THESIS STATEMENTThe advanced styles and designs of the Acropolis show the genius behind its beginnings that make the Acropolis one of the most iconic complexes of the ancient world.PURPOSE STATEMENTInformation will be gathered from several resources reliable and is intended to inform the reader about the history and design of the Acropolis. INTRODUCTION Travel back to the time of gods who wielded lightning and the power to move the Sun across the sky. Gladiators fought for blood in monumental arenas, and men ran faster than anyone thought possible. Where a wreath of olive branches was worth more than a cart loaded with gold. A time when men joined forces to lift tons of stone more than 50 feet into the air to build immense temples and monuments that would last thousands of years to come. This is ancient Greece during its golden age. For the ancient Greeks, the worship of the gods was not just a practice, it was a passion and they took it very seriously. Huge temples were built throughout the Peloponnese and beyond, to honor the respective gods of the Greek religion. Parades, sacrifices, banquets and week-long celebrations were held in honor of these gods, on which the Greeks based almost their entire society. The Greeks offered their lives, those of their families, all their possessions to please the gods. Perhaps one of the greatest testaments to the Greeks' passion for their gods is the Acropolis and Parthenon in Athens, Greece. “. . . Temple after temple, each more splendid and more perfect than the last, arose throughout mainland Greece, reaching its final culmination in the Athenian Parthenon. . .” (Hamlin 124). Here Hamlin explains the grandeur of what was accomplished in Athens at the Acropolis and in its......middle of paper......and Ages. New York: Sons of GP Putman, 1953. Print.Hillyer , V. M. and E. G. Huey. Architecture,. New York: Meredith, 1966. Print.Hitchcock, Henry Russell and Seton Lloyd. World Architecture; an illustrated story. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1963. Print.Hopper, R.J. The Acropolis. New York: Macmillan, 1971. Print. Kostof, Spiro, and Greg Castillo. A history of architecture: environments and rituals. New York: Oxford UP, 1995. Print.University Press Inc. “Ancient Greece – The Acropolis.” Ancient Greece: history, mythology, art, war, culture, society and architecture. Ancient Greece Forum, 2008. Web. 03 May 2011. .Wikipedia the free encyclopedia. "Acropolis of Athens." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., 30 April 2011. Web. 03 May 2011. .