greek cities had one: a defensible outcrop holding temples and a citadel. Athens has the famous one, so English capitalises it and treats it as a name, but the word is generic.
What else is up there
The Parthenon dominates photographs, but the Acropolis holds several major structures:
- Erechtheion — the temple with the Caryatids, the columns carved as female figures.
- Propylaea — the monumental gateway.
- Temple of Athena Nike — small, at the southwest corner.
The Parthenon's long second life
Built between 447 and 432 BC, it has been a Greek temple, a Christian church, and a mosque. Its ruin is recent and specific: in 1687 a Venetian bombardment struck Ottoman gunpowder stored inside, and the explosion destroyed the centre of the building. It stood largely intact for over two thousand years before that.
The name
Parthenon comes from parthenos, maiden or virgin — an epithet of Athena. The same root gives parthenogenesis, reproduction without fertilisation, literally virgin birth.
The optical corrections
The building has almost no true straight lines. The columns bulge slightly at the middle, lean marginally inward, and the platform curves upward at the centre. These are deliberate corrections for the way the eye reads large forms — a perfectly straight platform would appear to sag. The bulge has its own term, entasis.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between the Acropolis and the Parthenon?
The Acropolis is the hill and the whole complex on it. The Parthenon is one building on that hill, the temple of Athena.
Do other cities have an acropolis?
Yes. Acropolis is a common noun meaning high city, and many Greek cities had one. Athens has the most famous, which is why English capitalises it.
What destroyed the Parthenon?
A Venetian bombardment in 1687 struck Ottoman gunpowder stored inside. Before that explosion the building had stood largely intact for over two thousand years.