Nike means "Victory" in Greek, and Athena was worshiped in this form, as goddess of victory, on the Acropolis, Athens. Her temple was the earliest Ionic temple on the Acropolis sanctuary, completed c. 427 BC during the unrest of the Peloponnesian war. Its small size was compensated by its prominent position on a steep bastion at the south east corner of the Acropolis, to the right of the entrance (propylaea). There the citizens worshipped the goddess in hope of a prosperous outcome in the long war fought on land and sea against the Spartans and their allies.
