504 



ON THE TOPOGRAPHY OF ATHENS. 



notices the new Agora, the Gymnasium of Ptolemy, and the monu- 

 ment of Philopappus, and if he deigns to expatiate on the Olympium 

 and the Stadium ; it is, because they were classed among the greatest 

 works then in existence. 



Again, it appears that more than three-fourths of all the original 

 public buildings at Athens, were either on the south, south-east, or 

 south-western side of the Acropolis. Of the remainder, viz. the 

 Theseum, the Dioscureum, the Anaceum, the sacred portion of 

 Aglaurus, the Prytaneum, and the temple of Ilithya ; the first stood 

 at some distance on the north-west, the second, third, and fourth on 

 the north-eastern slope of the Acropolis hill, and the fifth and sixth 

 at a short distance from the eastern angle of the Acropolis. The 

 space therefore on the north of the Acropolis within the city walls, 

 which contained no genuine monument whatever of Athenian origin, 

 was above one half of the entire area of the city. In short, previous 

 to the final subjugation of Athens by the Macedonians, and even long 

 after that period^ the whole northern half of the city seems to have 

 been appropriated to private buildings. 



Nor is there any difficulty in explaining how this came to pass. I 

 have already quoted a passage from Thucydides, which points out the 

 situation and extent of the original city previous to the time of 

 Theseus. The choice of the spot had been already determined, first, 

 by the convenience of a neighbouring spring and rivulet, and next by 

 the natural strength of the hill of the Acropolis ; to which all could 

 speedily retire in case of alarm. In the progress of time, the habi- 

 tations extended to a greater distance from both ; and when Theseus 

 prevailed on all the Demoi to assemble in one city ; the space on the 

 south of the Acropolis being no longer sufficient for so many inha- 

 bitants, the new settlers were obliged to erect their dwellings farther 

 eastward, and to occupy the vacant portion of the periphery of the 

 hill on the east and on the north.* The Prytaneum was built at this 

 period, and precisely on the same spot, where the building described 



* Vide Platoncm in Critia. 



