Floor | Greek Art
Erechtheion Gallery
Erechtheion means "site of Erechtheus'' in memory of a mythical ancient king of Athens. The temple, which was built between 421 and 406 BCE, looks like a palace with its elaborately assembled sections. The architect had to take into account the differences in the level of the terrain; this resulted in a complex building with four different orders of columns and three roofs. The Erechtheion stood on a site that was considered sacred from the earliest times, where the impression left by the trident of the sea-god Poseidon was venerated, where the sacred olive tree of the goddess Athena stood, and where the tombs of Athenian ancient kings and heroes such as Erechtheus and Kekrops were honored. At least 13 deities and mythical heroes were worshiped under its roof. Of particular importance was the ancient wooden cult image of Athena Polias. In accordance with its religious function, the building was sumptuously and very colorfully decorated with ornaments and sculptural friezes. The most famous works of art of the Erechtheion are the columns in the form of female statues in the southern porch, the so-called maidens or korai, which you can admire in detail in our museum.