Prior to the 500s BC, Greeks were forced to sail their trading ships around the Pelopenese to get to Italy, the destination of most of their ships. Around this time though, the Athenian tyrant Postistritus' son is credited with sponsoring the first "canal" to get ships across the narrow isthmus, shaving a significant amount of time from each trip. Instead of this being a waterway though, the ships were placed on wheels and essentially driven around the land on a roadway, called the diolkos. Over time, the road began to sink slowly until the Greeks dug out this incredibly deep canal where ships can still pass today. Daredevils can also bungie jump off of the this bridge also for a nominal fee (and a death waver...).
...
City #1 of the day: Ancient Corinth
Keynote: Temple of Apollo and St. Paul's Bema
As the sun began to rise in the sky, we got to see the Fountain of Glauke, the woman who the mythical Jason wished to marry, but was murdered by his wife Madia with a poisoned cloak (according to legend, this was a gift from her and caused the young woman's skin to literally burn off of her). For more on this story, Google Jason and the Argonauts. Also, there is a fresh water spring that flows into this ancient city that originally supplied the fountain with drinking water.
Known as Temple E, there are several features that lead us to believe that this was a traditional Roman temple, replacing the older Greek ones that had previously inhabited in the city. First, the capitals of these columns are clearly composite with leafy tops and volutes, a very Roman feature. Plus, this temple is elevated some ten feet above the height of the modern walkway and would have only been accessible from the front, while Greek temples were never built up this high and could be accessed from any side without difficulty. Finally, this Roman temple did not have a room behind the cult statue, while the Greeks did have this feature, though we can't really see it for ourselves.
This city is still being excavated by teams of archeologists and scientists of all kinds by the American School of Classical Studies of Athens. Currently, the team has been interested in digging up a medieval home and monastery that had been built on top of the Roman remains. These scientists are also puzzled at the variety of ways that people have been buried in this part of the city: some have been buried on their sides facing Mecca, others buried in the traditional Catholic way with their arms resting on their belt and head held up with a cheek piece, and still others who were buried sitting up while looking at their feet. Definitely more questions than answers with that one...
This mosaic was excavated from the floor of one of the buildings in the Agora of Corinth. In the center of the geometric pattern is a resemblance of Dionysus, Greek god of Theater and Wine.
Ah, the gorgeous site of the Temple of Apollo in the morning... This temple was constructed between 560-550 BC, a mere 20 years after the first stone temple had ever been constructed by the Greeks. These people's inexperience in creating optical illusions to make the building seem tall and straight are clearly visible in the following ways:
- The capitals do not have a smooth transition into the rest of the column, as later Doric temples do
- This temple is monolithic, meaning the columns are cut form one massive chunk of marble
- The columns are entastic, meaning they are slightly bulkier in the center to give the illusion of height
- The distance between the corner columns and the next is smaller than the distance between any two middle columns as they had to line up with the triglyphs (decorative pieces) above them, which was only possible if this orientation was maintained.
Also, the Acrocorinth stands behind the temple from this angle, and acted as the acropolis for the city, both as a religious and strategic centerpiece (we'll be hiking up to one similar to this in a few days)
The photos were taken in the Agora, or central marketplace of the city. Other than the small shops and large stoas that dot the landscape, pay special attention to the last of these photos, as this is another consequence of the fresh water spring near the city. Even today, you can here the water flowing out of the ground where a Roman bath used to stand, shown here.
Most Christians out there will have some relationship with this monument, as it is the location where St. Paul preached to the Corinthians about the works of Jesus in an attempt to spread the religion across the region. St. Paul's famous letter to the Corinthians was read in this very spot (supposedly) and is currently depicted in the Catholic church in readings and the Gospel.
...
Ancient City of Mycenae
Keynote: Tholos Tomb
This is the main entrance to the archaic palace of Mycenae, the most likely successors to the Minoans after their fall around 1450 BC. For this reason, the majority of this structure dates to around 1200 BC when their rule was thoroughly in place. Called the Lion's Gate, you can see the two lions above the doorway standing on their front legs on some sort of altar facing each other (very similar to the way the Hittites in Hattusha had decided to show their strength.
This is one of the two main gravesites on the palace site, and the only one within the palace walls themselves. This is because this tomb, complete with vertical shafts filled with human remains, pottery, and gifts to the dead, contained the remains of the Mycenaens ancestors; in their culture, it would be disrespectful to leave these remains outside the palace walls, so they were constructed around it. Speaking of the walls, all of the fortification walls are made of the cyclopean order, except for the walls immediately surrounding the Lion's Gate, where the more labor intensive ashlar masonry was practiced.
Here you can see what the vertical shafts where most of the gold and clay trinkets and pots that currently are housed in the National Museum in Athens were found. Behind them in the background are the remnants of what used to be small workshops, producing whatever the palace needed, including glass and ivory using raw materials that had to be shipped into the region from elsewhere (another sign of the empire's wealth at this time).
The Mycenaean megaron served a slightly different purpose than the Minoan ones, as these were the residences of the king and queen, not just their throne rooms. Underneath the metal roof to the left is where a hearth would have been to heat the home during the winter months. You can also see in the outline of a porch area in the front that would have been lined with pillars all the way across. By the background, you can see also see that this megaron was placed directly on the top of the hill, allowing the perfect vantage point of the surrounding hills.
In case of invasion, the Mycenaeans could use this underground tunnel to reach another underground spring for their fresh water (what do you know! Another spring!). Though it does not lead out of the city, it shows this group's ability to would with corbel vaulting practices using this triangular shape (we'll see more of this a bit later).
The two pieces come from the museum on site, and show a fresco and altar take from one of the temple on sight and an explanation of the writing system, which was interestingly a mixture of hieroglyphs and ancient Greek script (just ignore more reflection here...).
This is an example of a Mycenaean Tholos tomb, where the royal family members would have been buried with gifts of oil, wine, and pottery after they passed. They were created again with the corbel vaulting pattern, where each successive course of stone would be added so a small amount of the block is hanging over the edge before it is shaved down into this pointed dome shape (all underground by the way). The entrance door is also pointed using the same method, though the one horizontal course just below the peak of the vault is used to spread out some of the weight on the door, making the whole structure even more sound (the sound of all of us walking in here was really cool too, as you could hear the echo off the walls and ceiling for several seconds after each step.
...
After lunch we visited a pottery workshop where were able to make our own clay masterpieces by hand! We will see tomorrow how each of them turned out!
And the views from around the area!
And now for the highlights!
Thank you to Nate for his presentation on Mycenaean culture and civilization. Well done!
Until tomorrow, ECGT signing off!
Congratulations Brandon on EC Scholar Athlete of the year. So proud of you always. You continue to amaze!
ReplyDelete