Sunday, May 10, 2015

Day 16- Ancient Athens

Four sites on the docket today, all of which would be considered past of the ancient world (except the first whose roots come from this time period).


Side bar, this is the Greek Parliamentary building, located in Syndagma Square. It is this square where most of the Athenian political rallies are held. Fortunately, the Greeks hold their protests differently than those in the US. Here, the Athenian Police sections off the area where people are congregating, only allowing citizens in (no tourists to cause trouble). This way, there is almost no way issues can arise and get out of control.

First up, the Kallimarmaron Studium of Athens!


Around 390 AD, the ancient Olympic games were stopped with the risk of the Christian religion, as the athletes competed naked, going against the Church on several levels. By 1896, the games returned to Athens, marking the start of the modern Olympic games.  At the time, it was believed the games should travel around the world, instead of remaining in Athens to promote athletics globally. This stadium was used in both the 1896 and 2004 Athens games, holding the Olympic flame throughout the Olympiads.



This is the entrance to the National Garden in the center of the city leading to the Olympic Stadium. So beautiful, but a little rough on the allergy suffers.
 

The Temple of Zeus (known as Olympieion) was built on sacred ground and dedicated to the father of the Greek Pantheon by Peisistratos, dictator around 515 BC (dictator in a good way).  The goal was to make this temple the grandest of them all, greater than the Temple of Artemis and the Didyma Temple of Apollo.  However, once this king passed away, his son could not complete the project.  IN the 2nd century AD, Roman emperor Hadrian picked up the project, adding the traditionally Corinthian columns to the exterior of the building.  However, natural disasters and the traditional "borrowing" of the marble columns to repair local buildings after earthquakes has lefty the building as it stands now.


Even after a storm toppled this column, this site is still pretty amazing for how the ancient Greeks celebrated their Pagan gods and goddesses during this time.
 

During his reign, Hadrian also had this city gate erected to separate the oldest southern and western end of the city from the newer eastern side.  Through the middle you can see the Acropolis complex on top of that massive rock (don't worry, I have more Acropolis photos).
 

While the Theater of Dionysos was used during the 4th century BC, only men were allowed to watch the tragedies and comedies held here during annual festivals and sporadic events.  There were also contests held during this festival dedicated to the great god of theater and wine where playwrights and actors performed three Greek tragedies and one comedy, with the best series of shows winning top honor.
 

These rather comfortable seats were reserved for the priests and dignitaries of the city in the theater, with the names of each person inscribed beneath them.  Also take into account the priests had to be in attendance for the animal sacrifices that occurred to Dionysus before the annual festival began.
 

Here is a photo of the Roman Odeion located within steps of the Acropolis site.  In the modern day, concerts of all kinds are held here, particularly in the summer. Note the Roman arches which can be seen for miles around.
 

One of the finest temples ever constructed, in the ancient world or otherwise has to be the Parthenon, the temple dedicated to Athena, the goddess of wisdom and the patron of Athens. Inside this building set the cult statue of the goddess made of a mixture of ivory and gold (chryselephantine) as created by Phedias, who is also credited with sculpting the famous statue of Zeus at the temple in Olympia.  This building was originally sponsored by Pericles during the 5th century BC because he needed a method of making the democratic system appear strong and capable of governing an entire empire.  This structure was built using an interesting Greek technique of building the columns so they are angled slightly inward, giving the illusion of height and grandiosity.
 

This temple was dedicated to three figures in Greek mythology that the ancient Greeks revered as the founders of the city-state they called home.  Of course, Athena must be part of this equation, but Poseidon is also depicted here as the runner-up in the contest to become the patron of the city (the full story is in the post from Pergamon). However, this temple's namesake, Erechtheus, is the mythical founding king of Athens, so this irregularly shaped building contains images of all three. What a site!
 

The "front porch" of the Erechtheion has these caryatids, columns composed solely of the reliefs of women, most likely dedicated to Athena.
 

Of all the Agoras (central marketplaces) we have seen so far on this trip, the Athenian Agora by far has the most significance for us Americans, even in the modern day.  Before we get to that though, we must mention that the Romans also built their own Agora not far from their predecessors' creation, and these are the front gates.
 

Though the statues that once graced the center of these rectangular structures have been removed for restoration and storage in the Agora museum, the Monument of Eponymous Heroes in the center of the Agora was used as the community's billboard.  When proposed laws passed the 500 member Boule (Senate), they must have received a majority vote of the citizens (20 year old men whose parents had both been natural born citizens of Athens).  Prior to this vote, the proposed law would be posted here for the public to view ahead of the vote.  This monument was also the meeting point for the candidates who wished to hold political office, as those who would be "elected" to the Boule were drawn at random from a pool of candidates, with those selected posted here for all to see. This process of direct democracy was a bit different than we are used to as Americans, but definitely a stepping stone to our system.
 

Though it certainly doesn't look like it, this area was the site of the death of one of the most famous men to ever step foot in the Agora. Socrates was sentenced to death by the Greek government for his public speeches made about his philosophy on life and the world around Athens.  It was in this state prison where archeologists believe he may had drank the poison that prematurely ended his life (on his own accord).  Sorry I couldn't get a better shot, but the area was roped off to visitors.
 

There exists a Hellenistic church c. 200 BC in the southeast corner of the Agora very near the mint building where Athenian coins were made.  Here is a picture of the ceiling of this building.  Maybe not quite as pretty as some other churches we have seen thus far, but still pretty amazing for the time.
 

And the altar area!
 

Unfortunately, earthquake activity, storms, and natural weathering and erosion processes have reduced this site to rubble. However, it is still important that we understand where our political roots are and what impact they have had for the world since 450 BC, the unofficial start of democracy in Pericles' Athens.
 



 

Taken form outside the Agora, this a recreation of the Stoa of Attalos, a two storied covered walkway where merchants would sell whatever crop, meat, or tool they had, people could freely walk without threat of sun or rain, and socialize with one another.  Today, this building has been completely renovated and is used as the Agora's museum, containing evidence of one of the most interesting methods of selecting people of public office.  When it came to jurors for a trial, the government under Pericles elected to use a system of random selection to reduce the chance that someone could bribe their way into a successful case. So, the government invented a machine that randomly selected people to serve of the juries (using metal tag and colored balls). Certainly an interesting method of performing this task.
 



Group photos at the Acropolis!
 
As promised, here are some of the amazing views of the city from the Acropolis (remember one can see this structure from everywhere in the city, so the opposite is also true).
 





 
And now for the HIGHLIGHTS!
 
I did present today at the Agora about Greek Democracy and the work of Pericles. I hope everyone got something out of it!
 

And one last quote from Ms. Fatima "I don't make trouble, trouble just finds me!"

To all the mothers out there, Happy Mother's Day! ECGT signing off!

2 comments:

  1. You look like a dork. -Sarah
    He's good at presenting, though.-Kristi
    You look like you're having fun. Love you! -Sarah again

    ReplyDelete
  2. You look like a dork. -Sarah
    He's good at presenting, though.-Kristi
    You look like you're having fun. Love you! -Sarah again

    ReplyDelete