Citadel Acropolis Of Athens

Faded reminiscent of a lavish bygone era, Acropolis is a collection of multiple monuments. The current state is due to foreign occupation, pilfering of foreign archaeologist, inept renovations and of course nature's fury. Along with these factor,the indifferent visitor who do not respect the history have made it worse. Does this  remind you of multiple monuments across India. History repeats itself no matter the location.

A short climb up the flat rock outcrop and one reaches the propylaea. It is the gateway to the cradle of history. Phidias was the lead architect. The first sight of Doric columns from a distance, the most easiest to sketch was underwhelmed by the crowds. But as we got closer to the gateway, the temple of Athena Nike with ionic columns and the scale of the Doric columns gave us the first preview of what can be expected inside the citadel of acropolis.

Stairs Leading to western facade of Propylaea

The reconstructed Temple of Athena Nike in tetra style( 4 columns)- Architect - Kallikrates

Structure of Propylaea made of white pentelic marble and grey eluesinian marble ( limestone) and the 8.81 meters tall Doric columns

After the entry through the gateway, the first thing that caught our eyes was a shroud of scaffolding and a tall crane hiding the crown jewel the Parthenon. The mammoth restoration is on since the 1983. Respect!!! Restoration was one of the majors that tempted me a lot while studying architecture. Maybe someday....

Parthenon was constructed between 447 BC and  438 BC under the eyes of  Architects Ictinus and Callicratus. That is 2018+ 447 =2465 years ago. Aren't these number mind boggling. Maybe not to Indians , but for most it should be something that could trigger a food for thought. Most travelers especially the ones who aren't into history or architecture tend to disrespect the magnanimous temple of Athena. It is no more than a quick selfie with the marble temple. I hope travelers spent a little more time with the guides or reading about this history.

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Parthenon

https://www.visit-ancient-greece.com/the-parthenon.html

North east corner of the Doric colonnades

East pediment showing the birth of Goddess Athena from head of her father Zeus in now housed in the British Museum. Shouldn't it be returned??

As a student of architecture,The caryatids or the maidens of Erechtheion left a lasting impression on me. Maybe it was the grace of the marble maidens with their robes - a belted Doric peplos and short himation clinging to every curve and the uniquely rendered hairstyles or idea of conflating an architectural element with human body in a direct way  or was it the thought that below their feet laid the grave of kekrops, be it any of these reasons, this piece of Greek architecture always remained with me. But the disappointment was immense when i realized what i saw from a distance was a replica. One of the maidens was stolen by the British and the others are housed in the new acropolis museum.

The South east corner of the complex with ionic column entrance to temple of athena Polias  https://www.ancient-greece.org/architecture/erechtheion.html

The Porch of caryatids

Erectheion was built on the city’s most sacred ground. Its location contains  several of the most sacred spots in Athenian myth and legend.  It was the very spot were Poseidon and Athena fought each other for the patronage of Athens. They had eventually decided to let the Athenians decide who should be their main deity, each offering a gift. Poseidon gave  the Athenians the sea, symbolizing the city’s strategic position controlling the Aegean trade routes, while Athena had bestowed the Athenians with the olive tree, standing for the agricultural wealth of the Attic plains..The Athenians chose Athena’s gift. In Classical times, both the tree and the sea were believed to still be present in this location. But in the current times, the sacred olive tree seen in the picture above is claimed to be the same one Athena gifted the Greeks.

Slender and graceful ionic column of Erechtheion 

Odeon, a greco roman theater was built in 161 BC and is still used for live performances. Yanni, one of my all time favourites , exploded into the world music scene with his concert held here. Standing at the very top of the  5000 seats open air theater, i could only imagine and hope he would perform at the location again and i would be among the 5000.

A short walk from Odeon is the world's first theater. The goddess and patron of drama/ plays and wine Dionysus was the inspiration behind this historical place . The acoustics of this 17,000 seater would have made the applause sound even better after each performance. May the art never cease to exists.

Theater of Herodes Atticus

Theater of Dionysus. 

May 2017

Athens, Greece

The Travel Connection: Every Art connoisseur's dream- The world's first theater
Tip: Read up on the history before visit