The Acropolis of Athens Explained with Reconstructions 

What's your favorite Ancient Greek building?

As an inhabitant of Athens myself, I can attest in saying that this is the most detailed and coherent video on the Acropolis as of now. Συγχαρητήρια!

I visited the Acropolis twice in my lifetime. In each instance, I was overwhelmed. My first visit was in 1974 and was of a short duration. Happily, I spent six months in Athens in 1976 and walked up those steps and around those buildings many dozens of times. At nights, I would sit in the Plaka with a glass of retsina or ouzo and look at the lighted Parthenon. Athens is magic. I easily felt at home there, as if, in centuries past, it had been my home.

As an Architecture student, I appreciate the way you explain things and perfectly present them with depth and understanding. Love your videos so so much. May you prosper and continue to do these amazing documentaries.

The Parthenon was erected after the victory over the Persians to honor those who fought for freedom. Its frieze depicts 192 men, they were the men who fell in the battle of Marathon. It is the first monument in the whole world to honor simple, ordinary men. Parthenon is the symbol of democracy.

To those supporting the British Museum idea of holding the Parthenon Sculptures in England: 1. By the time (1800) the English lord stole the marbles, the place (modern Greece), was occupied by Islamists. 2. The Lord came.with one and only intention to get the marbles and sell them afterwards for profit. 3. He got permission from the islamic Sultan of Constantinople who didn't care less. 4. From 500 BC to 1800 AD (2300 years) the Temple was intact in most of it's parts. 5. At least the decorations was there, an no-one had the devilish idea to remove them. 6. Parthenon was converted to a Christian church. No priest thought of removing the marbles. 7. Parthenon was converted to an islamic mosque. No imam cared if the marbles stood above. 8. The English thive came and saw the marbles off. Yes he used iron saws to cutt them of and down. 9. Some parts was feld down during the process and broke. 10. Three ships carried them to London, in a most dramatic voyage. 11. The enslaved Greeks of Athens, while in a small number, wiped tears for the unwilling theft. 12. The English Lord held the marbles for years at his residence, trying to auction them to nobles and kings throughout the World. 13. Initially the British Museum didn't want them, as the selling price was too high for them. 14. After the possession of the marbles (after 50 years of coming to England), in the reing of Queen Victoria, the museum tried to clean them with citric (lemon) acid (!!!!!!!!!) and make them white again, witch caused bigger damage after the centuries and the cutting. 15. In 21st century, the roof of the Hall of the Parthenon Galleries was dropping rain water directly on to the marbles (!!!). 16. In the summer of 2023 A.D. a huge scandal surfed on British Museum, that the curator of greek antiquities was leaving his day job every day, with small antiquities in his briefcase, selling them on Ebay afterwards. 17. There is no information if the curator and the English Lord of the beginning are related by blod. 18. The Director of Governors of the Museum was resigned after the issue came in public, and he failed to cover it up. 19. The New Acropolis Museum in Athens is built in right proportions and orientation to host back and protect the stolen Greek treasures. 20. We, the People of Greece will spare no effort, publication, demand, and negotiations for our goal to be successful one day, if not in ours generation, to the generation of our children at least. Ζήτω η Ελλάς - Long live Greece 🇬🇷 Thanks for reading me.

I and my wife were at the Acropolis in May 2023. I'm fortunate to visit Parthenon and its adjoining buildings

An amazing structure that cannot be fully appreciated except in person. I would also highly recommend a visit to the Acropolis Museum at the base of the hill where thousands of artifacts are on display.

I learned about Nashville’s Parthenon when I first visited in 1995. It’s still favorite sight in the city.

Magnificent Manuel! I didn’t know the existence of the duplicate Parthenon in Nashville Tennessee. Thanks for sharing!!!

The part where the video shows the olive tree and explains its history, brought goosebumps all over my body 😯

As an Athenian citizen I should congratulate you Manuel for this precise, thorough, well studied but also spectacular presentation ! "Bravo" Manuel !

Great presentation. I visited the acropolis when i was 16 and i got very little out of it, a major disappointment, just remember i was sunburn and made the visit quick to avoid the sun. Now i am much older i i can appreciate more about it.

Amazing the Greeks understood how to achieve these structures.

My first time in Athens was February 1979 - terrible traffic but no scaffolding then on the temple and the original Caryatids and remaining sculptures were in place , all thankfully now protected in the museums, plus a few friendly cats and the site was uncrowded - I was fortunate to have a professional guide who was wonderful - and your video explains the site exceptionally well! Have since returned to Athens at least 5 or 6 times and every time it’s as magical as the first. My spiritual home and can’t wait to return later this year and hopefully many more times in the future. Also your Delphi video was fantastic - it’s an amazing place too and not to be missed. Thank you so much!

Acropolis in Athens is amazing!!! Definetly worth visiting. There is not that many buildings on that level of good architecture and felt out proportion... its realy unique realy!

It seems to me that all these ancient sites should be completely restored. I have passed through Nashville and I could not determine where the Parthenon Replica is. Thanks for showing it here.

As a Greek I can positively say that this is the best rendition of the architectural marvel of the Acropololis that I have come across! Congratulations Mr Bravo!!! Bravo indeed!!! I was also pleasantly surprised to learn that an accurate reproduction of the Parthenon exists in Nashville, Tennessee - didn't know that. Excellent video Mr Bravo, thank you!

Re: Octastyle vs Hexastyle. I was taught in art history that Greek temples had six columns at the entrance because six was the number of objects a human could recognize in a glance. Any more, and a human would have to count them. Gods, on the other hand, could perceive larger quantities at a glance, so the Parthenon, a temple of a God, exhibited this by having eight columns.

Excellent video ! The Athenian acropolis must have been magnificent in it's prime . The amount of thought and planning that went into the buildings is mind boggling . We can not forget the amount of physical work that created these masterpieces

Bravo young man! Well done...I used this documentary to guide my visit to the Acropolis this week. Immensely helpful.

With your videos of the treasures of the past, you make history come alive again, you can almost touch it, feel it, be part of it.

I wish I had watched this before I went to Athens so I could understand the Parthenon in person a little bit more. Fantastic video! 👏🏻

All my life I've been so drawn to Greek architecture and history my grandparents would often take me to the Paul Getty museum and I would take rolls of pictures I loved the statues we would also visit Hearst castle I found your channel and I've been watching your videos there wonderful I feel like I'm missing home have always felt that way about Greece thank you thoroughly enjoying your work

My thumbs-up for this video, is not for the quality of the presentation, the voyages you've made both in Athens, and Nashville, for an understandable comparison, not for the mention of every small unnoticed detail, etc. but for your pronunciation. Πρόμαχος striked me. Ευχαριστούμε πολύ. 🇬🇷

I admire the amount of work which is behind all of your videos. That effort makes them the best. Bravo, Manuel! 👏🙂

Hundreds of videos on the Acropolis. This is the best by far. Two words: Thank You.

I wish there were more reproductions of these beautiful buildings. I'd love to visit both. I've been round most of Rome. But as for Greece the only ruins I've seen were on Kefalonia. The temples in southern Italy are still in ok condition and beautiful to see. Superb video. Thank you

Marvelous vid greek architecture is fascinating, greetings from Mexico!

whoever designed this was a genius of proportion.

In the early 2000's the theater next to it had no security, some Athens friend used to jump the fence with some beers and play music in the theater at night :-) also the rock under the entrance is a awesome chill-out place ...

Amazing video as an Athenian tbh I learned stuff I didn't know and your presantation was amazing! Really hope you do a vid about Athens and one about Ancient Olympia.

Best vídeo on the Acrópolis!

Very useful--- I have climbed up there twice in the hoards of tourists, also been to Nashville, where it is considerably less crowded.

Only one word: EXCELLENT.

Brilliant analysis, Manuel Bravo. You are among the finest teachers in the world!

Your greek accent is excellent

The statue of Athena Promachos transferred to Constantinople around A.D. 395 and was placed in front the Parliament House. It was destroyed by the crusaders of the Fourth Crusade.1204 A.D.

This would have been so useful in 1985- 86, in my final year at secondary school, when I did a "Crash" Higher Grade in Ancient Greek. After years of Latin, Green architecture and drama was an overwhelmingly refreshing experience. My teacher managed to get a grant for my father and I to travel from Glasgow to London to visit the (stolen) marbles at the British Museum. Nearest I came to actual real life Greek ruins, along with a Classics trip to the Bay of Naples in summer 1986, when we visited Pompeii, Herculaneum, Capri and the temples at Paestum. Thanks for the memories!

Manuel, I am overwhelmed with respect and awe by the reverence, cultural and philosophical background of the architects and planners, mathematical knowledge, and execution of the Acropolis. Through your thoroughly realized video arising from great research, photography, and tastefully and precisely utilized CGI, I am sitting in stunned amazement not only of this astounding and beautiful Greek accomplishment and window into Athens of 2400 years ago but in the learning of the previously unknown to me existence of a detailed replica of the Parthenon in Nashville, Tennessee. Mind blown! I simultaneously felt a simmering anger upon learning of how the so-called Elgin marbles of the Parthenon, the Erechtheion, the Temple of Athena, and the Propylaia sit in the British Museum having been looted "removed" in 1801-1812 by Thomas Bruce and shipped to England. I cannot comprehend how this holding by the British Museum can continue to be accepted as legitimate and legal by any governing body today. Congratulations on the execution of this concise, inspiring, educational, and beautifully executed video.

The power of Athenian actual democracy - it's still unreached and unsurpassed.

Always love seeing a new video from you! It's always exciting, and I always learn something new :)

I've visited the Acropolis a few times, but never had the chance to fully understand what I was seeing. After watching this video, I'm inspired to visit again! It would be fantastic if you could create a self-guided tour based on this content. Many people walk around without understanding its significance, so this would be incredibly useful for them.

Excelente video Manuel! Estuve en ese lugar en Abril 2023 y con tus explicaciones pude revivir y entender con mayor información ese increible monumento. Gracias por tu trabajo! 💯👋👋👋

No me canso de escribirte que tus videos son ESPECTACULARES! Bellos, llenos de datos e imágenes maravillosas. Tu trabajo es impresioante. Muchísimas gracias por compartirlo. Tengo que decirlo, Gran Bretaña DEBE devolver los tesoros que pertenecen a culturas de los países por donde ha pasado robándose lo posible y más.

Great job dude. as modern Athenian myself u made me almost cry. We have nothing alike those great ancestors only to admire the remains of this legendary land that happened to be born.. With your passion you are more true Athenian than ourselves. I want to visit Nashville one day. 😊 Pls make more videos about the classic era! You should visit Pella also in the North!

Excellent video! Cool that Nashville made a replica; makes it easier to visualise how it used to be.

In Greek it is η Αθήνα / i Athína the city and η Αθηνά / i Athiná the person, with at times the definite article (the - η). In Greek every word longer than one syllable seperated by a consonant will have a vowel marked which denotes inflection on that vowel with the voice (like we now say bálcony in EN), so this is why the twain are said out differently (and Greeks *will* correct you when you say a word without the required inflection or inflect it on the wrong vowel. They are helpmeets like this). There is also οι Αθήναι / oi Athínai which is a plural. When I asked my Greek φιλολόγιος / philológios - Greek language master, once he told me this particular name is plural, if this is why we call it "Athens" in English he enigmatically answered "maybe...".😋 🧿

Bravo! Signor Bravo! Wonderful vid. I've been to the actual Parthenon many times. You always find something new to be awe struck by. You are so right in recommending a trip to Nashville to see the reconstruction. I spent a day there. Wandering the colonnade portico alone in the moonlight was a bellissima experience. Grazie.

Ευχαριστούμε για το όμορφο βίντεο 🇬🇷😊

Manuel Bravo provides an excellent explanation and understanding of the Acropolis of Athens. The pictures are extremely helpful in understanding this extraordinary grouping of structures, and his commentary is very clear.

Welcome to America! Nice cameo with the Nashville Parthenon. Excellent use of the elevations from Fragments d'Architecture Antique. Maybe one day the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris will invite you to present the original drawings. Some of their students made drawings in color.

Thank you, Manuel, for honoring the monuments of our home city. Your explanations and details are amazing. Greeks didn't made this monument for Greeks, but for the world. It is as world's heritage, and must being seen this way. Every aspect of the monument is perfect, and this is why perfection is something every one of us, every person and nation can follow, and overcome. The thinking was for the later generations to make better Parthenons, in the world, but also in their individual lives. I wish you personally all the best.

Another marvelous video. I'd always wondered why the lack of straight focal lines: thank you so much for showing why! It's awesome to learn something new about something you thought you knew everything about: I'll be looking at Greek and Hellenistic precincts in a very different way now... and with a lot more interest and understanding! Bravo Manuel Bravo!

Excellent video, thanks for paying tribute to our ancient history! A small addition to the narration, the Caryatides were the most beautiful women of the time, that’s why their look was chosen for the Erechthion.

I stumbled upon this because of the algorithm and I was very pleased. It's a great video, shot and edited very well, and the content itself was very informative in an engaging way. I'm going to watch the rest of the channel's videos now 🙂

Very excellent. Thank you sincerely. Interesting how again the idea of procession is integral to the plan of the site, much like the plan in Thebes with those pylons.

Delphi ! Thank you, now I want too see the replica Parthenon in Tennessee. My favorite vewing was during the full moon when it is easier to imagine the missing parts.

Waiting for your Athens video. Big credit for going to the Nashville replica! IMHO, its the only thing to see there... Hope you cover more of the Acropolis Museum. Exhibiting the back view of the caryatids was a genius idea, also so many amazing treasures.

Bravo Mr. Bravo. Now I have a great reason to visit Nashville, Tennessee. Another master class about the origins of Western Culture. It was fascinating. Greetings from Texas 🇺🇸

Enjoy watching and learning from your channel…the visual, the graphic, the sound are great.

Excellent . this is the first time I have truly understood the layout and meaning of the Arcopolis . Number one on my must see list is the reconstruction in Nashville An absolutely superb video . thank you

As a Brit l think the return of the frieze (Elgin Marbles) is long overdue. One point to add to the very good content: there is a massive contrast between Greek aesthetic sense, as represented by entasis and construction technology. The former is the most sophisticated any architecture will ever achieved. The corrections for the distortion of the eye enable the achievement of the ideal (a Greek concept) which is why the Parthenon looks ‘right’ when viewed from below, as was intended. But the construction method, post and lintel, is the simplest of all enclosed spaces. It did not matter for Greeks since the temples were like sculptures- mainly meant to be viewed from outside

Inspiring, enlightening and enjoyable [as always, actually] Thank you so much Manuel

Great video! I especially appreciated you mentioning the Parthenon in Nashville. Fascinating!

Muchas gracias Manuel, estaré pendiente del estreno 😊

This video was so dazzling, with its use of the actual Parthenon in Athens, its reconstruction in Nashville, Tennessee, and the computer graphic recreations. I liked especially how you explained how the Greeks, unlike the Romans who aligned their buildings and monuments along rectilinear axes, designed the Acropolis in terms of shifting lines of sight and changing scales so as to have visitors view the buildings from specific oblique angles in an unfolding panorama. It seems a lot more organic and, in a way, human-centered, whereas the Roman practice might be building-centered. I can’t imagine a better video on the Acropolis.

I am so happy to watch your videos.😊 So much research and information. Brilliant work, Manuel.

Great video. I will be revisiting Athens next month and take a better appreciation of the Acropolis because of your video. Thanks again! Great work!

To make a pun on his name. Bravo, a masterly explanation with graphics. I've been to the site but showing the replica in Tennessee was a master stroke. It really brought the original to life.

Your videos change my mood, my day and over time, my life. Thanks!

Subscribed! As someone who has toured Greece many times since 1989, I have to complement you for our outstanding presentation! I am looking forward to sharing your channel with family members.

Very good job Manuel Greetings from Athens!

First video of yours I've watched, absolutely incredible! Time to binge watch all of your other work now

I've been there years ago but I wished I had this video as my tour guide then. This filled in all missing bits, I appreciate the Acropolis even more now.

7:49 - Don Bravo, pls, more notes like this one in your next videos! Gracias! (oo)

Watching this because i just visited this beauty this Monday. Thank you for the upload

I always enjoy your thorough and engaging expositions. Thank you for your good work!

I love your videos! The visuals are great and the explanations are detailed and informative.

Excellent video. Very knowledgeable. Makes me want to go back and spend more times there. The museum should run this vid on their mini theater.

The dry Greek landscape reminds me so much East San Diego, California 😢 beautiful ✌️

Just found your channel a few days ago and I LOVE it. Love the way you lay out the history and your shots are beautiful. Your accent (I'm American) is comforting to listen to. Amazing channel! My daughter is named Athen after this city 💙🩵

Great video, someday I will visit but first I like learning all those little details about the architecture. 😊

Excellent video and impressive commentary. This was completely captivating and I watched it with out stop. This is the architect of humanity and the classical age that fostered the future of architecture basically forever on. We should continue to artistically and cleverly honor and showcase the best parts of humanity in our structures to permeate the divisions created by the vices and villains, and support the triumphs of moral, virtues, and heroic human beings!

Bravo Manuel! The best explanation of Acropolis in YT. Keep it up!

Deseando que se estrene. ¡¡Me encantan tus vídeos!! 😊

I've been to the Nashville Parthenon. Spectacular.

Love the way you start your videos. Right to the story. Great filmmaking.

The felling of when you are in the presence of the acropolis is just something magical!! Everyone should experience it it’s just overwhelming

Great video. And especially thank you for not using the crime against human ears known as erasmian pronunciation.

Amazing work! It is very are to spot content of such high quality. Keep up the good work, I'm excited for what is yet to come!

I have studied the Acropolis quite a lot but your video had the most thorough and clear explanation of what, how and why of any that I have seen. I especially appreciated your illustrations of what it originally looked like. Thank you for all your hard work. I am a new subscriber.

Gracias por mostrarnos éstas maravillas a través de tus vídeos. Felicidades

Your channel is fantastic. I'm about to visit Athens and Delphi and I feel more than prepared by your wonderful introduction.

Your command of the English language enabled you to hit the nuances necessary to explain all the subtle points of the architecture, symbology, and significance. That was outstanding. Thank you. Keep up this work!

This channel deserves more love

Иерусалим, возможно тоже будет? С Афинами пока не получается, но вы кстати (я хотела туда в ближайшее время, но не получается пока). Личный опыт это конечно другое, но все равно очень кстати👍. Спасибо! И Иерусалим ждёт.( но я там буду раньше,🙏

A visited The Parthenon in Nashville by accident, Didn't know was there!!!. Like most Americans don't. Also had the privilege to go to Athenas, Greece. Not until you are there to see the magnitude of the Parthenon in the full splendor. Visibul for anywhere in that city. Fantastic video Thank a million .

Bravo, Manuel!! 🎉

Manuel, you've outdone yourself once again. Bravo 🙏😎