THE ACROPOLIS sits upon a flat-topped rock that rises 500 feet above sea level. It’s been a building site for thousands of years, including being home to Mycenaean palaces that date to the 13th century BCE. In the 500s BCE, the first temple dedicated to Athena was built, but it was demolished when the Persians ravaged Athens from 480 to 479 BCE. The ancient temples that we see today were built at the request of Pericles, from 447 to 406 BCE, and they are the main focus of the large-scale restoration.