Description of the attraction
The ancient Greek Temple of Niki Apteros is located on the Athenian Acropolis. It is also called the Temple of Athena-Nike. Nika means victory in Greek, and Athena is the goddess of victory in war and wisdom.
The temple is the very first Ionian temple in the Acropolis and is located on a steep hill to the right of the Propylaea (central entrance). Here, the locals worshiped the goddess in the hope of a positive result in a long war with the Spartans and their allies (Peloponnesian War).
Unlike the Acropolis, where the walls of the sanctuary could only be accessed through the Propylaea, the Nike sanctuary was opened. The temple was built between 427 and 424 BC. the famous ancient Greek architect Callicrates on the site of the more ancient temple of Athena, which was destroyed by the Persians in 480 BC. The structure is an amphiprostyle - a type of ancient Greek temple, on the front and back facades of which there are four columns in one row. The stylobate of the temple has three steps. The friezes are decorated with sculptural reliefs depicting Athena, Zeus, Poseidon and scenes of military battles. The surviving fragments of the sculptural frieze are on display in the Acropolis Museum and the British Museum, while copies are fixed on the temple today.
Like most of the structures of the Acropolis, the Temple of Niki Apteros is built of Pentelikon marble. After the completion of the work, around 410 BC, the temple was surrounded by a parapet to protect people from falling from a steep cliff. From the outside, it was decorated with bas-reliefs depicting Nika.
Inside the temple was a statue of the goddess Nike. In one hand, the statue had a helmet (a symbol of war), and in the other a pomegranate (a symbol of fertility). Usually the Greeks depicted the goddess as winged, but this statue did not have wings. This was done on purpose so that the victory would not leave the city. Hence the name of the temple of Niki Apteros (wingless victory) comes from.
The temple of Niki Apteros, thanks to the restoration, is quite well preserved to this day and is a wonderful monument of classical ancient Greek art.
