The Acropolis

Dan Snow's History Hit

History Hit

History

4.7 • 12.9K Ratings

🗓️ 31 August 2025

⏱️ 30 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

From dazzling festivals honouring the goddess Athena to the engineering marvels of the Parthenon, Dan and classical historian Steve Kershaw explore how the Acropolis became the ultimate symbol of democracy, power, and devotion in Ancient Greece.

Steve and Dan explain everything you need to know about this ancient hill that towers over the centre of Athens - from its role in Ancient Greek life, what the Parthenon friezes depict and how Lord Elgin controversially removed huge chunks of it to send back to Britain.

This is the final episode in our travel history series 'Dan Snow's Guide to Europe'.

Produced by Mariana Des Forges and edited by Dougal Patmore

Join Dan and the team for a special LIVE recording of Dan Snow's History Hit on Friday, 12th September 2025!

To celebrate 10 years of the podcast, Dan is putting on a special show of signature storytelling, never-before-heard anecdotes from his often stranger-than-fiction career, as well as answering the burning questions you've always wanted to ask!

Get tickets here, before they sell out: https://www.kingsplace.co.uk/whats-on/words/dan-snows-history-hit/.

You can also get tickets for the live show of 'The Ancients' here - https://www.kingsplace.co.uk/whats-on/words/the-ancients-2/

We'd love to hear your feedback - you can take part in our podcast survey here: https://insights.historyhit.com/history-hit-podcast-always-on.

You can also email the podcast directly at [email protected].

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Hello,
0:00.6	folks, Dan Snow here.
0:01.6	I am throwing a party to celebrate 10 years of Dan Snow's history hit.
0:06.1	I'd love for you to be there.
0:07.5	Join me for a very special live recording of the podcast in London,
0:10.4	in England on the 12th of September to celebrate the 10 years.
0:14.1	You can find out more about it and get tickets with the link in the show notes.
0:17.6	Look forward to seeing you there.
0:40.4	The ancient Panathania Festival took place on the Acropolis, the rocky hill that dominates the centre of Athens.
0:50.4	And it was a sight to behold, up the Panathaniac way that zigzags from the city itself up to the Acropolis.
0:56.0	Crowds chostled in their hundreds to catch a glimpse of the processions. There were athletics, it was music and a general celebration.
1:01.0	It was a festival to mark the goddess Athena's birthday, and that mattered because this was Athena's city.
1:09.0	And by celebrating her birthday, you were celebrating the city's founding.
1:13.3	You were celebrating Athens. And for Athenians, this meant they were celebrating. The end of tyranny,
1:19.5	the dawn of democracy, of the rule of the people. Well, the men. But it wasn't just the men who would be found moving up that path
1:30.2	towards those temples and statues at the top. The air would have been dusty. It would have somehow
1:37.5	tasted of olive oil, I think. You would have smelled the cattle sweating up the hill with wreaths
1:42.7	in their horns. You'd have had horses with their flanks shiny,
1:47.0	the swords of their riders glinting in the sunlight.
1:50.0	Behind those riders, there would have been maidens,
1:53.0	their faces composed, carrying baskets on their head with all sorts of produce,
1:58.0	including barley, and a sacrificial knife hidden
	...

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