acropolis Hilltop fortress of an ancient Greek city. The earliest known examples were fortified castles built for the Mycenaean kings, and it was only later that they became the symbolic homes of the gods. The most famous acropolis, in Athens, acquired walls by the 13th century bc, but the Persians destroyed the complex. The surviving buildings, including the Parthenon, the Erechtheion, the Propylaea, and the Temple of Athena Nike, date from the late 5th century bc.

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a·crop·o·lis / əˈkräpəlis/ • n. a citadel or fortified part of an ancient Greek city, typically built on a hill. ∎  (the Acropolis) the ancient citadel at Athens, containing the Parthenon and other notable buildings.

acropolis a citadel or fortified part of an ancient Greek city, typically one built on a hill; the Acropolis is the name given to the ancient citadel at Athens, containing the Parthenon and other notable buildings, mostly dating from the 5th century bc. The word comes (in the early 17th century) from Greek akropolis, from akron ‘summit’ + polis ‘city’.

acropolis. Elevated part of the city, or the citadel, in Ancient Greece, especially the Athenian acropolis (from acro-, meaning highest or topmost, and polis, meaning city).

Bibliography

Dinsmoor (1950)