Erechtheion of the Acropolis of Athens: What it is, Mythology and Who it is Dedicated to

Despite the primary importance of the cult dedicated to the goddess Athena, other more archaic deities related to the city’s legendary history were also worshipped on the Acropolis Rock.

In fact, it is said that the dispute between the goddess Athena and the god Poseidon over the possession of Attica took place here and that traces of the dispute were kept inside the small temple of Erechtheus.

In this article I will tell you about this temple and its architecture.

Are you ready? Let’s start

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The Erechtheion of the Acropolis in Athens

The name Erechtheus refers to the sixth ruler of the city of Athens, the one who declared war on the Eleusinians, the people headed by Poseidon’s son Eumolpus.

To win the war Erechtheus donated his six daughters in sacrifice, thus succeeding in repelling the enemy army and killing Eumolpus, arousing the wrath of Poseidon, who in turn incinerated Erechtheus with a thunderbolt.

Subsequently, the region was again the victim of contention: both Athena and Poseidon claimedAttica from Zeus, in order to possess a region of the earth that could honor them. To end the dispute, it was decided that the deity who would give the inhabitants of Athens the most valuable gift would win the dispute. Poseidon thus, with his trident, shook the earth and made its springs gush forth ( according to another version the god caused a horse to rise from the rock) , while the goddess Athena wielded her spear and beating it to the ground brought forth an olive tree with silver leaves. From the olives the Greeks made the precious oil, useful both as food and fuel, and their king, Cecrope, decreed Athena the winner of the dispute.

Traces of this affair were preserved just inside this small temple.

The Erechtheion: architectural description

The temple, of Pentelic marble, Ionic order, has a central body with six columns on the east front and four leaning against the west wall and is attributed to the architect Callicrates.

The design dates to the years between 421 and 405 B.C.. and was built on the site of an older temple located north of the Parthenon.

The interior layout

Gathering in a single building different relics and cults, The Temple of Erechtheion is developed with a structure, quite unique. It is in fact composed of three building bodies, all, however, completely different from each other and not bound by laws of symmetry, articulated on two different levels, connected essentially by a staircase north of the western portico.

Inside, the first building body consists of two cells, to the east is located the larger one dedicated to Athena Polias, and it held theancient wooden simulacrum of Athena Polias ( citizen), believed to have fallen from the sky.

The second cell, accessed through a large vestibule located to the north, brought together the cult of Poseidon – Erechtheus ( the mythical king of Attica killed by Poseidon and identified with him ).

On the west side is a hall in which archaic deities were celebrated, including the hero Butes, the god Hephaestus , and the lair of the serpent Erythonius, while to the south is the famous loggia of the caryatids (sculptures used as columns, pilasters or pilasters, representing a female figure).

Caryatids watching the sunset from the Acropolis in Athens

The considerable concentration of cults and relics conditioned the shape of the monument, which, small in size ( east to west 24.08 m), was richly decorated and had a continuous frieze in the central part with marble figures standing out against the black background of Eleusinian stone.

During Ottoman rule the small temple was converted into a harem.

In 1832, after Greece’s proclamation of independence, the government funded many restoration campaigns that also involved this building. The earliest interventions are dated 1837 while the latest date back to 2015. During this time span, there have been many restoration interventions but also many losses of masonry portions or sculptural elements.

Famous indeed are the events involving Lord Elgin, who was responsible for the removal of one of the Caryatids, preserved today in the British Museum in London.

The remaining originals are kept at Acropolis Museum.

The facades of the Erechtheion

North facade

To the north the temple has a portico with six columns, leading to the cell of Poseidon and the sanctuary of Pandrosus. The columns support an entablature with bas-reliefs, unfortunately now very fragmented, telling the stories of Erechtheus, Poseidon, and Athena.

at a lower level, it retained the sign of the trident beaten by Poseidon to bring forth the spring of salt water from which he would emerge in the dispute against Athena for possession of Attica.

South facade

Opposite this, on the southern side, was the tomb of Cecrope, the mythical king of Attica, born from the soil of Attica half-man and half-serpent.

The tomb was accessed through the loggia of the caryatids, the six peplum-clad korai supporting the entablature and possibly depicting the hero’s daughters. According to historians these were the libation bearers, that is, the sacrificial drink offerings to the deities.

You will notice that one of the caryatids is damaged, it was in fact hit by a cannonade during the war against the Ottoman Turks, in any case these are in all six cases copies, five are kept at the Acropolis Museum in Athens, while the sixth is kept at the British Museum.

West Façade

Outside the temple, to the west, was the small shrine of Pandrosus, one of the daughters of Cecrope, goddess of dew and, next to it, the olive tree given by Athena in her dispute against Poseidon. This site is complemented by a votive altar located under the branches of the sacred plant.

East facade

The east facade is punctuated by six columns of Ionic order; these support the entablature on which the pediment rests.

At one time the facade was adorned with a polychrome marble frieze bearing vcends from the life of the goddess Athena.

Frequently asked questions

Conclusions

Here we come to the conclusion of this article, in which I have described to you the history and architecture of the temple of Erechtheion, and the mythological eventsto which it is related.

If you have any doubts or questions, please write to me, I will be happy to answer them!