THE CITY OF THE GODDESS ATHENA: ATHENIAN ACROPOLIS

Whenever I have the possibility I try to do road trips. It is an ideal way to travel on your own, stopping in the places that catch your attention, either because of their rich history or because of their beautiful landscapes. So, it was in the case of Athens, the Greek capital, it was a part of a larger journey across mainland Greece and its paradisiacal islands, Crete and Rhodes. But, I will tell you about this in the other article. Let’s focus about Athens now!

THE CRADLE OF EUROPEAN CIVILIZATION

Not sure if you remember from your school years the History of the Greeks. They were tribes that came from the Asian continent and settled in what we know today as Greece, in addition to the area of ​​Minor Asia, currently Turkey. The Greeks were polytheistic tribes, that is, they believed in a multitude of gods, including Zeus, the lord of all, who ruled from his abode on Mount Olympus. I suppose that you have ever read Greek Mythology or at least you know some myths, but it’s possible to say that their gods had characteristics very similar to men, and I do not mean only the good things, also the most negative feelings, which makes Mythology in my humble point of view in a soap opera of jealousy, love, revenge, etc. The Greeks also spoke the same language and believed in the same origin, but they never managed to create a unitary state, I suppose that this is also due to the characteristics of the terrain, very mountainous and difficult to communicate, so it was easier for them to travel by sea than by land, and instead of a state they created city-states, called polis.

Athens was one of the most prominent polis, important in its time, it had created the Delian League and had many influences on the other Greek polis. Although nothing lasts forever, since Sparta’s jealousy led to the Peloponnesian Wars in the 5^th and 4^th century BC, and ended its hegemony. However, we are not going to focus in this article on its time of maximum splendor during the classical period (5^th century) and the creation of the most outstanding monuments that we currently have the opportunity to visit.

ACROPOLIS DEDICATED TO THE GODDESS ATHENA

When you get to the Greek capital there is a more important place that you should not miss, it is Acropolis, the city that was built on top of a hill to commemorate the victory that the Greeks won over the Persians in the Persian Wars (surely you will have seen the movie “300”, it narrates one of the battles that took place during this war). The most important Temple is the Parthenon dedicated to the goddess Athena, the Greek divinity of wisdom. It is an octostyle temple (with eight columns on the main facade – unique in Greece with so many columns) and of Doric order. Inside the temple was divided into three longitudinal naves, separated by columns, and in the central one was the giant sculpture of the goddess Athena, made by the famous sculptor: Phidias. By using the chryselephantine technique, that is, a wooden skeleton, covered with gold and ivory, the sculpture presented very natural features, it even had crystal eyes inlaid. Did you know that Greek sculptures were polychrome? In other words, they were painted in colors, although the ink did not survive until our time and for this reason we have the general feeling that Greek sculptures are made of white marble.

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Another very prominent temple in the city of Acropolis is of course Erechtheion. Why? For one of the terraces of the temple instead of having the typical columns of the Doric, Ionic or Corinthian order, represents the columns, whose shafts are shaped like female bodies. They are called the caryatids. These columns are supposed to represent the daughters of Erecteus, an Athenian monarch. Also next to the temple is located in the magical olive tree, which according to Greek myths was the place where the fight between the goddess Athena and the god Poseidon, the marine deity, took place for the government over Acropolis. The olive tree in Ancient Greece was considered a plant that symbolized immortality, victory and fertility. Legend says that Athena drove her spear into the ground and from it sprouted the roots of the tree that became a very precious gift for the citizens and they chose her as the patron saint of the city.

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WHAT ELSE YOU SHOULD NOT MISS IN ATHENS

A magnificent place to explore the city and enjoy art and culture is, of course, the old Athenian neighborhood, called Plaka, also known by the nickname of the Quarter of the Gods due to its proximity to the Acropolis. It is a charming place with small labyrinthine alleys, brimming with traditional architecture, as well as old taverns, where you want to stop and have a typical dish from the area. By the way, the Greek food is delicious.

Not far away there is the Ancient Agora and the Roman Agora. The Ancient Agora was the witness of the birth and development of democracy, being the meeting place of the first inhabitants already 600 BC. Did you know that democracy was born in Athens? The term comes from the Greek word “demos” which could be translated by the people, while “krátos” by power, in other words, the power of the people. Although it should be noted that at that time only men of legal age and recognized as citizens had the right to vote. On the other hand, the Roman Agora was built during the government of Augustus, the first Roman emperor, between 19 and 11 BC. In it is possible to visit Hadrian’s Library, the Tower of the Winds or the Athena’s Door.

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Finally, if you are a hiking lover, you should climb Lycabettus Mount for a chance to see the sunset and how beautiful Athens becomes during the golden hour. I recommend you walk up since this way you can contemplate the enchanting views from various viewpoints that are located along the way.

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TIPS:

• Parking can be a bit difficult, although I didn’t have a big problem, perhaps because it was August, the hottest month, when everybody goes to the beach. But, I moved away a little from the main streets of the city.
• I recommend you visit the Museum of Archeology, located next to the Acropolis, you can see works of art more than 2000 years old. It’s amazing!

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