Universal symbol and cradle of Greek antiquity civilisation - Acropolis, Athens 404; Mediterranean diet 00884
What and Why
Stepping into the Acropolis of Athens (Greek: Ακρόπολη Αθηνών, Akrópoli Athinón) is like being teleported back in time and it is one feeling that you can experience when you are there.
The Acropolis is an ancient citadel built on top of a rocky hill which has become synonymous as the cradle of Greek and western civilisation, and much heralded as the symbol of the past glories of the Greek classical epoch (Κλασική εποχή, Klasikí epochí). While the hill has been inhabited since the 4th millennium BCE, it was during the 5th century CE that the military statesman Pericles (Περικλῆς, Periklís) who constructed all the temples of worship on the acropolis.
These temples and buildlings, especially the Parthenon (Παρθενώνας, Parthenónas) underwent various changes in functionalities as a result of different regimes. For instance during the Byzantine (Βασιλεία Ῥωμαίων, Basileía Rhōmaíōn) period, Parthenon was used as a church whereas during the Duchy of Athens (Δουκᾶτον Ἀθηνῶν, Doukaton Athinon), the entire Acropolis functioned as an administrative centre, and during the Ottoman Greece (Οθωμανική Ελλάδα, Othomanikí Elláda), it was used as the garrison headquarters. During subsequent years, the Acropolis was a site of bustling activities under various regimes. In fact at one point during the Ottoman period Parthenon became a mosque, complete with a minaret.
Clearly after more than 2000 years of history, the area is heavily dilapidated, largely due to war and age. One of the most devastating events was when the Parthenon and the other buildings were seriously damaged during the 1687 CE Morean War (Italian: Guerra di Morea). However this has not diminished any of the high regards it has acquired and it remains as one of the world's greatest cultural monuments.
Toponymy
It is quite clear that 'Athens (Αθήνα, Athína)' points to the name of the goddess Athena (Αθηνά), the goddess of warfare, wisdom, beauty and handicraft. However there is major dispute regarding whether Athens took the name from Athena or the other way round. In fact most modern scholars generally agree that Athena took the name from the city where she was worshipped.
The word 'acropolis' comes from the Greek words 'ἄκρον (akron)' meaning 'highest point', and 'πόλις (polis)' meaning 'city'. Hence the word 'acropolis' means 'the city located at the highest point'. It is important to note that there are a number of acropoli in Greece (Ελλάδα, Elláda) , only that the acropolis of Athens is clearly the most well-known.
See
Acropolis (Άκρόπολις)
The plan of the Acropolis shows how it was designed. We shall follow the path along the Panathenaic Way (Παναθηναϊκός Τρόπος, Panathinaïkós Trópos) and ascend up to the hill.
The first building on sight as one climbs up the hill is actually the most recent, the Odeum of Herodes Atticus (Ωδείο Ηρώδου του Αττικού, Odeío Iródou tou Attikoú) built in 161 CE during the Roman times. It is a theatre built by the Greco-Roman senator Herodes Atticus (Ἡρῴδης ὁ Ἀττικός, Hērōidēs ho Attikos) in memory of his wife. The small theatre is a very steep-sloped structure seating 5,000 people and is still largely intact and functional. Various cultural events are held regularly here.
The Propylaea (Προπύλαια, Propylaia) was the monumental gateway to the Acropolis. This building is remarkable in the sense that this is one of the first monumental buildings in the classical period not to be a simple rectangle or cylinder.
It is constructed with Doric columns that form a prelude to the Panthenon and forms the main portico for visitors entering along the Panathenaic War. The design of the portico was such that it acted like a funnel so that the poor and the unclean would be screened from entry. Surprisingly the building was never completed with the roof left undone.
Next to the Proplyaea and sitting on a small pedestal is The Temple of Athena Nike (Ναός Αθηνάς Νίκης, Naós Athinás Níkis), dedicated to Athena and Nike (Νίκη, Níkē), the god of victory. The combination of Athena and Nike symbolises victory during the war, with the worshippers hoping for victory against the Spartans (Σπάρτα) during the Peloponnesian War (Πελοποννησιακός Πόλεμος, Peloponnisiakós Pólemos).
This tiny temple is the first Ionic temple in the Acropolis, with its slender form. It is supposed to be followed in order by the Brauroneion (Βραυρώνιον, Braurónion) and Chalkotheke (Χαλκοθήκη, Chalkothíki), but what is left is rubbles and ruins.
The jewel of the crown of the Acropolis, the Parthenon actually means 'apartments for spinsters', and whether it physically refers to a room or it refers to Athena and her cult worshippers is unknown and debatable. A closer examination of the solid-marble temple shows that there is one smaller 'Parthenon' being enclosed by a larger newer one, 33 years apart.
The shape and form of this temple has exerted a long-lasting global influence on the concept of a temple and even the UNESCO logo is inspired by the Parthenon. Many logos of museums or historical landmarks use this as an icon as well. In fact the Parthenon is always regarded as the finest example of Greek architecture and have enjoyed this reputation since antiquity, and even present museums follow suit.
Before we begin talking about Parthenon's history and architecture, it is perhaps important to understand some key features of Greek architectures, illustrated exemplarily by the Parthenon, as picture below:
According the number list above:
Tympanum: meaning 'drum' in Latin, the triangular decorative wall surface over an entrance; now mostly semi-circular in western architecture;
Acroterium: an architectural ornament placed at the corner of the pediment of a building, the term derives from the Greek word 'ἀκρωτήριον (akrōtḗrion)' meaning 'summit';
Sima: upturned edge of a roof which acts as a gutter, the term comes from the Greek word 'σίμος (simos)', meaning 'bent upwards'.
Cornice: horizontal decorative ledge, the word is exactly that in Italian;
Mutule: a stone block under a cornice;
Frieze: the wide central section part of an entablature and usually decorated with bas-reliefs, although it could also be plain;
Triglyph: the vertically channelled tablets of the Doric frieze, so called because of the three channels in them.
Metope: a rectangular architectural element that fills the space between the triglyph in frieze, which is a decorative band of alternating triglyphs and metopes;
Regula and Gutta: a little peg at the bottom of the frieze to help drain water away from the building, the word gutta is Latin for 'drop'; regula is the set of six guttae;
Taenia: the ribbon between the frieze and the architrave; the word is Latin for 'ribbon';
Architrave: the main beam or slab that rests on the columns; the word is Italian for 'main beam';
Capital: the topmost member, usually decorative, of the column;
Abacus: the slab on the top of the column that provides a large supporting surface for the architrave above it;
Echinus: the usually curved shape moulding at the corner or end of a structural member; the word is Latin for 'sea urchin' due to its round shape;
Column: sometimes called the pillar, the weight-bearing vertical member; usually round;
Fluting: the vertically-running decorative grooves on a column;
Stylobate: from the Greek word 'στυλοβάτης', the top-most step of the platform where the columns sit on.
Some of the construction techniques and precision detected in the Parthenon shows the advanced state of mathematics the Greeks were with, and is truly unbelievable. For instance the famed Doric columns is built as in the form of entasis, which refers to the slight swelling of 4 cm around the centre of the columns. This swelling gives the usual optical illusion that look straight from a distance with parallel horizontal lines (the stylobate and the entablature), especially from lower ground. The stylobate on which the columns stand has a slight parabolic upward curvature intended to shed rainwater and counter earthquakes. The columns might therefore be supposed to lean outward, but they were actually built to lean slightly inward so that if the columns continue to extend upwards, they would converge somewhere 2,400 m, altogether.
The friezes and metopes of the Parthenon were some of the most beautiful Ionic sculptures. However most of them have been damaged and those remained have been removed and put into the museums, as discussed below.
Next to the Parthenon stands another very impressive building called Erechtheion (Ἐρέχθειον). The temple is dedicated to Athena and Poseidon (Ποσειδῶν), and was named in honour to the mythical king of Athens Erechtheus (Ἐρεχθεύς). The temple is famous for the Porch of the Maidens, the six female figures called caryatids as supporting columns, although those in site are replicas and the real ones are in the museum.
The Theatre of Dionysus (Θέατρο του Διονύσου, Théatro tou Dionýsou) is a theatre built on the south slope of the Acropolis, in a way outside the Acropolis. The theatre was constructed much later than the Acropolis itself around the mid-6th century BCE. The theatre would have had a capacity of up to 17,000, and was in continuous use until the Roman Empire (Latin: Imperium Romanum). The amphitheatre then fell into decay during the Byzantine era and was only excavated and restored until the 19th century CE.
The amphitheatre was constructed in the typical Greek theatre manner, and it was famous for holding the festival Dionysia (Διονύσια), the central events of which were the theatrical performances of Greek tragedies and later comedies.
Acropolis Museum (Μουσείο Ακρόπολης)
The Acropolis Museum (Μουσείο Ακρόπολης, Mouseio Akropolis) is a newly renovated museum housing all the artefacts of the Acropolis. The museum was first built in the 1874 CE but recent discoveries of many more artefacts had exceeded the original capacity. Moreover the renovation of the museum was long due, and this modern and well-designed museum was open to the public in 2009 CE.
The museum was built on top of a Roman archaeological ruin itself and the excavation is still on-going and open for visitation.
The most important exhibit of the museum is definitely the Parthenon Frieze (Ζωφόρος του Παρθενώνα, Zōphóros tou Parthenṓna), which is an impressive long frieze in the inner cella of the Parthenon (or old Parthenon). It basically surrounded the entire old cella and measures up to 160 m. Out of the 160 m, most of them are preserved (or stolen) in the British Museum, known as the Elgin Marbles, while a certain fraction is now in the Acropolis Museum and is the signature artefacts of the entire museum.
The entire frieze (including those from the British Museum, other museums and history books) describes lives during the Greek classical eras: from military parades and campaigns, religious rituals, cultural performances and general mythological stories.
All the bas-reliefs of the Parthenon and sculptures found in the Acropolis are now placed in the museum.
I have had the fortune to visit the British Museum recently to see the Elgin Marbles. These marbles are a collection of sculptures, tympanums, frieze, metopes removed from the Acropolis under the direction of Thomas Bruce, 7th Earl of Elgin, and thus so-named. During the Morean War, the Parthenon was almost blown up and was badly destroyed. Bruce, during the time he was completing his posting as the British ambassador to the then Ottoman Greece, together with an Italian court artist Giovanni Lusieri, decided to document the sculptures, but later removed them and transported them to the British Empire during the early 19th century CE.
Other than the bas-reliefs from the Parthenon, the most important ones is actually the genuine female figures of Erechtheion.
There is an ongoing prolonged discussion between the two museums urging the frieze to be returned to Athens, although the British side seems reluctant to cooperate.
Temple of Olympian Zeus (Ναός του Ολυμπίου Διός)
The Temple of Olympian Zeus (Ναός του Ολυμπίου Διός, Naós tou Olympíou Diós), is dedicated to the chief Olympian god Zeus (Ζεύς, Zeús). Construction started in the 6th century BCE and was technically completed only after the 2nd century CE, and was designed to be the largest temple in the world. The temple is remarkable for its very high Doric-styled colonnades.
The temple however did not last long. Soon after it was abandonned in the 3rd century CE, it has been quarried to build other buildings and fortress walls. Moreover it was never a very popular construction because the Greeks thought it was condescending and wasteful to build such a large temple. In his treatise Politics (Πολιτικά, Politiká), Aristotle (Ἀριστοτέλης, Aristotélēs) cited the temple as an example to criticise how tyrannies engaged the populace in great works for a white elephant, and left them no time, energy or means to rebel against the state.
Agora of Athens (Αγορά της Αθήνας)
A ruinous former agora or marketplace of Athens, but hardly anything major to see to appreciate its former glory, except for the still standing Temple of Hephaestus (Ναός Ηφαίστου, Naós Hifaístou), another Doric temple.
Lyceum (Λύκειον)
The Lyceum (Λύκειο, Lýkeio) was the cradle of western civilisation where lectures were hosted by the famed teachers Socrates (Σωκράτης, Sōkrátēs), Plato (Πλάτων, Plátōn), and Aristotle, and early meetings of the Athenian Assembly. Aristotle founded the area and made the temple the home of his school, the Lyceum. The Lyceum actually served multiple purposes: academic and philosophical exchange forum, political forum, academic school, cult religious site, military school and hence it is built in a flat ground with a large area.
The place is no more than a ruin honestly, and did itself no justice to demonstrate its ravelling importance to world civilisation. By the way it is interesting to note that the word Lyceum comes from the fact that the cult worship in the site was Apollo Lyceus (Ἀπόλλων Λύκειος, Apollōn Lukeios), the Apollo figure usually with his right forearm touching the top of his head.
Pnyx (Πνύξ)
If Athens is the birthplace of democracy, then Pnyx (Πνύξ) is its cradle where it all started, in spite of its current ruinous state. Pnyx means crowdedness in Greek. Around the 5th century BCE this rocky hill, just 1 km off the Acropolis, became the meeting place ecclesia (ἐκκλησία, ekklesia), Athens' early democratic assembly, where the political power was transferred to the people through reasoned discussions with everyone having equal power. This site thus witnessed the birth of modern democracy and heard addresses by statesmen Pericles, Aristides (Ἀριστείδης, Aristeídēs) and the like, with the Parthenon as the background during the golden age of Athens. The site had a capacity for 6,000 to 13,000 citizen-audience.
Panathenaic Stadium (Παναθηναϊκό Στάδιο)
As a former aspring Olympian, I had to visit the Panathenaic Stadium (Παναθηναϊκό Στάδιο, Panathinaïkó Stádio), where the first modern Olympics was held in 1896 CE in Athens. The stadium was built on an ancient site of the Panathenaic Games (Παναθήναια, Panathínaia), commissioned during the 3rd century BCE. However the Panathenaic Games are not the equivalence of the ancient Olympic Games (Ὀλυμπιακοί ἀγώνες, Olympiakoi agones).
The stadium is the only stadium in the world to be built entirely with marble and held the first modern Olympics. It was also used partly in the 2004 Summer Olympics (Θερινοί Ολυμπιακοί Αγώνες 2004, Therinoí Olympiakoí Agónes 2004). Note that the stadium is not the modern standard stadium and the U-shaped track is only 204 m long. Hence it was hardly of any use in modern sporting events, and it held only the archery events, and symbolically used as the finishing point of the marathons, during the 2004 Olympics.
Buy and Do
Not sure if this is exactly a Greek produce, but luffa seems to be sold everywhere in Greece. It is widely used as a scrub in the kitchen and bathroom.
Eat and Drink
Greek cuisine (Ελληνικό φαγητό)
Greek cuisine need very little introduction and similar to nearby regions it is influenced by the the so-called triads of Mediterranean diet: wheat, wine and olive oil, plus perhaps various types of Greek cheese. We had a good serving of moussaka (μουσακάς, mousakás) near the Acropolis. The word moussaka derives from Arabic 'مصقعة (muṣaqqa‘a)' meaning 'pounded'.
Stay
We stayed in the so-called luxurious Athenian Callirhoe. Looks a bit like a reflection of Athens: glorified past, worn down present. Really convenient though.
Getting There and Around
Honestly just the Acropolis and the museum deserves a full-day of visit. The entrance fee to the Acropolis and its museum is EUR 10€ respectively, and gives one access to all the other important monuments. While the sites described are not really that far apart, they are not that easily accessible on foot and we were taken around by a coach bus.
Spend at least three to four days in Athens. It is after all the birthplace of western civilisation and a good place to rewind the clock.
UNESCO Inscriptions
The Acropolis of Athens and its monuments are universal symbols of the classical spirit and civilization and form the greatest architectural and artistic complex bequeathed by Greek Antiquity to the world. In the second half of the fifth century bc, Athens, following the victory against the Persians and the establishment of democracy, took a leading position amongst the other city-states of the ancient world. In the age that followed, as thought and art flourished, an exceptional group of artists put into effect the ambitious plans of Athenian statesman Pericles and, under the inspired guidance of the sculptor Pheidias, transformed the rocky hill into a unique monument of thought and the arts. The most important monuments were built during that time: the Parthenon, built by Ictinus, the Erechtheon, the Propylaea, the monumental entrance to the Acropolis, designed by Mnesicles and the small temple Athena Nike.
The Mediterranean diet involves a set of skills, knowledge, rituals, symbols and traditions concerning crops, harvesting, fishing, animal husbandry, conservation, processing, cooking, and particularly the sharing and consumption of food. Eating together is the foundation of the cultural identity and continuity of communities throughout the Mediterranean basin. It is a moment of social exchange and communication, an affirmation and renewal of family, group or community identity. The Mediterranean diet emphasizes values of hospitality, neighbourliness, intercultural dialogue and creativity, and a way of life guided by respect for diversity. It plays a vital role in cultural spaces, festivals and celebrations, bringing together people of all ages, conditions and social classes. It includes the craftsmanship and production of traditional receptacles for the transport, preservation and consumption of food, including ceramic plates and glasses. Women play an important role in transmitting knowledge of the Mediterranean diet: they safeguard its techniques, respect seasonal rhythms and festive events, and transmit the values of the element to new generations. Markets also play a key role as spaces for cultivating and transmitting the Mediterranean diet during the daily practice of exchange, agreement and mutual respect.
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