A few years before the end of the Peloponnesian War (431-404 BC), the three largest cities of the island of Rhodes Ialysos, Kamiros and Lindos united to build a single political, economic and religious centre for the island. The site for the future city was chosen in the northern part of the island of Rhodes, which was very reasonable, as it gave the opportunity to control the eastern part of the Aegean Sea. The peak of prosperity of the ancient city, which became one of the largest trading centres of the Eastern Mediterranean, was in the 3rd-2nd century BC.
Antique Rhodes was built according to the famous Hippodamian system - with wide streets intersecting at right angles, equal rectangular quarters and squares, etc. Some historians believe that the famous ancient Greek architect-city planner Hippodamus of Miletus personally developed the layout of the city, but no reliable data confirming this theory have been found. The acropolis was located in the western part of the city on the hill known today as St Stephen's Hill. Traditional for ancient acropolises, the sanctuaries and various public buildings were located on stepped terraces reinforced by massive retaining walls.
The first excavations of the Rhodes Acropolis began in 1912 by the Italian Archaeological School in Athens. After the end of World War II, the Hellenic Archaeological Service took over the control of the excavations and the restoration of the war-damaged monuments. Boundaries were established, designated as the Acropolis Archaeological Park, and a ban was imposed on any construction within its territory.
Excavations of the Rhodes Acropolis are still ongoing today. Unfortunately, archaeologists have only uncovered some of the ancient structures, including the Temple of Apollo of Pythias, the Temple of Athena and Zeus, the Nymphaea (underground, rock-cut structures), the 800-seat marble odeon, the sanctuary of Artemis, and the stadium.
The Acropolis of Rhodes has been excavated to date.
