The oldest temple on the Acropolis, dedicated to Athena Poliades and referred to in ancient sources as the “ancient temple,” is located to the south of the Erechtheion and north of the Parthenon. According to the most widely accepted theory, it was constructed during the final quarter of the 6th century BCE, on the site of an earlier temple dating back to the Geometric period, which itself was built atop an even older Mycenaean palace. In 480 BCE, it was set on fire during the Persian invasion but was quickly repaired, with parts of its upper structure incorporated into the Acropolis walls. It suffered destruction again in 406 BCE, after the completion of the Erechtheion, and was never restored afterward. To the east of the ancient temple, some rock carvings indicate the location of Athena’s altar, which remained in use alongside the temple. The ancient temple was of Doric order, peripteral, with six columns on the short sides and twelve on the long sides. Its internal layout was quite unusual. The eastern section comprised a pronaos, a distyle in antis, and a cella divided into three aisles by two rows of columns. This was where the wooden cult statue (xoanon) of Athena was kept. The western section contained three rooms dedicated to various cults: those of Poseidon-Erechtheus, Hephaestus, and Boutes. This temple is attributed with the marble pediments depicting the Gigantomachy, now displayed at the Acropolis Museum, as well as the decorative sima gutter ends shaped like lion and ram heads. The metopes, cornices, and roof tiles were also made from the same Parian marble, while the rest of the temple was constructed from limestone. The temple was uncovered in 1885, and W. Dorpfeld was the first to identify the monument. Today, only its foundations remain along the southern side of the Erechtheion, while nearby can also be seen two stone bases of columns belonging to the Geometric period temple.

ΠΗΓΗ:http://odysseus.culture.gr/ Συντάκτης Ιωάννα Βενιέρη, αρχαιολόγος