Category: Blog

A bit of the history of the Acropolis

The Acropolis overlooks Athens on a limestone outcropping providing great views of the city and inspiring views of the temples from below, the Parthenon being the most prominent. Its defensive properties no doubt appealed to early inhabitants. Evidence of their interest dates to the 4th millennium BCE.  The Mycenaean Megaron palace was probably built here during the late bronze age. The temple to Athena Polias came circa 550 BCE, a bit after the Old Temple of Athena. A structure called the Older Parthenon was started circa 500 BCE but sacked by the Persians, who destroyed and looted the city. Elements of that structure were used to build the curtain wall still visible today. Pericles (circa 495–429 BCE) built the Parthenon, the Propylaia, the Erechtheion and the Temple of Athena Nike.

Parthenon at Dusk, pen and ink, 15 x 21 cm/ 6 x 8 “

During the Hellenistic and Roman periods there were significant repairs to the temples. The Parthenon was used as a church during the Byzantine period. During the Duchy of Athens, founded by Crusaders, the Acropolis was the administrative center. The Propylaia, the monumental entrance to the Acropolis, was part of the Ducal palace. A large tower was added to the Propylaia but later demolished.

The Propylaia

It was the Venetians who most seriously damaged the Parthenon. In 1687 it was largely intact until gunpowder stored in the Parthenon exploded after it was struck by a cannonball. Columns fell, the roof collapsed. This accounts for its appearance before the renovations began in the 1990’s.

The Parthenon

Temple of Erechtheion or Erechtheum

Caryatid at Temple of Erechtheion, pen and ink, at the Museum

In 1801 Thomas Bruce, the Earl of Elgin, transported sculptures to England with permission of the Ottomans. These were later sold to the British Museum where they remain to this day, much to the chagrin of the Greeks, who call it a theft.  After the Greeks became independent from the Ottoman Empire in 1830, anything from the Byzantine, Duchy (124-1500) and Ottoman periods were removed.

The columns of the Parthenon are now being restored and put in place. Some of the 19th century restorations to the columns are being redone as the columns were incorrectly assembled. Over 2000 tons of marble elements have been restored to date using new Pentelic, the same marble the ancients used. It is white so you can distinguish it from the older marble, which has a yellow tint. This marble comes from the region northeast of Athens.

For further information visit the Acropolis Museum to watch the excellent videos. Also click the links below.

Ancient-greece.org

Acropolis in Greek literally means “the highest point of the town”

Great timeline history of Greece Timeline

Acropolis Museum

October 19, 2019
Photos from the National Archaeological Museum in Athens

The National Archaeological Museum in Athens is one of the world’s finest of its type and competes with the best of any type. The collection is stupendous and the display and organization are top notch. Here are some of the photos we took during our visit.

[envira-gallery id=”9528″]

October 12, 2019
The Acropolis

Oct 7, 2019

We boarded the train for Athens in Thessaloniki a week ago for the 4 hour journey, waving to the gods as we passed Mount Olympus, ducking a lighting bolt chucked our way. These gods dislike non-believers, apparently.

Mount Olympus

The dry land between us and the gods supports cotton fields and olive groves. White stucco houses populate the small villages sitting in the bright sun under cerulean blue skies.

From Athens surprisingly small central train station we took a taxi to our apartment, from whence it is a short walk to a lovely view of the Acropolis, with the Olympic stadium at our feet and at its original site. Here terminated the run from a town called Marathon when, in 490 BCE, a vastly outnumbered Athenian army defeated the Persians.

The next day we walked the 2 kilometers to the Acropolis – acro meaning high point, polis meaning city. The temples there evoke both vast appreciation for the skills of the ancient Greeks and a sadness for all that has been lost, much of it in fairly recent times with the explosion of stockpiled weapons and the removal if not theft of sculptures and more by the British, whose impressive collection resides in the British Museum.

Parthenon at Dusk, pen and ink, 15 x 21 cm/ 6 x 8 “

The Parthenon is the largest of the structures atop the outcropping. It dates to 447 BC when Athens was at its zenith. The temple is a superb example of Doric style that I speculate came from the invading Doric tribe who settled in a place called Sparta. The temple gave home to a 13 meter, 40 foot wooden sculpture of Athena, clad with precious metals and accompanied by her snake and shield. The goddess who gave her name to this city is no longer is with us, so I was spared the lightning bolt. Per the video we know what she looked like and how she was adorned, an altogether impressive sight to greet those who climbed the steep hill to pay their respects.

The sculptures and friezes that adorned the temples were legion. There were 92 elements to the frieze atop the Parthenon alone. An impressive number survive to this day. Here a few examples:

Multiple busts in the museum

My pen and ink sketch of one of the statues in the Acropoli Museum. I was particularly impressed with the flowing robes.

The Parthenon as of the day we visited. There is one crane in operation currently.

My favorite temple is this small one, for the caryatids that support the roof. Another fabulous view beyond.

The originals are in the museum:

These are the actual caryatids, in the museum

The reconstruction of the Parthenon continues, as well documented in the films shown in the Museum, located near the base of the outcropping upon which the temples rest. In the films workers chisel on marble, showing also the templates they use to match the ancient designs. The old stone has a yellow tinge compared to the bright white of the new so you can see what changes have been made.

view of Acropolis from its museum

Modern cranes effortlessly lift the repaired columns with their older bits now joined with new stone. There is a model of an ancient crane, hand cranked yet capable of raising the original columns as well.

Perhaps the most gorgeous piece in the museum is the floral decor that was on the pediment of the Parthenon:

floral decor on the pediment of the Parthenon

Below the temples is the Odeon Theater, still in use. It is next to the Theater of Dionysus. The black bags in the photo contain seat cushions wrapped for protection from the elements. The acoustics are excellent. I could hear Peg despite the noise of the crowd as I sat about half way up. We wonder if the sound was even better in the days of Euripides and Sophocles when it was at its peak of completion. Great views abound.

== The Odeon

Dionysus Theater

October 7, 2019
Churches of Thessaloniki: Panagia Archiropiitos

September 2019

Panagia (Mary) Archiropiitos might be named after a icon of Panagia Hodegetria said to have miraculously appeared. Archiropiitos means ‘not made by hands.’ The church dates from the 5th century. It is a basilica, meaning it has a center aisle flanked by a side aisle on each side (some basilicas have two side aisles on each side). The current entrance has three arches. The ionian capitals are exquisite as are the green marbles. Fire damaged frescoes depict the Forty Martyrs of Sebaste.

Photo from wikipedia

Photo from wikipedia

Photos by Peg:

Avove: mosaics in the arches between the church’s 24 columns

October 2, 2019
Churches of Thessaloniki: Agia Sofia

The Agia Sophia dates from the 8th century and is modeled after the Hagia Sophia in Constantinople (4th century), also still standing. Photos by Peg.

The Ascension is shown in the dome.

The church was converted into a mosque after the city’s absorption into the Ottoman Empire in 1440. Here you can see the remains of the minaret. You can see the arch in the Islamic style versus the Roman style which is rounded.

October 1, 2019
Thessaloniki, co-capitol of Greece, 315 BCE

October 2, 2019

Thessaloniki is the capitol of the Macedonian region of Greece (not the country called North Macedonia), the second-largest city in Greece. In Greek it is referred to as the co-capitol of the country, a position it also occupied in the Byzantine Empire alongside Constantinople. Founded in 315 BCE, it was named after the half sister of Alexander the Great. It was once home to a large Jewish community, some of whom came when expelled from Spain. It was devastated by the Nazis. Of the 49,000 shipped to death camps, only 2000 returned.

Also of historical import: the Apostle Paul preached in the Upper City and developed contacts that led to his letters to the Thessalonians that constitute two of the Bible’s 27 books. The city was part of the Ottoman Empire until 1912, almost 100 years after the Greeks successfully fought to escape Ottoman control.

There are many Byzantine and Paleochristian monuments, Roman and ancient Greek agora just two minutes from our place, the churches Hagia Sophia of Thessaloniki, Acheiropoietos, Panagia Chalkeon, all UNESCO World Heritage Sites, as well as Ottoman and Sephardic Jewish structures. You can see the fine equestrian statues of Alexander the Great and Constantine. The Archaeological and Byzantine Culture Museums are major attractions. The latter is a purpose designed building that flows smoothly between exhibits. There are paintings dating from the 1500-1600’s whose vivid colors jump off the wall. The bright red lips, as if lipstick were applied, attracted my attention immediately. It was not just one painting but many with this characteristic. I finally found a way to get my new mobile phone to get a good image in the dim lighting, which I then brought out further with GNU photo editor, which I use for all of the editing I do. The red on the lips was even more pronounced than what I have been able to produce.

The Archaeological Museum has many of the fine examples I have seen of pottery, gold, silver and paintings.

Scenes from the Old Testament of Joseph, 1687

Earrings 500 BCE

The White Tower, a symbol of the city, has 6 floors with a gallery dissecting the city’s long history in each one. It also affords great views of the huge bay and the city’s hills. The Thessaloniki Concert Hall is home to the opera. There are two symphony orchestras. There is an annual International Film Festival. The city reportedly has the highest concentration of cafes and bars in Europe. Judging by my experience so far, this is not an exaggeration. Coffee shops, bakeries, gyros (kebab) places, traditional Greek as well as a wide variety of other restaurants all abound. People walk about eating or sit outside in the mild and pleasant late September weather. The waterfront has 12 thematic gardens and parks.

View from the White Tower. The boat offers a tour of the harbor for the price of drinks

Retsina, the pitch flavored white wine

September 29, 2019
Viking in Dokkum 2

This is my second rendition of our boat in front of one of the two old windmills in the tiny town of Dokkum in Friesland, the northeast province of the Netherlands.

Viking in Dokkum 2, water color, 8 x 8″, 20 cm x 20 cm on Arches paper

September 23, 2019
Zwolle

September 18, 2019

There is evidence of inhabitation in Zwolle (meaning ‘hill,’ a cognate of ‘swollen’) during the Bronze Age, circa 6000 bce. The Franks occupied the area during Roman times. The city dates from 800 CE. In the area around the hill upon which the city there are four rivers, IJssel, Vecht, Aa and Zwarte Water. The city center still shows its octagonal defensive formation. Zwolle joined the Hanseatic League in 1294. In the 15th century its wealth grew exponentially from trade. Thomas à Kempis, noted religious author, spent most of his life at the Augustan monastery that once stood here.

The city’s center of 125,000 is a superbly crafted mixture of the old and new. There is new construction that blends in well with the older brick structures. It is a shopping zone with residential areas nearer the edge. It is surrounded by the moat, where we sit on our boat just a moment away from the scene below, where there is much of the construction in brick to match the old.

Zwolle at night, followed by a day shot of the same general area:

Then there is the really old:

The old gate

Another example of the new but this is outside the old center.

Theater de Spiegel

Like everywhere we have been, there is a friendly and often festive atmosphere, the festiveness pronounced in the summer when people more readily enjoy socializing outdoors. The restaurants are busy, with lots of outdoor seating. Few people use tobacco so one is not bothered. Bikes galore run up and down the streets except in pedestrian only zones, which most bikers respect. The young, the old, the in between, the infant, all come to town on one type of bike or another.

There is easy banter with the people you meet. The Dutch not only understand American humor they gave serve it on their own terms. A waiter came to ask if we needed help with the Dutch – we have become fairly well versed on the menus – and I said I could translate into English for him. I pointed to something labeled “Mixed Platter” and I said, “Now in English we would say “Mixed Platter.” That’s a subtle joke (I am not claiming it is a good one), but he got it. Peg ordered that very thing. I commented, “You will need help with that,” referring to what looked like a large order. He climbed in next to me and said, “I’ll be glad to help.”

The port area

September 20, 2019
Latest news from our time in the Peace Corps

September, 2019

We were in Peace Corps Panama 2009-10. We worked with coffee producers. Some were using organic methods, switching after deeming chemicals too toxic for workers and the environment. One, Lito Lezcano, developed organic products to fertilize and fumigate the plants, which were shade grown under platanos and other trees. One of the things we did was search for a better outlet for Lito’s product and anyone else who cared to participate. Peggy was talking to another volunteer one day, mentioned this effort and he and his wife in fact were planning to import Panamanian coffee into their Vermont store. In fact they did and we bought some once when we passed by, and we stayed in their house a few nights while they were gone.

Lately Lito began selling directly to the public. His product is called Cafe Don Lito, and is some of the finest I have ever had, and that’s going some, as I have lived in Italy, Spain, France and other European countries I consider to have the finest products.

Photo of their ad shot, my comments on Instagram and their reply in English.

Don Lito was interviewed on Panamanian Television

Don Lito interviewed

September 3, 2019
Dokkum, crawling under bridges

August 25, 2019

In 2000 we came to Dokkum, a small town in Friesland, the northeast section of the Nederlands. It has two thatched roof windmills whose sails are lit at night with a subtle purple light.

Viking in Dokkum, water color, 8 x 8″

Viking in Dokkum

Viking in Dokkum

File source: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Joure,_straatzicht_met_kerk_foto4_2011-04-26_17.19.JPG

File source: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dokkum,_straatzicht4_foto1_2009-09-19_13.04.JPG

On the way to Dokkum we stopped in a tiny town called Wijns (wines). There are 258 residents as of the last official count. Many were in the small park next to the restaurant, which was booked for lunch and had no reservation space for dinner, although we got in as it turns out there is a section reserved for those without reservations – who would have thunk it? Children frolicked in the canal. Women changed clothes behind trees and sun bathed topless. Boats loped past. Sheep plead for dinner, not to be it.

Wijns, a small village near Dokkum, pen and ink, Company, 6″ x 8″ 15 x 21 cm



To the southeast there is a route back to Leeuwarden, rather than the route we took to get here. There are 7 or 8 bridges that are barely high enough to pass under. We have to come to a complete stop and kneel on the deck as we pass under the bridge. Many of the bridges are lined with kids who dive or jump into the water on this hot day. At one bridge two older teens climbed onto our swim platform, talking to us as we proceeded. It was getting too far for a swim back to the bridge when they saw people coming towards us on a small boat. They asked for a ride back and were welcomed aboard. They swam over to the craft.

Southeast of Dokkum, barely three inches/8 cm to spare

We came to a mooring that promised shade for the remainder of the day. We had just this boat with two people and a gaggle of noisy Canadian geese for neighbors. Wine and cheese on the deck!

Mooring in the shage

August 27, 2019