Athens: Agora
Hello Everyone from Athens,
Today was a very busy day again for me. We left the hotel in the morning and walked to the Agora. This was the center of the city of Athens. It was sacred space so it had temples and the Sacred Road which led up to the Acropolis. Each year on Athena's Birthday the people of Athens would walk up to the acropolis to make sacrifices and adorn her statue with a new dress.
The area of the agora was purchased with money from John D. Rockefeller. The old house were moved form the area and excavations began. The rail line runs directly through the ancient Agora.
We walked to the altar of the 12 Olympic gods. This was the center of the ancient Agora and all distances were measured from the point to everywhere else in Greece. Now it is at the edge of the archeological park and a modern wall runs over the middle of the altar. This wall divides this area from the railway line.
We walked on the to the Hephaisteion also called the Theseion. This is the best preserved ancient Greek temple in Greece. It was built c. 449-440BC. It is a Doric temple with Ionic elements. The roof is well preserved and it is on hill which overlooks the Agora and has a commanding view of the Acropolis.
We then walked to the site of the ancient prison of Athens. It was located outside of the temenos which was sacred space. This is the likely site of the imprisonment and death of Socrates. At this site they found several small bottles which were used to hold the poison hemlock which was used as a forced suicide of the condemmed. Also found here is a small statue of a figure that looks much like Socrates and a fragment of a drinking cup with name of Socrates friend inscribed on the it. These items are nicely displayed in the Agora museum.
We also visited the Moument of the Eponymous Heros. Cliesthenes brought reforms to bring about democracy in Athens. He reorganized the tribes of Athens by forming 10 new tribes. These made of citizens from different parts of Attica. He went to Delphi and asked the Oracle for help and the Oracle endorsed this process and gave the names of the 10 Eponynomous Heros which became the names of the 10 new tribes. This monument was a place that members of each tribe could meet and post messages. This new organization of tribes made it possible for democracy to work. They formed the Council of 500 (Boule), with 50 from each of the 10 tribes. One tribal delegation would write laws for 1/10 of the year then it had to ratified by the 500. The writing of laws would rotate to each tribal delegation. The Tholos is where the Tribe writing the laws would meet and the Bouleterion is where the council of 500 would meet.
We then visited the Agora Museum. It has many interesting items it and it has been newly redone since my last visit in 2003. Inside are the items connected with the Athenian prison and Socrates death that I descibe above. Also on display are are several ostraca (singular from ostracon). An ostracon is any piece of broken pottery with writing on it. Ancient people used broken pottery like we might use an old envelope today, for lists, notes, etc. These ostraca are special because they were used for an unpopularity contest which could be held annual in Athens. Whoever was the top vote getter was voted out of Athens for 10 years. Several of these ostraca have the name Themistocles. Themistocles was a general and politician in Athens . He had fought in the battle of Marathon and organized the plan for the Battle of Salamis but he was voted out in 471BC because the people believed he had accepted bribes.
Also in the museum is a machine devised to pick juries at random. Names of the jurors chose at random from the 10 tribes where place in a stone grid. Then white and black rounded stones were dropped in the machine if a white one appear the row served on the jury if black they were dismissed. Near this was a water clock. This clock timed how long someone could speak during the trial.
Also we saw standards for weights and measures of dry and wet volumes and weights.
One of my favorite displays had toys and games that children would have used in Ancient Greece. They also had an ancient baby toliet seat!
After the museum we had a quick lunch. I had my favorite Greek salad and a gyro.
Then we began a long walk in the afternoon. We first walked up towards the Acropolis again.
We stopped for a visit to the Areopagus (the Hill of Ares) or Mars Hill. This is a stone outcrop which looks over the Agora and has commanding view of the Acropolis. It was an ancient place for trials especially those involving murder. By the Roman period there was a council called the Areopagus. It sometimes meet here on this hill and sometimes in a stoa in the Agora. Paul speaks before this council (see Acts 17). Acts records that Dionysios the Areopagite was converted to Christianity by Paul's preaching.
The Areopagus is also the setting for the trial of Orestes in the play Eumenides by Aeschylus.
We then walked to the Pnyx hill. This overlooks the Aeropagus, the Agora, and Parthenon. This is place where the bema would meet to discuss political and legal matters. Any citizen could speak but for a limited time (timed by a water clock). 6000 Athenians would gather here 40 times a year. They would also decide if an ostracism would be held. When it was held the vote would take place on top of this hill.
After this we visited the Theater of Dionysius. This is the birthplace of drama. In this theater contests would held in honor of Dionysus. Three playwrights works would performed and the winner would be chosen. The entire process would begin and end with a day of relgious worship and have 3 days (oen for each playwright) of plays in the middle.
We ended the day with a walk to the mounment of Lysikrates. He was the patron or producer of a winning play in one of the contests in the theater of Dionysius. It was built in 334BC to commerate the victory the year before. It has six Corinthian columns and is the earliest example of these on mainland Greece. Lord Byron was inspired by the monument while staying nearby in 1810. He wrote part of his poem Childe Harold while sitting by the monument.
After this we headed back to the hotel for some well deserved rest.
Tomorrow we will tour the Kerameikos the ancient cemetary of Athens.
John Wineland, Athens
Today was a very busy day again for me. We left the hotel in the morning and walked to the Agora. This was the center of the city of Athens. It was sacred space so it had temples and the Sacred Road which led up to the Acropolis. Each year on Athena's Birthday the people of Athens would walk up to the acropolis to make sacrifices and adorn her statue with a new dress.
The area of the agora was purchased with money from John D. Rockefeller. The old house were moved form the area and excavations began. The rail line runs directly through the ancient Agora.
We walked to the altar of the 12 Olympic gods. This was the center of the ancient Agora and all distances were measured from the point to everywhere else in Greece. Now it is at the edge of the archeological park and a modern wall runs over the middle of the altar. This wall divides this area from the railway line.
We walked on the to the Hephaisteion also called the Theseion. This is the best preserved ancient Greek temple in Greece. It was built c. 449-440BC. It is a Doric temple with Ionic elements. The roof is well preserved and it is on hill which overlooks the Agora and has a commanding view of the Acropolis.
We then walked to the site of the ancient prison of Athens. It was located outside of the temenos which was sacred space. This is the likely site of the imprisonment and death of Socrates. At this site they found several small bottles which were used to hold the poison hemlock which was used as a forced suicide of the condemmed. Also found here is a small statue of a figure that looks much like Socrates and a fragment of a drinking cup with name of Socrates friend inscribed on the it. These items are nicely displayed in the Agora museum.
We also visited the Moument of the Eponymous Heros. Cliesthenes brought reforms to bring about democracy in Athens. He reorganized the tribes of Athens by forming 10 new tribes. These made of citizens from different parts of Attica. He went to Delphi and asked the Oracle for help and the Oracle endorsed this process and gave the names of the 10 Eponynomous Heros which became the names of the 10 new tribes. This monument was a place that members of each tribe could meet and post messages. This new organization of tribes made it possible for democracy to work. They formed the Council of 500 (Boule), with 50 from each of the 10 tribes. One tribal delegation would write laws for 1/10 of the year then it had to ratified by the 500. The writing of laws would rotate to each tribal delegation. The Tholos is where the Tribe writing the laws would meet and the Bouleterion is where the council of 500 would meet.
We then visited the Agora Museum. It has many interesting items it and it has been newly redone since my last visit in 2003. Inside are the items connected with the Athenian prison and Socrates death that I descibe above. Also on display are are several ostraca (singular from ostracon). An ostracon is any piece of broken pottery with writing on it. Ancient people used broken pottery like we might use an old envelope today, for lists, notes, etc. These ostraca are special because they were used for an unpopularity contest which could be held annual in Athens. Whoever was the top vote getter was voted out of Athens for 10 years. Several of these ostraca have the name Themistocles. Themistocles was a general and politician in Athens . He had fought in the battle of Marathon and organized the plan for the Battle of Salamis but he was voted out in 471BC because the people believed he had accepted bribes.
Also in the museum is a machine devised to pick juries at random. Names of the jurors chose at random from the 10 tribes where place in a stone grid. Then white and black rounded stones were dropped in the machine if a white one appear the row served on the jury if black they were dismissed. Near this was a water clock. This clock timed how long someone could speak during the trial.
Also we saw standards for weights and measures of dry and wet volumes and weights.
One of my favorite displays had toys and games that children would have used in Ancient Greece. They also had an ancient baby toliet seat!
After the museum we had a quick lunch. I had my favorite Greek salad and a gyro.
Then we began a long walk in the afternoon. We first walked up towards the Acropolis again.
We stopped for a visit to the Areopagus (the Hill of Ares) or Mars Hill. This is a stone outcrop which looks over the Agora and has commanding view of the Acropolis. It was an ancient place for trials especially those involving murder. By the Roman period there was a council called the Areopagus. It sometimes meet here on this hill and sometimes in a stoa in the Agora. Paul speaks before this council (see Acts 17). Acts records that Dionysios the Areopagite was converted to Christianity by Paul's preaching.
The Areopagus is also the setting for the trial of Orestes in the play Eumenides by Aeschylus.
We then walked to the Pnyx hill. This overlooks the Aeropagus, the Agora, and Parthenon. This is place where the bema would meet to discuss political and legal matters. Any citizen could speak but for a limited time (timed by a water clock). 6000 Athenians would gather here 40 times a year. They would also decide if an ostracism would be held. When it was held the vote would take place on top of this hill.
After this we visited the Theater of Dionysius. This is the birthplace of drama. In this theater contests would held in honor of Dionysus. Three playwrights works would performed and the winner would be chosen. The entire process would begin and end with a day of relgious worship and have 3 days (oen for each playwright) of plays in the middle.
We ended the day with a walk to the mounment of Lysikrates. He was the patron or producer of a winning play in one of the contests in the theater of Dionysius. It was built in 334BC to commerate the victory the year before. It has six Corinthian columns and is the earliest example of these on mainland Greece. Lord Byron was inspired by the monument while staying nearby in 1810. He wrote part of his poem Childe Harold while sitting by the monument.
After this we headed back to the hotel for some well deserved rest.
Tomorrow we will tour the Kerameikos the ancient cemetary of Athens.
John Wineland, Athens
posted by John Wineland at 8:51 AM
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