The Parthenon

Tuesday morning, in a light rain, we went for a walk in Athens. Not far from our hotel is the giant stadium built for the 2004 Olympic track and field events and just down the road are the remains of the huge temple of Olympian Zeus and Hadrian's Arch. The temple was the largest in Greece, larger than a football field and 80' high; work on the temple took over 650 years to complete, interrupted by tyrants being overthrown, with the Romans eventually completing the task in AD131.

Along the path to the Acropolis is the Greek Parliament Building, the Presidential Palace, Tomb of Unknown Soldier, and National Gardens. The Acropolis, which is visible from many parts of Athens, was in the ancient past simply a walled compound used for defense of the city. As the centuries went by, fortification walls were built to protect Athens and the Acropolis changed to being a sacred place to worship the gods. Numerous temples were built on top of the rock before the Parthenon construction started in 447 BC.

Today, the main structures on top or around the Acropolis are the Beule Gate, Propylia (grand entrance)' Temple of Athena Nike, The Erechtheion, Theatre of Herodes Atticus, Theatre of Dionysos, and of course, the Parthenon along with a number of minor structures. The Parthenon is one of the world's most recognized buildings with 2500 years of history, the fact it remains today after all these centuries is simply amazing. Built on a 9:4 ratio to make the temple completely symmetrical, visual tricks were used to counteract the laws of perspective; the building is slightly arched both in length and width to make the columns look straight. The temple was reasonably intact until the Venetian siege of 1687 when it was bombarded by cannon-fire. The structure is constantly being renovated or repaired to maintain stability of the remaining elements, many of the carvings have been removed for protection and are displayed in various museums.

The view from the Acropolis hill is truly breathtaking, not far away is the Filopappos Hill which is the highest point in Athens at 482', below, the sprawling city of Athens is visible along with numerous ancient monuments, churches and other structures. We were fortunate that it had rained during the night and breeze helped to clear away the haze so we had nice views as we walked up the hill to the Parthenon, and magnificent views all around the city.

After walking back down from the Acropolis, we stopped at the new Acropolis Museum that was recently completed. This museum houses treasures found during excavation work, plus statues and ornamental pieces from the various buildings. During construction of the museum parts of the ancient city were unearthed, now the entire area under the building is being excavated to reveal large sections of ancient buildings. Eventually, this area will be open to the public after the preservation work is complete.

On the north side of the Acropolis are ruins from both ancient Greece and Roman periods, sometimes mixed together. Just below the Acropolis is the ancient Greek Agora (marketplace), in one corner is an unusual octagonal tower built in the 1st century BC, designed as a water clock and weather vane; still in remarkable condition on each side are friezes personifying the eight winds. In another corner of the Agora is the Fethiye Mosque built in the late 15th century to mark the visit of Mehmet The Conqueror to Athens. The library of Hadrian was built in AD132 close to the site of the ancient Greek Agora. This massive library measured 387, X 256' and contained a garden with a pool, and various smaller rooms.

Not far from this site is the the ancient Greek/Roman Agora which was the political heart of Athens from 600 BC. Democracy was practiced in the Council and law courts, Socrates was indicted and executed here in 399 BC. This huge site has been excavated and the large Stoa of Attalos (roofed arcade) was rebuilt in 1955. While most of the site is foundations from ancient buildings, one of the best preserved temples in Greece (Hephaisteion) built in 449BC is located on the West side of the area. Also well preserved is the Panagia Gorgoepikoos church built in 1000 AD. Our final stop of the day was at Keramekios, an ancient cemetery used since the 12th century BC. On our trek back to the hotel which was about 3 miles away, we walked through the flea market and bazaar areas the streets lined with shops selling everything from hardware to fine clothing.

One of the most difficult aspects of visiting all of these ancient sites is trying to remember all the gods and deities associated with ancient Greece. Unless an avid student of mythology, it is impossible to keep track of all the myths and gods associated with the various buildings, temples, etc. My head is still swimming with all that we have seen and trying to keep track of all the different places is making me tired.