:''For the [[butterfly]] [[genus]], see ''[[Acropolis (genus)]].
:''For the most famous example of an Acropolis, see ''[[Acropolis of Athens]].
'''Acropolis''' (Gr. ''acro,'' high + ''polis,'' city) literally means a high city. For purposes of defense, early settlers naturally chose elevated ground, frequently a hill with precipitous sides, and these early [[citadel]]s became in many parts of the world the nuclei of large cities which grew up on the surrounding lower ground.

The word "Acropolis", though Greek in origin and associated primarily with Greek cities ([[Athens]], [[Argos]], [[Thebes, Greece|Thebes]], and [[Corinth]] with its [[Acrocorinth]]), may be applied generically to all such [[citadel]]s ([[Rome]], [[Jerusalem]], Celtic [[Bratislava]], many in [[Asia Minor]], or even Castle Rock in [[Edinburgh]]).
<center>
[[Image:AthensAcropolisDawnAdj06028.jpg|thumb|none|500px|<center>The [[Acropolis of Athens]]</center>]] <!-- Please note, the Parthenon is not an acropolis, but rather sits upon one -->
</center>
The most famous example is the [[Acropolis of Athens]] which, by reason of its historical associations and the several famous buildings erected upon it (most notably the [[Parthenon]]), is generally known without qualification as simply "''The'' Acropolis".

Because of its classical Greco-Roman style, the ruins of [[Mission San Juan Capistrano|Mission San Juan Capistrano's]] "Great Stone Church" (in [[California|California, United States]]) has been dubbed the "American Acropolis".

Other parts of the world developed other names for the high [[citadel]] or [[alcázar]], which often reinforced a naturally strong site. In Central [[Italy]], many small rural [[comune|communes]] still cluster at the base of a fortified habitation known as "La Rocca" of the commune.

The term ''acropolis'' is also used to describe the central complex of overlapping structures, such as plazas and pyramids, in many [[Maya civilization|Mayan]] cities, including [[Tikal]] and [[Copán]].

==External links==
{{commons|Acropolis}}
*[http://odysseus.culture.gr/h/3/eh351.jsp?obj_id=2384 The Acropolis of Athens] (Greek Government website)
*[http://ysma.culture.gr/english/index.html The Acropolis Restoration Project] (Greek Government website)
*[http://odysseus.culture.gr/a/1/12/ea120.html The Restitution of the Parthenon Marbles]
*[http://www.marblesreunited.com/ Marbles Reunited - The British Campaign to Return the Parthenon Marbles to Athens]
*[http://www.acropolisofathens.gr/ Acropolis of Athens — AcropolisofAthens.gr — one monument, one heritage]
*[http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/404 UNESCO World Heritage Centre — Acropolis, Athens]
*[http://www.acropolisfriends.gr/index.php?lang=en Acropolis Friends]
{{Ancient Greece}}

[[Category:Classical studies]]
[[Category:Ancient Greek architecture]]

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