Istanbul, Athens, and the Greek Isles Episode 10: Ancient Athens

Istanbul, Athens, and the Greek Isles
June 2024
Episode 10: Ancient Athens

The most dramatic sight in Athens is the 5th c. BC Acropolis. The hilltop entrance to the complex is guarded by the Temple of Athena Nike, the goddess of victory, whom the Athenians hoped would help them triumph over the Spartans in the Peloponnesian War.

While most Greek temples are highly symmetrical, the Temple of Erechtheion is oddly proportioned, but not without reason. According to ancient mythology, the earthly ruler Erachtheus was chosen by Zeus to judge a contest between Athena and Poseidon to determine who would be the patron of the city. Each god was asked to give a gift to the city. Athena offered an olive tree, a symbol of peace and fertility (today’s successor to the original is still there). Poseidon’s gift was to hurl his trident down from the sky, striking a rock from which water sprung. But since Poseidon was god of the sea, his spring produced salt water, a far less useful gift, so Athena’s tree won the day and the city was named after her: Athens. This temple, erected much later, couldn’t extend into the area where the olive tree was planted, so what would have been the west porch needed to be reoriented 90 degrees, facing north. On the opposite side of the temple is another odd extension, supported by several huge female statues called Caryatids (these are copies — the originals are in the museum). This “porch of the maidens” was erected over the tomb of the first king of Athens, Cecrops — so the asymmetry here was again intentional.

In the center of the promontory is the massive Parthenon, built in the 5th c. BC. The top was decorated with a carved stone frieze which we’ll see later in the Acropolis Museum.

As we descend, we pass the impressive Odeon of Herodes Atticus from the Roman era (AD 161). We also catch a glimpse of Mars Hill which we’ll visit later. Near the bottom of the hill are the remains of the Theatre of Dionysus from the 4th c. BC.

While the ruins on the Acropolis are monumental, just as remarkable are the remnants on display in the Acropolis Museum. Here we get to inspect the carved stone frieze that encircled the top of the Parthenon, much of which is on display in the British Museum, but plaster casts are presented here along with a number of original sections. Here also are the original Caryatids, the statues that guard the Temple of Erechtheion. One of the oldest relics is the 7th c. BC Bronze Gorgon, a mythical creature whose gaze could turn onlookers to stone. Construction of the museum uncovered more ancient remains beneath, which can be viewed from an elevated walkway. The top floor of the museum affords views of the Acropolis, allowing comparisons between what is displayed in the museum with their original location on the hill. Of course, you can see the Acropolis from all over the city, its hilltop location frequently peaking out as we walked the streets below.

Mars Hill is a rocky outcropping affording nice views of the Acropolis on one side and the Ancient Greek Agora on the other. This is also where the Apostle Paul preached his famous sermon: “Men of Athens, I observe that you are very religious in all respects…"

In Greece, an Agora is what the Romans referred to as a Forum: a central meeting place for various activities. There are actually two Agorae in Athens: the Greek Agora and one from the Roman era. The Roman Agora dates from the 1st c. BC. The highlight is the octagonal Horologion of Andronikos Kyrrhestes, aka the "Tower of the Winds,” considered the world's first meteorological station.

The much older Greek Agora dates to the 6th c. BC. At the center is the Odeon of Agrippa, which was added by the Romans in the 1st c. BC. The far older Temple of Hephaestus dates to the 5th c. BC, considered the best preserved Doric temple in the world.

Another remnant of the Roman era is Hadrian's Library, built in AD 132. It’s columns enclose a main hall that held a large collection of papyrus rolls.

The Temple of Olympian Zeus was begun in the 6th c. BC but not completed until the 2nd c. AD. The temple fell into disrepair over subsequent centuries with many of it’s components taken for other structures around Athens, leaving only 15 of the original 104 columns. Even some of those were covered with scaffolding during our visit, leaving only a few unobstructed, but it was still an interesting site. One column lies in pieces on the ground where it fell during a storm in 1852.

During our time in Athens, we stayed at the Acropolis View Hotel. We had a decent view of the Parthenon from our balcony but an even better one from the rooftop lounge where we also enjoyed breakfast each morning and said goodnight to Athens each evening.

The video ends with a couple of fun still photos taken by Pam.