Athens, Greece

Nov. 5, 2009

We arrived in Piraeus this morning. We walked to the metro station, which was about 20 minutes away. We got off the metro at the Akropoli stop and walked to the new Acropolis museum.

There was a lot to see at the museum, including a video about the history of the Parthenon. The museum contains some of the original pediment statues, metopes and frieze panels from the Parthenon. The original frieze that surrounded the temple measures 525 feet. The New Acropolis Museum has only 32 feet of the original frieze. The rest is in the British Museum in London, the Louvre in Paris, Copenhagen, and some is missing or lost.

Four of the six original caryatid statues from the Erechtheion are also in the New Acropolis Museum.

We then made our way up the hill to the Acropolis. The Acropolis ticket was 12 euros and included admission to the Acropolis, Ancient Agora, Roman Forum, Keramikos Cemetery, Temple of Olympian Zeus, and Theater of Dionysus.

Temple of Olympian Zeus

Theater of Dionysus

After buying our ticket, we climbed up the Acropolis hill.

Acropolis (view from ancient agora)

At the top of the hill is the Propylaea, the stately entrance gate to the Acropolis. It was built from 437-432 BC, just after the Parthenon was finished. It is U-shaped with six doric columns that make up a large central hallway. It was a miniature parthenon with a triangular pediment topping the columns. It originally contained statues and was painted in bright colors. The left wing of the Propylaea contained artwork and was used to house visiting dignitaries.

Propylaea

The Parthenon was built from about 450-440 BC to the goddess Athena.

Parthenon

The story is that a new city was going to be created, so there was a contest to see which god or goddess was going to be in charge of it. Poseidon, god of the sea, and Athena, goddess of wisdom, had to prepare a gift for the people of the new city. Whoever had the best gift would be awarded the city.

Poseidon presented his gift first. With one wave of his hand he created a thundering earthquake. The earth split at his feet and out of the crack rose a salt spring. "I have created a body of water for the people. I will make sure they are powerful on water and have a mighty navy. They will defeat anyone who attacks them with ships."

Meanwhile, Athena is digging in the ground and planting an olive tree. The gods laugh. What kind of a gift is a tree? "This is no ordinary tree. It is an olive tree. It will produce flavorful olives that will benefit the people of the new city. They can use it as food for themselves. The can press the olives into oil to add flavor to their food. They can use the oil to light their lamps. They can trade olives and oil for money or the goods of other peoples across the sea. The people will be able to feed and support themselves for years to come.

The judges were surprised by Athena's gift. "This gift shows how very wise you are. Might on the seas is unimportant if the people are starving. We award the new city to Athena."

Athena called the new city "Athens" after herself. They built a temple, the Parthenon, in her honor.

This contest is depicted in the relief sculptures on the Parthenon.

Pheidias, the great sculptor, sculpted an enormous statue of Athena that was to be placed in the Parthenon. It stood on a twelve-foot base, was made of wood, and overlaid with gold and ivory. The statue was 39 feet tall and cost more than the Parthenon. Unfortunately, this statue has been lost or destroyed.


The Erechtheion was built about 421-406 BC.

Erechtheion

The Porch of the Caryatids has a balcony with six women functioning as columns that support the roof. This was the first time that the Greeks combined architectural elements and sculpture. They are called Caryatids because they were supposedly modeled after the women from Karyai (near Sparta in the Peloponnese). The Karyai women were famous for their upright posture and noble character.

Porch of the Caryatids

After visiting the Acropolis, we followed the road past Mars Hill and made our way to the ancient agora. We first stopped at the Church of the Holy Apostles.

Church of the Holy Apostles

It was built about 1000 AD. It commemorates St. Paul and his teaching in the Agora. The inside is decorated with 18th century Byzantine-style frescoes.

Jesus as Pantocreator (dome)

After visiting the church, we walked to the Temple of Hephaistos.

Temple of Hephaistos, Ancient Agora

This is one of the best-preserved temples. It was built between 449-415 BC and is half the size of the Parthenon.

Temple of Hephaistos, Ancient Agora

We also visited the Agora Museum, which is housed in the Stoa of Attalos.

By the time we returned to our ship, we were very tired from all the walking we did today!