Temple record / Acropolis, Athens, Greece
Temple of Athena Nike
A compact Ionic temple whose small footprint, projecting site and four-column façades show how monumentality can be achieved at a modest scale.
- Date
- c. 427–424 BCE
- Order
- Ionic amphiprostyle
- Principal material
- Pentelic marble
01
A compact temple
The building uses an amphiprostyle arrangement: four Ionic columns stand at both the front and rear, while the side walls remain uncolonnaded. The result is a concise composition suited to its bastion setting.
02
Construction evidence
Inscribed decrees connected with the project preserve administrative evidence for scheduling and oversight. Such records are more dependable than assigning motives from appearance alone.
03
Material and restoration
Pentelic marble gives the building a close material relationship to the other fifth-century works on the Acropolis. What visitors see today also reflects modern anastylosis and conservation.
Sources