In the Mycenean era the \b \cf1 \ATXht1 Acropolis\b0 \cf0 \ATXht0 of Athens had a chiefly defensive fu
nction. In fact the king had built his palace there, where it was well protected from enemy attack by a sheer precipice. This military function was retained in later periods as well, but as time went by numerous sacred buildings were constructed on the A
cropolis and the area became the hub of the city's religious life. Completely destroyed by the Persians after the battle of Thermopylae, it was rebuilt some fifty years later when Athens was governed by \b \cf2 \ATXht16 Pericles\b0 \cf0 \ATXht0 . \par