GeneralTetrastyle (four column) Ionic, amphiprostyle (having a portico (a structure consisting of a roof supported by columns at regular intervals) at each end but not at the sides) temple.

Dimensions: 27 feet long, 18 1/2 feet wide, and 23 feet tall. The ratio of height to diameter of the columns is 7:1. Ionic buildings usually have a 9:1 or 10:1 ratio. Smallest structure on the Acropolis, first building to use Ionic desing, outside the main sanctuary of the Acropolis (Acropolis proper = a walled sanctuary entered through the propulaea). Temple was open, entered from the Propylaea’s southwest wing and from a narrow stair on the north. Built in stages with Poros limestone and faced with marble (or matbe entierally of Pentelic marble). Area sometimes refered to as Nike Parapet. Construction of the Classical temple was a part of the Periklean building project.

Mark’s book is the first record of the early finds of the bastion in detail and documents them in drawing, photography, and description. (first report 1940, Mark 1993)

Things and Definitions Bastion – projecting part of the fortification (on the North, west, and south). What the temple sits on, had marble slabs on the sides and had images of winged Nikai (the parapet) (foundations of earlier temples found inside the bastion) Cella (or Naos)– inner room of a temple, contained a statue of wingless Athena Nike(called by later Athenians Apteros Nike) made of wood. 5mx5m. Side walls end in antae (pillars on the side of a doorway) which flank a pair of pillars (???). Metal railings between the antae, the pillars, and the antae, and the side columns created a sort of small pronaos (inner area of a porch)

Parapet – low wall that surrounded he temple and acted as a guardrail (to protect people from falling off the bastion) (built in 409 BC?). Decorated by relief sculptures

Frieze – Runs along the Cella on all four sides, by Agorakritos. Battle scenes between Greeks and percians on three sides, (The north frieze depicted a battle between Greeks entailing cavalry. The south freize showed the decisive victory over the Persians at the battle of Plataea.) on the east side assembly of Olympian gods.

Wall – constcuted by the Mycenacenas(???)

Pediment – a triangular space that forms the gable (triangular upper part of a wall at tne end of a ridged roof). East pediment likely had a sculpture of the Gigantomachy (giants vs gods) and West likely had a sculpture of the Amazonomachy (Ancient Greeks vs Amazons). Most of these sculptures are lost.

Turkish Powder Crypt (?)

Propylaea - the entrance to the the acropolis

Stylobate - top step of the crepidoma (platform on which the superstructure of the building is erected, the floor of the temple, usually has three layers), the platform for the columns

Euthynteria – uppermost part of a buildings foundation

Abaton – enclosure where patients slept in a different temple

Ashlar - masonry made of large square-cut stones, used as a facing on walls of brick or stone rubble. Niche on classical bastion (also refered to as Cyclopean) (Cyclopean basion has the ashlar niche?)

Amphiprostyle – having a portico (roof supported by columns at regular intervals) at each end but not the sides

Things Found In Excavation

Naïskos (small temple, found in the foundations of the classical temple. Mark argues mid-5h century, not Archaic) and Terracotta figurines (set in stone repository (sometimes called eschara)) (rim heavily burned, originally argued as archaic or prehistory, Mark argues Turkish from the period when the reposity lay explosed in the floor or a powder crypt directly beneath the temple)(also argues that the repository was originally a part of the base for the cult statue) both found on a massive Mycenaean terrace.

Huge corbeled niche (bracket (usually stone) jutting out from a wall to carry a weight that is lying on something else??) found in the west (bronze age), seen to relate to the bipartite niche of the classical bastion. Classical niche is likely a intentional copy of the perivious one.

Block inscribed with “altar of Athena Nike” found on the North side (tecique and lettering indicates mid 6th centurary)

Nike Temple Decree, mid 5th century inscription commissioning a temple of Athena Nike. (Mark argues that it does not refer to the classical building, but to the naïskos)

Decree on the Salary of the Priestess History:

392 CE, end of pagan ritual. Cult lay idle.

Temple altered and reused throughout 14 centuries (byzantine, Frankish dukes, Ottoman) (Franks walled shut 2 main portals of the western ascent, and drew new line of fortifcatoin from the bastion to the monument of Agrippa. Momumental alter of Athena Nike lay across this new approach and was likely destroyed then. Only the foundations and prothysis(?) survive. Temple was largly unharmed. Roof likely fell in (little survives of the tympana, sima, and tiles) Turks install cannons on the Acropolis around the 16th entury, temple cella remade into a powder magazine, built a battery on the bastion(???)1680 Venetians attack turks, temple material used to enforce walls. 1802, Elgin took the frieze1830 Greece begins to restore its ruins , demolished the battery and the Frankish fortification. Battery contained nearly all the blocks of the Nike Temple, largly intact and unreworked 1880 Interior of Bastion Partically excatvated (Bohn) 1923 Areas unevcavated by Bohn excataved (Welter) (Intact altar found below classical level, first eveidence of earlier cult. This alter was found on same level as naiskos. Two seen as belonging together.

Architectural Phases:

Stage 1 – Bastion originally formed part of Late Bronze Age frtifications of the Acropolis. Archaic sanctuary, inscribed altar for Athena Nike crated by Patrokles. Mark suggests this sanctuary was destroyed by the Persians.

Stage II – Post Persian destruction, scantuary was left eithout a temple. ???? recived its altar and naiskos. Sanctuary contained a poros repositro which reused two blocks from the 6th century cult statue base of stage 1. Another quare block may have been used as an alter.

Stage III – Naiskos built, a part is Peiraeus limestone, porbablly quarried along with new sections of the south acropolis wall. South wall associated with Kimon and his victories at the Eurymedon. Construction of the propylaia show that the mondations fit against the trpezosial wall enclosing the stage III sanctuary, therefore aproz 435. Date of the mid fifth centurary for the Nikos (?) after sanctuary was built new Propylia provided acess to a new sanctuary of Athena Nike in a raised position.

Stage IV – raised the sanctuary by about 1m to bring it to the same level as south west win of propylaia. Required enclosing bastion n ashlar masonry. Sanctuary included ionic marble temple and marble alter, Prapet decortated with sculpted reliefs. Access continued to be cia stairs in the north wall, or though south wet wing of propylaia. Constructed probably started around 435, depending on the state of the Nike Temple Decree.