The Acropolis of Lindos is the second most significant and best-preserved after the Athenian one. It is located on top of a cliff 116 meters above sea level, on the eastern coast of Rhodes. Unlike Athens, the Lindos Acropolis is not just ruins on a hill. It is a complex structure where ancient, Byzantine, and knightly buildings stand side by side and are often built into one another.
Why the Acropolis was built exactly here
The choice of location is not an accident or a tribute to beauty. The cliff of Lindos was a natural fortress since ancient times. Archaeological finds show that people lived here as early as the Neolithic era (6th–5th millennium BC). But the main thing is that the acropolis provided control over three important things:
• Harbours. From the height, you can see both the large bay of Lindos (where the Megalos Yalos beach is now) and the small one — St. Paul`s Bay.
• Sea routes. From here, the entire eastern coast of Rhodes is visible, up to Cape Armenistis in the north and the island of Karpathos in the south.
• The only road. In ancient times, only one road led to the cliff — from the west, and it could easily be blocked.
So, the Acropolis of Lindos is first and foremost a defensive structure, and only then a temple complex.
Main sights of the Acropolis of Lindos
1. Staircase and entrance (2nd century BC)
The ascent to the acropolis begins from the central street of Lindos. You will pass through the gate of the 4th century BC and climb a wide stone staircase. The steps are worn — thousands of people have walked on them over 2400 years. The staircase leads to the stoa (portico) with 20 columns. Only the bases of the columns and the back wall remain of the stoa itself — from which you can imagine what the covered passage looked like.
2. Temple of Athena Lindia (c. 300 BC)
This is the heart of the acropolis. The temple stands at the highest point of the cliff, on the spot where, according to legend, Athena appeared to the mythical king Danaus. What remains of the temple:
• Foundation (24 meters long, 7.5 meters wide).
• Bases of four columns on the end sides (amphiprostyle — a temple with porticos at the front and back).
• A staircase of three steps leading to the place where the statue of the goddess stood.
Inside the temple, there was no sculptural decoration other than the statue of Athena itself. According to descriptions, it was wooden (xoanon) — an ancient cult image that, as believed, fell from the sky. The statue has not survived. The temple was pagan until the 4th century AD, then turned into a Christian basilica (traces of rebuilding are visible in the masonry), and after the Arab raids of the 7th century, it was finally destroyed.
3. Relief of a trireme (c. 180 BC)
The most photographed object of the acropolis. This is a depiction of a warship — a trireme — carved into the rock. The length of the relief is 5 meters. Three rows of oars (hence the name), the bow with a ram, the steering oar, and the deck with warriors are visible. An inscription next to it reads: "Hagesimond, son of Mikion, dedicated [this] to the goddess." The relief was carved in gratitude to Athena for a victory or rescue in a naval battle.
How to view it: come up close. The lines of the oars and even the seams between the stone blocks are clearly visible. The relief survived because it was built into a Byzantine wall.
4. Byzantine Church of St. John (13th–14th centuries)
It stands right on the territory of the acropolis, inside the knightly fortifications. The church is small — about 12 by 6 meters. Distinctive features:
• Frescoes from the 14th century (partially preserved — faces of saints, scenes from the New Testament).
• A stone iconostasis (not wooden, as in most Greek churches).
• A bell tower added by the Venetians.
• The church is active. Inside, it is dark and cool — a good place to rest from the sun.
5. Knightly fortifications (14th–15th centuries) at the Acropolis of Lindos
When the knights of St. John (Hospitallers) captured Rhodes, they turned the acropolis into a citadel. In 1317, they built:
• The main gate with a drawbridge (the bridge is now gone, but the slots for chains are visible).
• Walls up to 2.5 meters thick.
• A round tower (keep) on the northeastern side.
The walls have not been completely preserved, but their total length can be reconstructed from the foundations — about 300 meters. The knights used ancient blocks for their masonry: in the walls, you can see columns, slabs with inscriptions, and even pagan reliefs turned upside down.
6. Stoa and Nymphaeum (Hellenistic period)
Below the Temple of Athena are the remains of a stoa (covered gallery) 87 meters long. Only the bases of the columns and fragments of the back wall remain. Nearby is the nymphaeum (a fountain with a basin). Water was supplied here via ceramic pipes from a spring at the top of the cliff. The nymphaeum operated in the 3rd–1st centuries BC and was used as a place for ablutions before entering the sanctuary.
View from the Acropolis of Lindos
From the viewing platforms of the Lindos Acropolis, a beautiful view opens in all directions. Here are four landmarks you will definitely see:
• South (directly below the cliff): St. Paul`s Bay in the shape of a circle, two taverns on the headlands, a chapel with a blue roof.
• East (into the distance): The open Aegean Sea. In clear weather — the outlines of the island of Karpathos (70 km).
• North (along the coast): Megalos Yalos beach (the main beach of Lindos), then the resort of Kolymbia and Cape Armenistis.
• West (inland): A valley with orange groves, the village of Pylona, and Mount Attavyros (the highest on Rhodes — 1215 m).
How the route to the top of the Acropolis of Lindos is arranged
The Acropolis of Lindos is arranged so that you cannot get lost. The ascent is a single wide road-staircase that winds between the walls. The entire path from the entrance to the archaeological zone to the Temple of Athena takes 15–20 minutes at a leisurely pace.
• Entrance through the knightly gate of the 14th century (here is the ticket office and turnstiles).
• Byzantine Church of St. John (to the left of the road).
• Ascent along the Hellenistic staircase (steps with grooves for water).
• Relief of the trireme (built into the wall on the right).
• Stoa (covered gallery) — now an open area with columns.
• Staircase to the Temple of Athena (the steepest part, 48 steps).
• Temple of Athena Lindia (the summit).
Donkeys. On the street leading to the Acropolis of Lindos, locals offer a donkey ride up (about 10 euros). This is not a joke — the donkeys work every day except winter. But keep in mind: the road is steep, the donkeys often stop, and riding them takes as much time as walking (15–20 minutes).
Historical details rarely talked about
About defence. The Lindos Acropolis was never taken by storm in its entire history. The Knights Hospitaller, who ruled Rhodes from 1309 to 1522, used it as an observation post and a reserve fortress. When the Ottomans besieged the city of Rhodes in 1522, Lindos surrendered only after the city itself had fallen — and even then by agreement, without a fight.
About destruction. In 1480, during the Ottoman siege of Rhodes, an incendiary projectile hit the Acropolis of Lindos. The fire destroyed the wooden ceilings of the stoa. They were not restored, so only the stone parts remain now.
About restoration. In the 1930s, when Rhodes was an Italian possession, the archaeologist Luigi Pernier conducted the first systematic excavation and partial restoration. It was the Italians who raised the fallen columns of the Temple of Athena and strengthened the foundation. Without this, the Acropolis of Lindos would look like a pile of stones.
The Acropolis of Lindos is unique not for its size or state of preservation (although in both respects it is second only to the Athenian one). Its uniqueness lies in the continuity of use. The cliff was a fortified place since the Bronze Age. In antiquity, the Temple of Athena stood here. In the early Middle Ages — a basilica and a Byzantine fortress. In the 14th century — a knightly citadel of the Hospitallers. And each subsequent owner did not raze the previous one to the ground, but built it into their own walls.
As a result, what you see now is not excavated ruins, but a layered cake of history. The trireme relief is built into a Byzantine wall that supports a knightly tower. The columns of the Hellenistic stoa lie where they were left after the fire of 1480, because the knights did not remove them — they served as a barricade. This is honest archaeology without varnish. And that is its value.
