This book is an abridged and revised edition of the author's The Athenian Acropolis: History, Mythology, and Archaeology from the Neolithic Era to the Present. It focuses specifically on the development of the Acropolis in the fifth century BC and the building program initiated by Pericles. Placing the century-long development within its historical and cultural contexts, Jeffrey M. Hurwit explores the physical nature of the Acropolis itself, the character of the goddess Athena, and how the building program exploits and reveals the Acropolis's own venerable history. He also offers an interpretation of the thematic unity that links the many structures of the Periclean Acropolis. Incorporating the latest discoveries and research on individual monuments of the Acropolis, this edition is illustrated with 144 halftones as well as a CD-ROM including 180 color images of the monuments of the Acropolis.