On June 10, we set out to visit the Acropolis Museum. Voted one of the best museums in the world, with a total area of 25,000 square meter, the museum showcases Greek history through its three floors.  The museum was inaugurated in the summer of 2009.

The Museum is built above a large urban settlement on the Makriyianni site dating from Archaic to Early Christian Athens.   This discovery is being integrated into the Museum and is yet to open to public.  As we walked on the glass floor, we could see excavation and restoration process of the Makriyianni site.

On the ground floor, the ‘Gallery of the Slopes of the Acropolis’ houses exhibits from the sanctuaries that were established on the slopes of the Acropolis, as well as objects that Athenians used in everyday life from all historic periods. ‘Archaic Gallery’, on the first floor, hosts the magnificent sculptures that graced the first temples on the Acropolis.  Photography is not permitted in these two floors.

Third floor, ‘Parthenon Gallery’, where sculptures of the Parthenon period are exhibited in continuous sequence along the perimeter.

The most impressive among the exhibits is the Caryatids.  A Caryatid is s a sculpted female statue, used as a column or a pillar, supporting the structure on her head. This Greek term literally means ‘maidens of Karyai.’   These original statues once supported the roof of the North porch of Erectheion.  Five statues of Caryatids are in the museum.  Statue on right-rear was smashed by a Turkish canon-ball in 1687, when the Parthenon was shelled during a battle between the Turks and the Venetians.  The sixth is installed at the British Museum in London, which acquired it nearly two centuries ago after Lord Elgin, the British ambassador to the Ottoman Empire.  He had it sawed off the Erechtheion’s porch, along with shiploads of adornments from the Parthenon to decorate his mansion in Scotland before selling the pieces to pay debts.  Cast reproductions of six Caryatids now support the porch of Erectheion.

After spending about three hours at the museum, we walked to the iconic Acropolis.  An `acropolis’ is any citadel or complex built on a high hill. The name derives from the Greek language meaning ‘High City’ or ‘City on the Edge’ or ‘City in the Air.  Most famous being the Acropolis of Athens, built in the Fifth century BC.

Acropolis is the most characteristic monument of the ancient Greek civilisation. It symbolises democracy and the beginning of Western civilisation and stands as an icon of European culture.  More than half of the sculptures and artifacts from the Acropolis are in the British Museum in London and their return to Greece is a cultural and a political issue between the two nations, yet to be resolved.  The Brits claim that Lord Elgin saved the marbles from destruction, and acquired them fairly.

As we walked up the hill, we come across the Propylaea, meaning a monumental gate or entrance to a specific space, usually to a temple or religious complex.

As we climbed up the Propylaea, on the Southern flank stands the Temple of Athena Nike.  It was a place of worship for deities associated with wars, ‘Nike’ Gods or Goddesses.  The Nike statute had no wings, as it was customary for Nike statues of the time, the temple acquired the name Apteros Nike (wing-less victory). It is said that the statue was deprived of wings so it could never leave the city of Athens.

Propylaea stands as an impressive building that surrounds the natural entrance to the plateau.

After walking for about five minutes on the plateau, we were at the Parthenon.  The Parthenon is a former temple dedicated to Goddess Athena, considered the patron Goddess of Athens. Construction began in 447 BC and was completed in 438 BC, although decoration of the building continued until 432 BC. It is the most important surviving building of Classical Greece.  The temple was built to shelter the monumental statue of Athena that was made of gold and ivory.

In 1975, the Greek government began a concerted effort to restore the Parthenon and other Acropolis structures and these efforts are still ongoing.

Walking around the Parthenon, we came to the Erechtheion.  This temple was built to house the religious artifacts that the old temple housed. Construction of the Erechtheion began in 420BC.  It is an intricate temple designed to accommodate the uneven ground on which it stands.  The need was to build a temple without disturbing sacred shrines like the altars to Poseidon and Hephaestus, and the spot where Poseidon is believed to have hit the Acropolis with his trident. Other shrines that needed to be accommodated included the sacred olive tree, a well containing sea water and the tomb of Kekrops.

The temple faces East and its entrance is lined with six long Ionic columns.

To the North and West, the wall of the temple drops dramatically to almost twice the altitude of the front and South sides.

The temple is unusual in that it incorporates two porches; one at the North-West corner which is supported by tall Ionic columns, and one at the South-West corner which is supported by six massive female statues, the famous Caryatids.  The Caryatids (replica as the original is in the museum) have become the temple’s signature feature, as they stand and seem to casually support the weight of the porch roof on their heads.

Acropolis also provides an excellent view of Athens and some important historical monuments adjacent to it.

The Odeon of Herodes Atticus, built at the base of the Acropolis is an ancient amphitheatre.  This ancient theater, with a capacity of about 5,000, was built in the Roman times, about 161 AD. by the Roman philosopher, teacher and politician Herodes Atticus in memory of his wife Aspasia Regilla.  It was destroyed in 267 AD and was in ruins until restored in the 1950s.  Since then it has been the main venue of the Athens Festival, which runs from May through October each year.  Many world renowned musicians have held concerts here and was the venue for the Miss Universe 1973 pageant.

This is the facade at the entrance to Odeon of Herodes Atticus

Temple of Olympian Zeus in Athens, also known as the Olympieion, is located on the South-East of Acropolis.  It was built over several centuries starting in 174 BC and completed by Roman emperor Hadrian in 131 AD. Its unusually tall columns and ambitious layout made the temple one of the largest ever built in the ancient world.

The Theatre of Dionysus Eleuthereus is considered to be the world’s first theatre, built at the foot of the Acropolis, cut into its southern cliff.  Dedicated to Dionysus, the God of plays and wine, the theatre could seat 17,000 people.  It was the location for ancient Athens’ biggest theatrical celebration, the Dionysia.  It was an engineering marvel with perfect proportion of depth/circumference. Here is where the great masterpieces by Aeschylus and Sophocles were first performed. I tried to imagine the great  Greek tragedies being enacted with 17000 spectators, seated all around. The thought quietly transported me into a bygone era.

So time for first impressions. Great food, great people and an immense sense of history in every nook and cranny, all together a great getaway.

(Image Courtesy Google)

Greece was our destination in the Summer of 2018.  Greece is a country in South-Eastern-Europe with thousands of islands in the Aegean and Ionian seas with Athens as its Capital.

First traces of human habitation in Greece appeared during the Paleolithic Age (120000 – 10000 BC). During the Neolithic Age that followed (7000 – 3000 BC), many buildings spread throughout the country.  The beginning of the Bronze Age (3000-1100 BC) is marked by the appearance of the first urban centers in Greece.

Conquest of Greece in 146 BC by Romans ended Greek dominance.  Christianity was propagated in Greece by Apostle Paul during the First Century.  By the Third Century, Greece became part of the Byzantine Empire.

The Ottomans empire expanded to engulf Greece from the Fourteenth Century.  Around four centuries of Ottoman domination ended with the Greek War of Independence in 1821.  The Greek State took its current form after the end of World War II.  In 1974, after the seven-year dictatorship, a referendum was held and the government changed from a Constitutional Monarchy to a Presidential Parliamentary Democracy, and in 1981 Greece became a member of the European Union.

We landed at Athens on June 09 and drove straight to our hotel.  We were briefed by our Tour Coordinator at the hotel

After completing our  check-in formalities at the hotel, we walked to ‘I Kriti’ Restaurant nearby as recommended by our Tour Coordinator.  The restaurant served a sumptuous Cretan food consisting of fish, lamb in a pan, pork ribs and Greek salad.   Crete is the largest island of Greece and every Cretan village has its own signature cheese, which form part of every Cretan cuisine. They are usually made from sheep or goat’s milk, or a combination of both and each cheese variety has its local interpretation.  We were also entertained by a local musician playing his accordion.

After lunch we walked to National Archeological Museum housed in the old parliament building.  It is an imposing neoclassical building of the nineteenth century which earlier served as the Greek Parliament.  It houses over 20,000 exhibits, providing  a panoramic view of the great Greek civilization.

Some of the museum exhibits of extraordinary splendour  that caught our attention are:-

 
Dipylon Amphora. This is a large Ancient Greek painted vase, made around 750 BC.  Such large sized painted vases were used as grave markers.  The vase was made on a potter’s wheel in three sections that were joined together to form a single large vessel,  over five feet high. The base has a hole to allow offerings to be poured for the dead.

Kauros. A marble statue of a naked youth (530 BC), erected on the grave of Kroisos, who fell in battle, according to the epigram carved on the front of the pedestal.  He is represented standing frontally with his left leg forward and fists clenched.  He symbolises youthfulness, beauty, power and hope.

Kore (Maiden). This marble statue of a maiden (550-540 BC), stood on the grave of Phrasikleia. The Kore is depicted by the sculptor wearing a wreath on the head, jewellery and a long gown.

Statues depicting men had their left foot forward and women were depicted standing with their feet together.  This could also prove my observation of ‘Left Foot First’.  Please click here to read my earlier post.

Sphinx. This marble statue of a Sphinx (570-550 BC) is one of the earliest known Archaic Sphinxes and it was set above a grave.  Sphinx is a mythical creature with the head of a human and the body of a lion.

Bronze statue of Zeus or Poseidon. This statue (460 BC) was recovered for the seabed is still debated as to whether it represented Zeus or Poseidon.  The statue is over two meter tall.  The God is depicted with left leg forward in a  great stride, with His left arm forward, while throwing the thunderbolt or the trident held in His right hand.  Notable feature is  the exquisite rendering of motion and anatomy.

Funerary Stele. This marble piece (400 BC) was found in 1870 in an ancient cemetery. It shows a lady seated on a chair, looks at a piece of jewellery held in her raised right hand. Opposite her, a sorrowful standing attendant holds an open jewellery box belonging to a dead woman.  The sorrowful expressions on the face of the two ladies, their hairstyles and rendering of their jewellery and dress is all very impressive.

Artemision Jockey. Bronze statue of a horse and a young jockey (140 BC) retrieved in 1928 and 1937 in pieces from the seafloor. The word Artemision comes from Cape Artemision, the site of the shipwreck. The young jockey, probably of African origin, holds the reins of the galloping horse in his left hand and a whip in his right. The contractions and furrows in his face, especially on the forehead, reveal agony and passion.

Statue of Hermes. This marble statue (27 BC-AD 14), is probably a funerary and was found in 1860. Hermes was the  Greek God of trade, wealth, luck, fertility, animal husbandry, sleep, language, thieves, and travel.  He is depicted standing, wearing a short cloak that is wound around his left arm. In his right hand he is holding  a purse and in his left the Caduceus, his staff.

Bronze Statue of a Youth. A bronze statue (340-330 BC), recovered in 1990 from  an ancient shipwreck on the sea floor.  It depicts either Perseus, who would have been holding the head of Medusa, or, more probably, Paris, with the ‘apple of Strife’, ready to award it to the most beautiful Goddess, Aphrodite.  Outstanding feature of this statue is the strongly modeled muscles and the expressive face.

National Archeological Museum with its numerous and outstanding exhibits give the visitor a peep into Greek history.   Unique treasures displayed with detailed captions and signboards will mesmerise you and it is really worth a visit.  The sculpture collection depicts the evolution of ancient Greek sculpture from 700 BC to the Fifth Century AD.  It requires plenty of time to read through various information boards and enjoy the artistic value of the statues and artifacts displayed.

We returned to our hotel rooms by dusk.  We had dinner at the roof-top restaurant of the hotel which offered a stunning view of illuminated Acropolis.

I felt a fleeting sense of awe and humility. Looking at the brilliance of what is left of a more than 2000 year old structure, i couldn’t help but feel that despite the ravages of time, here is where history stands tall, with elegance and poise.