The history of Acropolis of Athens and its name

by Mabruxa

Hi,

I'm interested in history and background of the name and place called Acropolis of Athens. Is this the original name for the place itself? Is every Acropolis always tied with "Acropolis of"? Specifically, I'd like to know if (example only) "Xerxes Acropolis" would be viable or if "Acropolis of Xerxes" is the only way how would you name such structure or place back in the day (c. 450 – 400 BC).

Thank you in advance!

Gadarn

"Acropolis" simply means "upper city", and it refers to a (usually fortified) area of higher ground in/above a city.

The Acropolis of Athens is the original name for the citadel above the city of Athens, but not all acropolises are named Acropolis of _____. For example, the acropolis above Corinth is usually referred to as Acrocorinth (Upper Corinth). Others simply go by their own names: the acropolis of Argos is simply called Larisa, and Thebes' was Cadmea.

So "acropolis" is just a generic word for a defensible piece of land above a city, and a city could have a specific name for theirs, or simply call it "[City's] Acropolis"/"Acropolis of [City].