The Acropolis of Athens stands as one of the world’s most iconic and historically significant archaeological sites, attracting millions of visitors each year.
Today, we’re so accustomed to seeing images of the Acropolis that it's hard to imagine it from any angle we haven’t seen before. Whether bathed in daylight or illuminated at night, shot from ground level or high above, the Sacred Rock has been photographed endlessly.
But the images we're about to explore are truly unique—not because of their sharpness or composition, but because of their age.
These photographs date all the way back to 1842 and are credited to Joseph-Philibert Girault de Prangey, a French photographer and traveler. He specialized in capturing architectural and archaeological landmarks across the Middle East and Europe using one of the earliest photographic processes: daguerreotype.
What makes these images remarkable is not just their subject—the Acropolis—but the fact that they are among the first-ever photographs taken of Athens. They offer us a rare window into what the city and its most famous monument looked like nearly two centuries ago.
Stay tuned as we explore these extraordinary snapshots of history!
