The Erechtheion on the Acropolis of Athens

Abstract

The location of the temple of the mythical king Erechtheus, known as the “Erechtheion”, on the Acropolis of Athens is an old topographical problem. Over the centuries, the Erechtheion’s traditional identification with a part of the Karyatid Temple on the north side of the Acropolis has attracted considerable doubt. However, alternative locations have not been commonly accepted. The present article begins with an analysis of the problem and previous proposals. It then considers the hypothesis that the Erechtheion was situated on the so-called “Dörpfeld foundation” in the middle of the Acropolis, the site of an Archaic building that was destroyed by the Persians in 480 BCE. Many scholars already locate the Archaic incarnation of the Erechtheion in a part of this building and suppose that, following its destruction, the Erechtheion was relocated to the Karyatid Temple. The present article, however, argues that the Erechtheion was not moved, but continued to be recognized in the Dörpfeld foundation until the end of antiquity.