He built a citadel called the Acra to dominate the town and placed in it a strong garrison of Greeks.
The position of the Acra is doubtful, but it appears most probable that it stood on the eastern hill between the Temple and the city of David, both of which it commanded.
They then took off part of the height of Acra and reduced it to a less elevation than it was before, that the temple might be superior to it.
The strong fortress of Acrawithin the city still remained in possession of the Syrian garrison; but Jerusalem was fortified with high walls and strong towers, and joy and confidence again filled the hearts of the Jews.
The former, being the loftiest, was called the upper, and Acra the lower, city.
It stood upon two hills, Mount Sion to the south, Mount Acra to the north.
The fact is proved by no less than ten distinct observations, made in sinking the foundations of three large buildings, and the rock is here found to be slightly higher than the top of the Acra knoll.
The ground falls away east of the Acra knoll to the Hasmonean Valley on somewhat the same line which the rock beneath it follows, and it again rises into the third hill on the north-east.
Here you find a narrow valley letting you out of the Plain of Acra into that of Esdraelon.
Acra had anciently the name of Accho, and is another of the places out of which the children of Israel could not drive the primitive inhabitants[547].
But that which pleased us most at Acra was to find the French consul, Monsieur l'Empereur, there, who had been so generous as to make a halt of two days, in expectation of our arrival.
At Acra we were very courteously treated by the French consul and merchants, as we had been when outward-bound.
They were not successful indeed in wresting Acra from the possession of the Syrians, but they so occupied the garrison as to prevent it from interfering with the work of restoration.
First of all, Demetrius formally recognised him as prince of Judah; in consequence of this he removed to Jerusalem, and expelled the heathen and heathenishly disposed, who continued to maintain a footing only in Acra and Bethsur.
There existed indeed a pagan party; the Syrian garrison of Acra was partly composed of Jews who sold themselves to be the executioners of their countrymen.
Only in the Acra of Jerusalem, the incorrigible Hellenists, with Menelaus and a small Syrian garrison, still held sway.
The Temple was also abandoned, for the faithful priests and Levites had left, and the Hellenists did not trouble themselves about the sacred building; the Acra was their resort.
It is true, the party of the Hellenists still held the fortress Acra in Jerusalem, whence they menaced the faithful with the destruction of their city and the violation of their Temple.
The Acra underwent a peculiar change at the hands of the last of the Hasmonaean brothers.
They also represented to the king and his guardian that if the Acra were allowed to fall into the hands of the Hasmonaeans, the rebellious Judaeans would be utterly invincible.
At last they were overcome, and the victors entered the Acra to the sound of music and with solemn hymns of praise.
Sostrates placed the soldiers in the fortified Acra to keep down the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and proclaimed the dismissal of Jason according to the king's order.
The muddy creeks near Acra farm swarm with alligators, (whether attracted by the smell of blood or not, I cannot say,) and they occasionally become very troublesome.
But on examining the tanks nearer to the Tyropoeon valley, I found the shafts not more than 12 feet deep: here then was Acra in former times.
Here the student and the archaeologist will form a good idea of the topography of the ancient city; and the descriptions of Josephus, especially with reference to Acra and Bezetha, will be readily understood.
We consider Moriah to be the third hill, and Acra the part lying between the west side of Moriah and the central valley.
The above list will hopefully give you a few useful examples demonstrating the appropriate usage of "acra" in a variety of sentences. We hope that you will now be able to make sentences using this word.
