Whose Genius Loci?: Contrasting Interpretations of the “Sacred Rock of the Athenian Acropolis”

This article identifies different creative approaches to the question of the dialectic of space and place, the genius loci, in the case of the most significant symbolic locus of Western civilization, the Acropolis of Athens. It presents different schools of thought on genius loci (the spirit of the place) and considers the ways in which different readings of a particular site affect architectural creation and its evaluation. Thus what may seem a mere exercise in good taste and architectural compositional ability hides deeper issues of power relations, political and ideological symbolism, national identity, and, in this case, global and local property rights over the hub of Western civilization. These issues are joined by comparing the landscaping of the Ancient Agora by the American School of Classical Studies in Athens with the landscaping of the site connecting the Acropolis to the Philopappos Hill by the Greek architect Demetris Pikionis.