Erechtheion, Athens, Greece, 406BC - 421BC

Erechtheion, Athens, Greece

Recreation of Erechtheion

The Erechtheion is one of Greece’s most famous landmarks and architectural wonders. The temple was built above the city of Athens near the Parthenon, Propylaea, and the Temple of Hephaistos. on the acropolis in Athens during what is known as the Golden Age (somewhere between approximately 421 and 406 BCE). It was built to house a statue of Athena, one of the Greeks’ most revered gods. It was named after the Athenian king god, Erechtheus.
It was built following an attack on Greece by the Persians in 480 BCE. It had many delays during its construction- namely when they were problems between Athens and Sparta.
According to Cartwright (2016), “The building also had other functions, though, notably as the shrine centre for other more ancient cults: to Erechtheus, his brother Boutes - the Ploughman, Pandrosos, the mythical first Athenian king Kekrops (or Cecrops) - half-man, half-snake, and the gods Hephaistos and Poseidon.”

The Erechtheion was constructed with Pentelic marble (a marble that is pure white in appearance) that came from Mt. Pentelicus, which was relatively nearby. In addition to the Pentelic marble, iron was also used during construction. Over the centuries that followed, the iron oxidized and made the marble more golden, or “honey-colored” in color. This color is what makes it famous today for being photographed during sunrise and sunset.

The Porch of the Caryatids

 The temple is also famous because it was not constructed in a symmetrical fashion like the nearby Parthenon was. This is due in part because the building is built on an uneven foundation. The temple is divided into four chambers. The statue of Athena is in the largest chamber- the eastern chamber. The western chamber was meant to contain a snake, oikouros ophis, the sacred serpent that myth has it that is a reincarnation of Erechtheus. Throughout the building in other chambers are a wooden statue of Hermes, a chair said to be made by the great architect Daedalus - he of the Labyrinth of Minos fame - and various relics from the Persian wars” (Cartwright, 2016). On the outside of the temple, six Ionic columns flank the entrances on the eastern façade and a porch built to honor Poseidon Erechtheus (a local version of the god) was build on the north side. “At the south porch, which was the most well-known, the roof was supported by six statues of maidens known as the Caryatids, instead of the typical columns. Below it stood the grave of Kekrops, another legendary King of Athens. A building inscription of the Erechtheion refers to the Caryatids simply as Korai (maidens), while the name Caryatids was assigned at a later time” (“Erechtheion,” 2016). On the altar, there is an aperture on the ceiling. This was built to demonstrate how Zeus struck down Erechtheus with a thunderbolt.

Work Cited:
Cartwright, M. (2016). Erechtheion. Ancient History Encyclopedia. Retrieved from: http://www.ancient.eu/Erechtheion/

Erechtheion . (2016). Acropolis Museum. Retrieved from: http://www.theacropolismuseum.gr/en/content/erechtheion