Athens: The Glory that was Greece

The Parthenon 
 

          I've had a hard time trying to think of how to approach my Athens post. I get so excited about Classical Greece that I become overwhelmed with all of the information I want to share and can't decide how to prioritize. I love the mythology, the literature, the drama, the art, the architecture, the philosophy (and the sophistry!). I love that its culture shaped Western Civilization and its influence can be seen in so many things today. In thinking about all of this, I realized that maybe I should write about how I became interested in the glory that was Greece, and why I was like a little kid on Christmas eve before our day in Athens. If you would like to learn more about the time period, the BBC online has some great resources for all ages at their Primary History site here.
        My first experience with Classical Greece was when I was four-years-old. I played the young Ismene in a college production of Sophocles' Oedipus Rex. I had two brief appearances on stage - playing with a wooden toy and skipping across marble steps with my sister, Antigone (played by my friend, Laura) and crying and clinging to my father, Oedipus, blinded by his own hand and lamenting his cursed family (the bloody bandage over his eyes was pretty traumatic and it took some convincing my concerned little self that the actor was just fine underneath). Though the plot of the drama was beyond my comprehension and I spent most of my time in the green room playing with Laura and entertaining the Greek chorus, I was hooked. I got to wear a toga with gold bands wrapped around it and in my hair. I loved the columns and the steps of the set, and the dramatic speeches of the older actors and actresses.
        Next, I learned to read and someone gave me a book (maybe from a Scholastic book fair?) about the Greek gods and goddesses. My favorite story was about Athena and  Arachne. I also loved the stories of the Trojan Horse and The Minotaur and the Labyrinth. Most of my imaginary play centered on the inhabitants of Mt. Olympus. I loved to pretend to be Athena, while my friends and cousins filled in the roles of the other goddesses such as Aphrodite, Hera and Artemis. My dolls, dressed in tissue paper togas, also took the roles of the goddesses and other figures in mythology. As my reading skill increased, so did my eagerness to read anything Greek related: encyclopedia articles, art and architecture books and mythology. I was fascinated by the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World and wondered what it would be like to sail into Rhodes and see the giant Colossus standing watch over the port.
     In tenth grade, I was delighted when my parents generously allowed me to go on a class trip to Italy and Greece, and I got to actually experience the Parthenon, the Agora, and the oracle of Delphi. My interest expanded to the politics of Ancient Greece, the roots of democracy, and the discoveries of the Greeks that became important building blocks in Western culture. I returned two years later, to compete in an international public speaking competition, and the fact that Athens was the home to oratory was not lost on me. Maybe it is no coincidence that I chose rhetoric as a field of study (though I think I have the influence of an exceptional mama to also thank for that).
      Now that I'm older, I can appreciate some of the finer nuances of Classical Greece. I see that the themes, both social and political, are enduring and have repeated themselves time and time again across the centuries. I don't always agree with Plato, and have a particular soft spot for some of the sophists, such as Gorgias and Lysias. I better understand the plot points of Sophocles, I can laugh along with some of Aristophanes' humorous dialogue, and I enjoy the language not just the sets and costumes. I still wonder what it would be like to sail into Rhodes and see the Colossus, and I hope now that I've introduced Christopher to some of the delights of Greece that one day he will, too.
      

 Move over Schliemann, there's a new archaeologist in town. Christopher concentrates on excavating at the Acropolis. The Erectheion temple is in the background.

The Caryatid Porch of the Erectheion. Each statue of a Peloponnesian maiden has individual facial features, hair and clothing. The three on the right have their right knee raised and the three on the left have their left knee raised. Remarkably, the statues are carved in such a way that the slenderest portion, their necks, provides support for the roof of the porch.

Capitals of two Ionic columns excavated at the Acropolis site. The majority of the Parthenon is constructed in the less decorative Doric order, but it does contain some Ionic elements.

A view of the Agora from the Acropolis with the Temple of Hephaestus. In Ancient Greek, "agora" literally meant "gathering place." The Agora was the center of public life in Athens. Political and judicial meetings were held here as well as sporting events and markets.
 

 Stadium from the first modern Olympic games in 1896. Built entirely of white marble, it was the finish line for the first modern marathon run from Marathon to Athens.

Graffiti on the walls of a historical building of the University of Athens. There is currently great political unrest in Greece due to the debt crisis and corruption in the government. Athens is frequently the center of protests, but we experienced a quiet day in the Greek capital.

 The National Archaeological Museum of Athens
"A great city, whose image dwells in the memory of man, is the type of some great idea. Rome represents conquest; Faith hovers over the towers of Jerusalem; and Athens embodies the pre-eminent quality of the antique world, Art." - Benjamin Disraeli, British Prime Minister

Minoan pottery in the "Marine Style." Much of the archaeological record of Ancient Greece comes from its durable pottery. The inscriptions and images on the over 100,000 recovered pieces and fragments have given a great insight into the lives and minds of Ancient Greeks. This octopus vase celebrates the rich relationship between the Minoan culture and the sea. It was probably used as a storage and transport vessel.

Jockey of Artemision. An excellent example of bronze Hellenistic sculpture, this statue was found in a shipwreck off the coast of Cape Artemision in 1926. The boy represented is thought to be a slave jockey that was approximately 10 years old.

Perhaps my favorite picture from the day :)