Essay - Ritualistic, Religious, and Practical Uses of Public Space at the...

RITUALISTIC, RELIGIOUS, AND PRACTICAL USES OF PUBLIC SPACE AT THE A*****NIAN ACROPOLIS AND TRAJAN'S FORUM

*****. INTRODUCTION

***** is renowned as a fortified natural stronghold or citadel in ancient Greece. Greeks built their towns ***** plains near ***** around a rocky hill th*****t could easily be fortified and defended. Nearly every Greek city had its acropolis, which provided a safe place of refuge for townspeople during times of turmoil or war. Rulers ***** the town often lived within ***** walls of this stronghold. In many cases the ***** became the site of temples and public buildings ***** thus served as ***** town's religious center, focal point of its public life, and ***** a place of refuge.

The Athenian Acropolis is the most well-known acropolis of the ancient world. Ruins of ***** temples and ********** sculptures are widely regarded as the finest examples ***** ancient Greek art and architecture. Built on a limestone hill that rises approximately 500 feet above sea level, ***** Acropolis dominates the city of Athens. Additionally, the ***** contains ***** remains of the P*****henon, a magnificent temple dedicated to the goddess Athena. Likewise, the Acropolis contains the Propylaea, a monumental marble gateway and the main entrance to the Acropolis. Finally, the ***** contains ***** Erechtheum, a ***** famous ***** the perfection of its details, and the Temple of Athena Nike.

This paper analyzes and examines the ritualistic, religious, and practical uses of public space at the ***** Acropolis ***** Trajan's Forum. Part II considers the movement of people through ***** space, especially in ***** contexts and how the Athenians related the religious functions of ***** Acropolis to ***** layout is exam*****ed. Part III outlines what political *****, if any, took place at the Acropolis. In Part IV, the various social, business, religious, and civic ***** of the different ********** at Trajan's ***** and Markets, ***** ***** ********** uses related to the physical layout of space ***** reviewed.

II. RITUALISTIC AND RELIGIOUS USES OF PUBLIC SPACE AT THE A*****NIAN ***** AND ***** FORUM

The Acropolis was one of the m***** Mycenaean citadels that were built for the first time in the Neolithic age

Andronicos, 5). ***** the Mycenaean age, the Acropolis, called ***** "Old Temple," was dedicated to Poseidon, god ***** the spring, and to A*****na, ***** of the olive-tree

Andronicos, 5). After the Peloponnesian War ***** over, A*****ns power started to slowly decline

Robertson, 12), which greatly endangered the Acropolis. The Acropolis managed ***** withstand time, until Christianity entered *****. In the late 1st century AD, the Erech*****um was converted into a church dedicated to the Virgin Mary

Hopper, 98). ***** the mid *****th century AD, the Erech*****um and the Parthenon were converted into churches

Rodenwaldt, 16). In the 6th century, an apse ***** accidentally thrown on the east, ***** the ***** ***** the western pediments coll*****d, which led to the loss or destruction of many sculptural figures

*****, 13).

***** 1204 AD, after ***** Latin Crusades, parts of the Acropolis were ***** into Roman churches

Rodenwaldt,