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| Forumai | Temos | Atsakymai | Paskutinis įrašas | 
| Climbing the Acropolis
Traveling Classroom™ Climbing the Acropolis We are up with the fishermen so we can eat breakfast, catch an early train to Thisseion Station and arrive at the Acropolis before the crowds and tour buses. We wave good-bye to our neighborhood fisherman, but before we can leave Nikos comes with news. He has scheduled a tanker truck to fuel Zoe Zoe for our voyage to the Cyclades. The truck will arrive soon, so we must turn our attention to immediate needs. While Nikos goes to the meet the truck, we find the correct tool and loosen the water-tight fuel caps recessed in the deck on either side of the boat. Nikos returns and announces that the fuel line will not reach to our berth, so we will have to move the boat to the quay. Zoe Zoe is sandwiched between two boats, cross-tied to the dock and tied to a float at the bow, so we all must do our jobs. First, one of the stern lines is released, then Duane catches the moorage float with a boat hook and releases the bow line. Nikos takes the helm and starts the engine. We release the second stern line and slowly move away from the dock, with Duane and I guiding Zoe Zoe clear of neighboring boats. Once we are out of the berth, Nikos executes a sharp turn in the narrow channel. Zoe Zoe is about 10 feet wide and 41 feet long, plus a 7-foot bowsprit. Nikos handles it as if he were driving a small car in a parking lot. About seventy yards later we approach the quay where the tanker truck is waiting. Nikos reverses the engine to slow us, and I place extra fenders over the port side to prevent our boat from rubbing against a big power boat already moored at the quay. At the same time, Duane goes forward, takes the bow line, steps over to the power boat and hurries to the quay. He catches the bowsprit and braces himself to stop our forward movement, then he ties Zoe Zoe to a docking ring. Nikos works with the truck driver and begins feeding a heavy fuel line to Duane and me. We open one fuel cap and give the signal to start pumping. After what seems a rather long time, the tank is filled and we move the hose to the other side of the boat. The tanker pumps over 400 liters of diesel. Our fuel tanks were nearly empty. Back at our berth, Nikos recommends that we not tie up permanently because we will be leaving within a few days. We tie the boat to a bow cleat on the neighboring fishing boat, and then tighten the stern lines to keep us from moving. We cannot use our gangplank while tied in this manner, but we can use the one on the fishing boat and step over the gunwale. The fisherman is a friend of Nikos and has given his permission. The next order of business is water. Duane runs a hose from the faucet on the dock, and we fill the tanks. It takes some time because these tanks are nearly empty. While this is happening, Nikos explains that he has arranged for a mechanic and an electrician to come onboard today. While we are in Athens they will make certain everything is in properly running condition for our voyage. We pack our cameras, water bottle, notebooks and pens, give Nikos the keys to the boat, and head off. It is a beautiful sunny day for our newest adventure. We walk the now-familiar miles to the electric train station in Faliro, passing the same waterfront restaurants. As usual, we are invited in by the same owners with menus in hand. By now you might think they would recognize us and remember that we never stop to eat. The train is not crowded this morning; perhaps we missed the morning rush. We get off at Thisseion Station and look round to get our bearings. We can see the Acropolis rising up from the city in front of us. The word "acropolis" means the highest city, and it is. We cross the street and start walking towards the great limestone plateau. We start walking south from the train station along Apostolou Pavlou. You can locate that street at C-1 on the Athens Map. (Note: for scenes along the way, you can click on the map labels marked with an "F" for fotoghrafia.) This is an older section of the city with many well kept businesses, restaurants and homes. We stop at a sidewalk kiosk to purchase a book and map of the Acropolis and the surrounding area. When we look at the map we realize that we are walking next to the Agora, the central marketplace of ancient Athens. Not far from here, on the other side of the Acropolis, is the Plaka, continues as a marketplace from ancient times. I want to visit there and see the Wind Tower, which is actually one of the oldest clocks in existence. We are hiking uphill along a route that cuts through some of the highest terrain in the plain of Attica (though none of these hills is very big). On our left the Acropolis rises, and there are several famous hills to our right. The first is the Hill of Nymphs, and at the top is an observatory built over 150 years ago. Astronomers from the nearby university still use it regularly. A beautiful old church lies below it, as well as many apartment buildings and homes and trees that cover open areas. I envy the view the residents must have from up there. Next is the Hill of Pnyx, the north side of which provides a semicircular terrace where Pericles addressed the democratic ruling council. Crowds of at least 6000 citizens met here more than forty times a year to debate all but the most serious political issues. South of Pnyx is Filopappos Hill, named for an exiled prince who lived in Athens and became one of its greatest citizens. At the summit is a grandiose monument in his honor; Filopappos is depicted on its frieze driving his chariot. We pass stone foundations of buildings that were part of the downtown area of old Athens. We see a large temple off to the left and detour through a park to get a closer look. This is the Thisseion. It is the place that gave the train station its name. Our book says it was built in 449 BCE and dedicated to the god Hephaistos and goddess Athena. It looks similar to the Parthenon and is in much better condition. It would be easy to spend the day exploring the Thisseion and the many ruins and historical places in this neighborhood, but our goal is to climb that craggy limestone plateau, the Acropolis, so we return to Apostolou Pavlou and continue on our way. As we get closer, we see that the entire area to our left (and a good part of the area across the street on the right) is fenced off from public access. There are ancient foundations everywhere in this area. I expect there are archeological excavations here, and they don’t want people stumbling in. Finally we reach what appears to be an entrance gate to the Acropolis, so we follow a group of tourists along the stone drive that leads towards the base of the plateau. We purchase tickets for 1500 drachma and enter a small plaza where groups of people are milling about drinking bottled water. We assume they have already made the climb to the top of the Acropolis and are resting after their descent. Pine trees offer shade around the plaza, and there are places to buy souvenirs and post cards, a small post office to buy stamps and mail the post cards, and a snack bar with plenty of iced bottled water. Not wanting to dawdle here, we start upwards on one of several broad pathways. We immediately encounter several people along the path offering their services as guides. They advertise their skills in French, German, English and other languages. Their linguistic talents are impressive, but Duane and I decide to go it alone. After all, we have our book and map. The path is formed of paving stones and crushed rock, and meanders up the western slope of the Acropolis, below the battlements. Where the path crosses native rock, the stone is indented and worn smooth by countless pilgrim feet. It feels strange to walk where so many famous people walked thousands of years ago. Our book says this site has been occupied and used since the Stone Age. The first residents probably lived here because they could defend the plateau from their enemies. In Mycenaean times it was fortified around a royal palace and temples where the cult of Athena was introduced. City and goddess were integrated by the Dorians and, with the union of Attica towns and villages in the ninth century BCE, the Acropolis became the heart of the first Greek city-state. There have been many temples erected here since then, but most were destroyed by conquerors or the stones reused to build new structures. In 479 BCE Athens was laid waste by the conquering Persian army. Athenians had to rebuild most of the city, including the temples of the Acropolis. Most of what we see now, the great complex of temples and buildings at the top of the Acropolis, was constructed as part of a master plan initiated by Pericles. At the same time, great protecting walls were built using the rubble from destroyed temples. Imagine what it looked like in those days. Now we stand below this fortress wall gazing up at the Temple of Athena Nike. This simple and elegant temple was begun late in the rebuilding scheme and stands on a precipitous platform overlooking Pire�s and the Saronic Gulf. In some ways this little temple is an ironic statement. It was one of the last structures built in a project to replace what the Persian wars smashed. And it was created to memorialize the Athenians' final victory over Persia at the battle of Plataea. Below us to the right is the Odeion of Herodes Attikus. This marvelous theater, called the Herodeion by modern Greeks, was built during the Roman period by Tiberius Claudius Atticus Herodes, a wealthy and influential leader. Intended for musical performances in memory of his dead wife, the theater continues to serve for music and recital concerts in modern times, even though the roof is gone and the seating only partially restored. We leave the edge of the cliff and continue climbing to the Clivis Antiquus arch at the base of the fortification. This is original route of the sacred path, but below us on the left is a more ostentatious gateway through the Pylons of Marcellinus and up a wide staircase. These were built by the Romans many centuries later. As we walk up the restored stone avenue towards the Propylaea, we get a closer look at the temple of Athena Nike on our right. It is so small, with only four Ionic columns. We follow the Panathenaic procession route through the central building of the Propylaea. This entrance (which is what "propylaea" means) was designed to balance the great temple of Athena. The ancient Athenians, awed that so much money and craftsmanship was used for a non-religious building, considered this as their most prestigious monument. Walking through it, I see the scaffolding and new stonework in the recently restored areas. The roof is partially finished and some sections are roped off to prevent people from wandering into work areas. I wonder why there are no workers here on a weekday; I suspect it has something to do with the Easter holidays. Exiting the eastern porch, the first thing I see is the Parthenon. I knew it was big, but I am unprepared for the initial impact. It really is awesome, especially considering that it was built in only ten years. The Parthenon was the first great building in Pericles' scheme. The designer Iktinos used all the refinements of Doric architecture and every trick he knew to create a structure of extraordinary and unequaled symmetry. The odd thing is that Iktinos designed an optical illusion to make the temple appear to be perfect. From a distance the columns of the Parthenon seem to be perfectly straight and evenly spaced. As we get closer I can see that the columns bulge outward and are thicker at the base. Nor are they spaced evenly, but rather according to a mathematical formula which produces the mirage of perfect balance. Built on the site of earlier temples, the Parthenon was intended as a new sanctuary for Athena and a house for her cult image, a colossal wooden statue of Athena Polias (Athena of the City). Decked in ivory and gold plate, with precious gems as eyes and an ivory gorgon death's-head on the breastplate, this sculpture was considered one of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world. Like so many great works of art, it was lost long ago. Having survived more or less intact for well over two thousand years, the Acropolis buildings finally fell victim to the demands of war. In 1687 the Venetians, laying siege to a Turkish garrison which was using the Acropolis as a fortress, ignited gunpowder stored in the Parthenon and in the process blasted off its roof. Surpassing this destruction, at least in the minds of today's Athenians, was Lord Elgin's removal of the frieze sculptures in 1801; he later sold these to the British Museum. On the east side of the building there are copies of sculptures we saw while visiting in London. As we walk around the Parthenon, we can see the scaffolding and structural supports in the interior, where workmen are restoring the building. Iron clamps and supports that were used in the last century to reinforce the marble structures have long since rusted and warped, causing the stones to crack. Meanwhile, earthquakes have dislodged the foundations; generations of visitors have slowly worn down the Parthenon's surfaces; and air pollution has been turning the marble to dust. To the north of the Parthenon, beyond the foundations of the Old Temple of Athena, stands the Erechtheion, the last of the great works of Pericles. While the Parthenon was known far and wide for its grandeur, it never rivaled the Erechtheion in sanctity or importance to Athenians. Here, in symbolic reconciliation, Athena and the city's old patron god, Poseidon-Erechtheus, were both worshipped. The site, according to myth, was where the gods had contested possession of the Acropolis. Athena and her uncle Poseidon both claimed the city, and so it was decided that the one who gave the finest gift should have it. Leading a procession of citizens, the two gods mounted the Acropolis. Poseidon struck the side of the cliff with his trident and a spring welled up. The people marveled, but the water was as salty as Poseidon's sea and it was not very useful. Athena's gift was an olive tree, which was much better because it gave the people food, oil and wood. Athena was declared the winner of the contest, and she named her city Athens. The elegant Ionic porticoes of the Erechtheion are beautiful, particularly the north one with its fine decorated doorway and frieze of blue Eleusinian marble. On the south side, in the Porch of the Caryatids, the Ionic line is transformed into six maidens (caryatids) supporting the entablature on their heads. These are replicas. Five of the originals are in the Acropolis museum, and the sixth was taken to England long ago by Lord Elgin. Near the Erechtheion is the sanctuary of Zeus Polieus. There isn't much except a foundation, but from here we can see across the city below to the Temple of Zeus Olympios. Unlike the buildings of the Acropolis, this temple took hundreds of years to build. Construction was started around 515 BCE, but it was interrupted by various catastrophes that beset Athens. Much later, in 174 BCE, the king of Syria, renewed the construction project, which was finally completed by the Roman emperor Hadrian nearly 300 years later. The temple was surrounded by 104 Corinthian columns, with additional Ionic colonnades inside. It housed a colossal gold and ivory statue of Zeus, king of the gods. This too was lost in time. Leaving the parapet, we hike across the grounds to the museum. It is built mostly below ground level, so that it doesn't interfere with the great monuments here. It contains nearly all of the portable objects removed from the Acropolis since 1834. In the first rooms are fragments of pediment sculptures from the old temple of Athena, which give a good idea of the vivid colors used in temple decoration. Farther on is the Moschophoros, a painted marble statue of a young man carrying a sacrificial calf, dated 570 BCE. It is one of the earliest examples of Greek art in marble. There is a wonderful collection of korai, or maidens, dedicated as votive offerings to Athena sometime in the sixth century BCE. There are several metopes (the only pieces left in Greece) and a graceful sculpture of Athena Nike adjusting her sandals. Finally, in the last room are the authentic and semi- eroded caryatids from the Erechtheion, displayed in a vacuum chamber. It makes me remember how fragile art is, even when it is carved in stone, and I feel sad to think how much of the great art of Greece was taken away by foreigners. Leaving the museum, we walk along the south side of the Parthenon, looking down the south slope of the Acropolis. Below us is the huge theater of Dionysus. It was here that the masterpieces of Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides and Aristophanes were first performed. Rebuilt in the fourth century BCE, the theater seated 17,000 spectators (many more than most modern theaters). To the west of the theater are the ruins of the Asclepion, a sanctuary devoted to the healing god Asclepius and built around a sacred spring. There are also remains of a Byzantine church, the foundations of the Roman Stoa of Eumenes, and a colonnade of stalls which stretches to the Herodeion. At last we return to the Propylaea, where we began. It is time to leave the Acropolis, even though I would prefer not to go. I could spend several days exploring this place, but we must get back to Zoe Zoe before our Australian friends arrive for dinner. I take one last look at the Parthenon and touch the marble of the Propylaea and make a promise to come back. Down the marble stairs we go, and out through the Pylons of Marcellinus. To learn more about the architecture of the Acropolis, read Greek Architecture and also Parthenon and Perseus Project. To read more about ancient Athens, see The Ancient City of Athens. To find out how a 6th grade class is sstudying Classical Greece, click on It's Greek to Me.
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| what did you think of 300
Let me know if you think that 300 was a great movie
| 1 | 3 | Kada: 10/25 7:22a
Į: yes I like it!
Parašė: Anca Cristina |
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