1. ENGLISH - Acropolis Athens Step-by-Step Guided Walking Visits / 2. ESPANOL - Visitas guiadas a pie paso a paso de la Acrópolis de Atenas / 3. FRANCAIS - Visites guidées à pied étape par étape de l'Acropole d'Athènes / 4. DEUTSCH - Schritt-für-Schritt-Führung durch die Akropolis von Athen / 5. ITALIANO / 6. PORTUGUES - Visitas a pé guiadas passo a passo pela Acrópole de Atenas / 9. JAPANESE - アテネのアクロポリスの段階的なガイド付きウォーキング訪問 / 11. CHINESE - 雅典卫城分步导游步行参观 / 

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ENGLISH - back to home page ... / ESPANOL - Volver a la página de inicio ... / FRANCAIS - retour à la page d'accueil ... / DEUTSCH - Zurück zur Startseite ... / ITALIANO - torna alla home page... / PORTUGUES - Voltar à página inicial ... / Επιστροφή στην αρχική σελίδα ... 

1. ENGLISH - ANCIENT GREEK TEMPLES - THE BEST COLLECTION OF PODCASTS AND YOUTUBE VIDEOS FOR ...   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uASUawzp6Sw&list=PLH99V1T9pDs5RLuK_yOURQYENGOXmVawL&index=6 

 

1. ENGLISH - Acropolis Athens Step-by-Step Guided Walking Visits   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5LUHXUM6crM&list=PLH99V1T9pDs4cYSpA8yCyLc-oLZQXWrzH&ab_channel=VirtualWalking   

 

1. ENGLISH - The Secrets of the Acropolis of Athens and of the Parthenon in Ancient Greece ...   

1.1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NfGdWhhjptk&list=PLH99V1T9pDs41kkYNxK9DLCd-mqUMf9H0&ab_channel=DiscoveryUK 


1.2 EMPIRES OF STONE - THE ACROPOLIS - 5 Videos with Transcripts and subtitles in GREEK language !   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXwqj5RSy3s&list=PL0A2554BCD6EE0B67


1.3 The Acropolis and The Parthenon - OpenLearn from The Open University  – 6 Videos with Transcript links !   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBHlj3j2kq0&list=PL351F9A038049993B&ab_channel=OpenLearnfromTheOpenUniversity     

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1975 - 2023 - GREEK / ENGLISH - By the Acropolis Restoration Service - The Works on the Athenian Acropolis ...   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Acsvw9YlpuA&list=PLH99V1T9pDs4HFKz7wY-QkegRCcH7b3C8&index=3&ab_channel=AcropolisRestorationService 

 

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and for more information visit the official website of the Acropolis Restoration Service (Y.S.M.A.) ... 

The Acropolis Restoration Service (YSMA) is a special service of the Greek Ministry of Culture and Sports for implementing the restoration interventions on the Acropolis monuments. Academic responsibility for carrying out the works has, since 1975, been held by the Committee for the Conservation of the Acropolis Monuments (ESMA).

and for more information visit The YouTube Service's channel which was created for the presentation of audiovisual material, new and archival, from the restorations at the monuments. 

and / or ...

1. ENGLISH - YOUR DESTINATION GREECE ! - The BEST COLLECTION of PODCASTS and YOUTUBE VIDEOS for - 19 Videos

and / or ...

1. ENGLISH - please Google me NIACTEC ... - The city of Chalkis ( Chalkida ) - Evia ( Euboea ) - Greece ) crazy waters ! - The tidal phenomenon - 9 Videos

The great Greek philosopher Aristotle himself, who had ancestors from Chalkida, traveled to the area to study this phenomenon, and a number of other scientists and philosophers have tried to solve the riddle of these irregular tides over the centuries.

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3. FRANCAIS - Visites guidées à pied étape par étape de l'Acropole d'Athènes   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b4mCij18YWM&list=PLH99V1T9pDs4gXUAn5WJBt61BxW0SpH5W  

 

3. FRANCAIS - Les secrets du Parthénon   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXfgh_u-jxw&list=PLH99V1T9pDs6qSa1wu85U9241SmcQZvDs 

 

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and / or ...

3. FRANCAIS - s'il vous plaît Google-moi NIACTEC ... - VOTRE DESTINATION GRÈCE ! - La MEILLEURE COLLECTION de PODCASTS et VIDÉOS de YOUTUBE pour

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4 DEUTSCH - Schritt-für-Schritt-Führung durch die Akropolis von Athen   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qho_tqR7t64&list=PLH99V1T9pDs7TZJff7E-_FKTJwXtgKDrn 

 

4 DEUTSCH – Die Geheimnisse der Akropolis und des Parthenon im antiken Griechenland ...   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYEP943eKnc&list=PLH99V1T9pDs7k8jU-443LkvNt5pJxIzx9&ab_channel=qp 

 

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and / or ...

4. DEUTSCH - IHR BESTIMMUNGSORT GRIECHENLAND ! - Die BESTE SAMMLUNG von PODCASTS und YOUTUBE-VIDEOS für

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5.1 ITALIANO - Cosa visitare ad Atene | Arché Travel - Arché Travel - 15 Youtube  Videos    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xbKnTm_VcPs&list=PLTIVbZyPknSVwTmxC2wlfa7XkJkMr6D4a

e / o ...


5.2 ITALIANO - Visite guidate a piedi passo dopo passo dell'Acropoli di Atene   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MSTnSV9b0l0&list=PLH99V1T9pDs6qY7G3KvslmTdVOleXv_yZ


5. ITALIANO - I segreti dell'acropoli di Atene e del Partenone nell'antica Grecia...


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJw-7HXpdak&list=PLH99V1T9pDs4YuS9esUlXmlXS6sskrrPv 


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and / or ...

5. ITALIANO - per favore cercami su Google NIACTEC ... - LA VOSTRA DESTINAZIONE GRECIA! - La COLLEZIONE MIGLIORE di YOUTUBE VIDEOS per 

I SUPER COLORI DELLE ISOLE GRECHE - Giorgio Fiorentini - 30 Videos

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6. PORTUGUES - Visitas a pé guiadas passo a passo pela Acrópole de Atenas   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9j3CCn47VH8&list=PLH99V1T9pDs4bdX8mkFQsez9hkpnhcgUX  

 

6. PORTUGUES - Os segredos da Acrópole de Atenas e do Partenon na Grécia Antiga    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7EBR3wvEl-k&list=PLH99V1T9pDs5abXdPqFqE9NXL-5w44EAx 

 

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9. JAPANESE - 日本語 - アクロポリス アテネのステップバイステップのガイド付きウォーキング訪問    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=djf5k7plUo4&list=PLH99V1T9pDs7iYxhh3PVgQopH-ZDbZ1BZ

 

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11. CHINESE - 中文 - 请谷歌我“NIACTEC”... - 雅典卫城分步导游步行参观   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g6sRrqynYDM&list=PLH99V1T9pDs5bR3iE4xQH2BzxZTuEQHdS

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12. GREEK - 

1.2 ENGLISH - GREEK - please Google me NIACTEC ... - EMPIRES OF STONE - ΑΥΤΟΚΡΑΤΟΡΙΕΣ ΑΠΟ ΠΕΤΡΑ - Η ΑΚΡΟΠΟΛΗ - 5 Videos with Transcripts και υπότιτλους στην Ελληνική γλώσσα !   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXwqj5RSy3s&list=PLH99V1T9pDs4-E7vMxj-hRXWGbD2eeCY2

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1. ENGLISH - Transcripts of the 5 Videos ... 1.2 Η ΑΚΡΟΠΟΛΗ / THE ACROPOLIS

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The miracle of the Acropolis and the Parthenon The word Acropolis is derived by combining the Greek words akro and polis, and literally means city on the edge. The Acropolis of Athens is a rocky hill about 70 meters. The reconstruction of the holy started by Pericles in 465 BC The Parthenon is the largest and most beautiful building of the Acropolis. Work on the construction of Athena's temple began in 447 BC and ended in 438 BC The Parthenon is the most wonderful creation of ancient art, and is today the symbol of democracy worldwide.

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1. Transcript

0:11

for 2,000 years the Acropolis has

0:14

dominated the skyline over Athens

0:19

the ravages of war religious desecration

0:22

and cultural looting have failed to

0:24

diminish its hold over our imagination

0:28

in the secrets of its ruins lie the

0:30

ideals of the Golden Age of Greece the

0:33

philosophy of Socrates the geometry of

0:36

Pythagoras the birth of democracy and

0:38

the Parthenon itself the most

0:41

influential building in Western

0:43

civilization

0:52

these are public buildings in the

0:54

greatest city of its time a city that

0:57

had the power and had the wealth and had

0:59

the Navy and had the wherewithal and the

1:02

artisans to do what they did and when

1:05

they were gathered together they were

1:07

not only competitive with each other and

1:09

had to work and wanted to work together

1:11

through that competitive spirit but they

1:15

were also competitive with art itself

1:17

they thought that to themselves we are

1:21

as good as any artists have ever been

1:24

and we must show the world as they knew

1:28

it what they could do and there was no

1:32

compromise

1:35

the boldness and ambition of the

1:37

Acropolis was funded by the spoils of

1:39

war a war that determined the fate of

1:42

Greece

1:47

in 480 BC Athens lay in ruins conquered

1:52

by the seemingly unstoppable Persian

1:54

Empire at sea the Persian Armada of 800

1:59

vessels bore down on the retreating

2:01

Greek fleet who are hopelessly

2:03

outnumbered

2:08

on the night before the inevitable

2:09

battle an owl symbol of their protective

2:12

goddess Athena was seen flying through

2:14

the night sky

2:19

inspired by this good omen the Greek

2:22

Navy daringly engaged and defeated the

2:24

Persian fleet at the Battle of Salamis

2:30

in one of the great naval victories of

2:32

history the Greeks sank 200 enemy ships

2:35

were losing only 40 of their own

2:40

the Persian threat had been overcome the

2:43

unexpected victory heralded a new period

2:46

of stability for Athens and her allies

2:48

the Golden Age of Greece was born a

2:54

permanent alliance of Aegean city-states

2:57

was formed called the delian league to

2:59

defend Greece's newfound independence

3:01

from the Persian Menace one man Pericles

3:07

of Athens emerged as its undisputed

3:09

leader

3:11

his ambition was simple to make Athens

3:14

its political and cultural capital

3:16

effectively creating the Athenian Empire

3:22

the Acropolis was to be the master

3:24

stroke of Pericles as power broking a

3:27

monumental declaration of Athens

3:29

dominance in the new world order in 447

3:34

BC he committed the new Empire and its

3:37

wealth to its construction he brought

3:41

together three unique artistic talents

3:43

Friday as the sculptor and architects

3:47

Phineas and carrick rotties together

3:51

they imagined a complex of temples and

3:53

public places to be built along

3:55

classical ideals but exceeding them in

3:57

scale and perfection the entrance to the

4:01

acropolis a symbolic barrier between the

4:04

secular and sacred worlds would be

4:06

through an extravagant staircase and

4:07

Gateway the proper liar

4:17

to the north they would rebuild the

4:19

Erechtheion a temple named after erectus

4:22

the ancient God king of Athens who the

4:25

poet Homer described as being Athena's

4:27

own foster child

4:35

steeped in mythology and legend the

4:38

Erechtheion would be its most religious

4:40

site where all the deities that

4:42

dominated Athenian life could be

4:44

worshiped in one place

4:48

facing the Erechtheion to the south

4:50

would be the Parthenon meaning house of

4:53

the Virgin a palace fit for their

4:55

goddess Athena and an impregnable

4:57

Treasury for the wealth of Athens

4:59

guarded over by the goddess herself

5:11

completing the complex would be the

5:13

temple Athena Nike celebrating military

5:18

victories it looks out over the Bay of

5:21

Salamis

5:21

the scene of their great deliverance

5:23

from the Persians

5:27

Nike is the Greek word for victory

5:38

Pericles is acropolis was to be the

5:41

focal point of Athenian life religious

5:44

processions would enter through the

5:45

propylaia and climax at the erect field

5:49

on its many altars hundreds of cattle

5:52

would be sacrificed to Athena

5:54

Poseidon and Zeus sporting games would

5:58

augment the festival's

6:01

grand feasts and banquets would take

6:03

place on its wooded slopes

6:05

a time for young girls of marriage'

6:07

belaid to be introduced to male society

6:12

on the broad classes between temples

6:14

military parades would celebrate repower

6:19

at Athena Nike their war dead would be

6:21

honored and protection sought for those

6:23

still fighting for the city

6:28

uniquely accessible by its own staircase

6:30

Athenians could visit the temple

6:32

whenever they wanted without having to

6:34

pass through the ceremonial gates of the

6:36

proper liar

6:44

every detail of the Acropolis its

6:46

masonry sculptures and painted

6:49

decorations

6:49

betwee the finest ever created

6:57

but Pericles his power was not

6:59

dictatorial his grand aspirations for

7:02

the Acropolis were not his alone to

7:04

approve

7:07

the entire building program that

7:09

Pericles proposed and every dividual

7:12

project had to be approved by the

7:14

Democratic assembly and to a very large

7:17

degree than the monuments on the

7:19

Acropolis though perhaps the item the

7:22

idea of one man Pericles nonetheless

7:25

were the work of the democracy as a

7:27

whole Athenian democracy was developed

7:31

around 500 years BC all freemen born of

7:36

two Athenian parents qualified for

7:39

citizenship and voting rights in the

7:40

assembly

7:42

though it empowered only a tiny minority

7:45

40,000 men out of a population of half a

7:48

million it was a pure democracy every

7:51

States decision was voted on by the

7:53

entire assembly

7:56

the polling system was simple a black

7:59

stone for no a white one for yes

8:04

at first the assembly opposed Pericles

8:07

his plans for the Acropolis the citizens

8:09

simply bonked at the huge cost

8:13

in response Heracles threatened to pay

8:16

for the project himself and give it his

8:18

own name with that moment of bravado the

8:22

opposition crumbled from then on no cost

8:25

would be too great or level of endeavor

8:27

too hard

8:31

the Acropolis became a symbol of

8:33

Athenian civic pride and the Parthenon

8:35

its crowning glory

8:39

only ten years earlier a huge temple had

8:42

been built to zeus at olympia athenian

8:45

honor and pericles his ambition demanded

8:48

that the parthenon be bigger

8:55

it's foundations were to be built over

8:57

the ruins of an earlier Parthenon that

8:59

had been razed to the ground by the

9:00

Persians

9:04

Heracles his path none would expunge

9:06

that shame and declare victory by

9:09

becoming the most majestic construction

9:11

ever built a palace fit for a goddess a

9:14

masterpiece of geometry and proportion

9:17

without equal

9:31

marshaled by Pericles the Athenian

9:34

assembly voted for every aspect of the

9:36

acropolis to express the ideals of their

9:38

revolutionary society the entire complex

9:42

would be built of white marble not just

9:45

for its ostentation but also for its

9:48

symbolism marble for the Acropolis was a

9:53

local stone and pure white stone is seen

9:58

as the representation of a pure society

10:01

in this a pure democratic society

==

2. Transcript

0:02

the marble was quarried at Penn Telecom

0:05

14 miles from the site like a giant

0:12

diamond it was quarried by exploiting

0:14

the weaknesses of almost invisible flaws

0:16

in the rock a 40 ton block would have

0:22

taken 10 men 10 days to prise from the

0:25

bedrock only 50% of the quarried stone

0:29

was eventually fit for construction in

0:33

total 180,000 tons were removed from the

0:37

quarry at an telegin to build the

0:39

Acropolis chiseled to size at the quarry

0:49

the final finishing would be carried out

0:52

at the Acropolis

0:54

on the site itself the Greek master

0:56

stonemasons created these miracles of

0:59

stone without the use of mortar or

1:01

cement

1:04

the strength and durability of the

1:05

buildings was achieved by the precision

1:07

with which each stone was cut the joins

1:12

between some blocks are less than one

1:14

twentieth of a millimeter the fine black

1:18

lines visible are not cracks but the

1:20

staining of bacteria built up over two

1:22

and a half thousand years

1:26

to actually see the gap in a join would

1:29

require magnification of 60

1:34

each stones slotted into position and

1:36

was locked into place by an ironclad

1:40

like a giant 3d jigsaw the buildings of

1:44

the Acropolis achieved a precision of

1:45

building never accomplished before or

1:48

surpassed since

1:54

in choosing marble as the exclusive

1:56

material for the Acropolis they

1:58

challenged themselves to create a set of

2:00

buildings without equal

2:03

an ambition that would push Greek

2:05

science and technology to its limits

2:08

amazingly they worked without

2:11

architectural plans or drawings as we

2:13

understand them today instead they were

2:18

guided by a set of codes and principles

2:20

dictated by the art of geometry

2:26

for the architects of Athens is Golden

2:28

Age the mastery of geometry was a

2:30

magical discovery that revealed the

2:32

glories of nature

2:35

the Acropolis of calloc rotties nicht

2:38

aeneas is a startling celebration of

2:40

their new intellectual power

2:48

the Acropolis shows a maturity of Greek

2:53

mathematics and also an appreciation of

2:57

geometrical ideas this is a work of

3:00

utmost importance in that it lays the

3:05

foundations of logic into mathematics

3:08

and enables us to use this as a tool to

3:11

explore the unknown by creating the

3:16

Acropolis as an exercise in living

3:18

geometry it builders express their

3:21

religious beliefs

3:24

this link between religious traditions

3:27

and mathematics is powerfully revealed

3:29

at the climax of the most sacred event

3:31

in the Athenian religious year the

3:33

Panathenaic that celebrated the birth of

3:36

Athena

3:38

the festival built to its dramatic

3:40

conclusion with a mass procession from

3:42

the outlying fields of Athens to the

3:45

acropolis young maidens carried the

3:48

peplos a ceremonial cloth to adorn the

3:51

sculptures of Athena

3:54

sacrificial cattle walked beside the

3:56

worshippers squadrons of cavalry

4:00

escorted them as well for five days the

4:04

procession swelled in number until all

4:07

of Athenian life was reflected in its

4:09

massed ranks

4:12

finally it climbed the monumental

4:14

staircase of the proper line entering

4:17

the sacred space of the acropolis

4:18

through its gateways delivered

4:20

worshipers to a magical point in the

4:22

complex from this point the entire

4:30

layout is determined it is centered on

4:37

the line of the Sun as it passes over

4:39

the site from east to west kellicotti

4:43

zanuck tinniest positioned every key

4:46

building on lines of sight radiating

4:48

from this single point the lines are not

4:51

randomly set they obey the codes of the

4:54

twelve part system Greeks used to

4:56

express the divinity of the universe the

5:00

system divided a 360 degree panorama

5:02

into twelve equal sections of thirty

5:05

degrees each the key buildings of the

5:08

acropolis are placed within these

5:10

confines to dramatic effect an observer

5:13

from the the vantage point which is the

5:16

propeller in this case would see three

5:19

course of views of the various buildings

5:21

and in fact see the maximum possible

5:24

surface area of the Parthenon from this

5:28

point

5:31

the religious symbolism of the 12th part

5:33

system is also at work 60 degrees the

5:38

angle attributed to Athena by followers

5:40

of Pythagoras contains both the

5:42

Parthenon and the Erechtheion

5:46

that equilateral triangle Athena's

5:48

geometrical symbol is also directly

5:51

imposed on the Acropolis layout through

5:54

the unique combination of geometry and

5:56

religious symbolism the optimum position

5:59

of the parthenons facade is set

6:08

the proportions of the Parthenon are the

6:12

square root of five to one in other

6:14

words the ratio of longest side to the

6:16

smaller side is the square root of five

6:20

the square root of five fascinated the

6:22

Greeks because it's an irrational number

6:25

no number however long can ever

6:28

precisely determine its value or even

6:30

discern a pattern in its decimal places

6:35

this gap between the limits of mortal

6:37

knowledge and the mysteries of nature

6:38

and Trump's the Greeks it was here that

6:41

they grasped the limits of their

6:43

imagination in the face of the genius

6:45

that created the universe the square

6:49

root of five to one is a divine

6:51

proportion for a divine building

6:55

the rectangle a CVP now has the

7:01

proportions of the parliament

7:06

this pursuit of divine architecture

7:08

carries through to the facade of the

7:10

Parthenon as well the Greeks believed

7:13

that any shape had a natural area of

7:16

greatest beauty and they calculated a

7:18

formula to define it the golden section

7:22

or mean deduces from the set width of

7:24

the facade the perfect position of the

7:27

columns

7:29

the halfway point is rotated up right to

7:32

create a right angle triangle the same

7:35

length intersects the longest side

7:37

creating a new length which when rotated

7:40

back down to the horizontal defines the

7:42

golden section of the facade amazingly

7:47

enough we find that there is a column

7:51

positioned at exactly this point and

7:54

there is a symmetrically positioned

7:56

column on the right

8:00

from the positioning of the central

8:02

column to the rest of the facade is

8:04

created guided by the golden mean Kelly

8:08

crosses and nicked Aeneas broke with

8:10

tradition and created a facade of eight

8:12

columns not six inferior craftsman could

8:18

begin with a given length of rope and

8:20

the certain proportions in mind and come

8:24

up with the different lengths required

8:27

in building the path lon

8:36

but the beauty of the Parthenon is not

8:39

dependent on the golden mean alone it is

8:42

the product of subtle optical distortion

8:44

designed to fool the human eye and

8:46

enhance its beauty

9:04

to the observer these columns may seem

9:07

perfect but their perfection

9:09

actually lies in their imperfection it's

9:13

been said that although the Parthenon is

9:16

constructed of vertical supports and

9:18

horizontal loads that there is in fact

9:20

not a single straight line in the

9:23

building that's not entirely true but in

9:26

fact virtually no vertical line or a

9:30

horizontal line lacks a subtle curve or

9:33

a subtle swelling or a slight

9:35

inclination these various deviations

9:38

from the straight and the horizontal and

9:41

the perpendicular are known as optical

9:43

refinements

9:47

viewed from the gateway of the proper

9:49

liar

9:50

the Parthenon presents the image of a

9:52

flawless structure

9:54

but not one of the visible lines on the

9:56

building is straight

==

3. Transcript

0:02

I tinius employed these optical

0:05

illusions so the building would not

0:06

appear distorted when viewed from ground

0:08

level

0:12

to stop the long sides of the building

0:14

appearing to sag heck tinius made them

0:17

rise up in the middle the center is 11

0:20

centimeters higher than the ends at the

0:26

base the deviation of the pure

0:28

horizontal can be clearly seen we know

0:35

that the architects of the Parthenon

0:37

tried in a rather dramatic way to refine

0:42

the optical illusions the golden section

0:45

the idea of of what we see in our within

0:50

the frame if you can think of it that

0:52

way almost the rectangle that our eyes

0:55

see more in focus here then perhaps to

0:59

the sides is something that as you look

1:03

at the facade of the Parthenon straight

1:05

on there would be some distortion so

1:08

they tried to rearrange it in both the

1:10

shaft of the column and tilt if you will

1:13

of the external columns something that

1:16

would correct that distortion as our

1:20

eyes are seeing those a little less well

1:22

than the ones in the center the sides of

1:28

the massive columns not only taper

1:29

towards the top but also swell outwards

1:32

one third of the way up this deliberate

1:37

distortion counteracts the thinning

1:39

effect of perspective over the columns

1:40

great height without it the columns

1:43

would appear too narrow unattractively

1:45

at the center

1:48

the degree of precision needed to

1:51

produce such subtlety entirely by hand

1:53

is almost impossible to grasp nor are

1:59

the columns perfectly perpendicular they

2:01

all slope imperceptibly in words if the

2:08

facade were extended upwards four

2:10

thousand eight hundred meters its

2:12

columns would eventually meet the side

2:17

columns are inclined even further

2:19

meeting at 2400 meters

2:29

the corner columns have an extra

2:31

refinement their fractionally wider the

2:34

extra width compensating for the

2:36

slimming effect of being silhouetted

2:37

against the sky the optical refinements

2:46

enliven the building they create a

2:49

tension between what we expect to see

2:52

perfectly straight lines perfectly

2:54

straight horizontals then what we do see

2:58

swellings curves and this friction of

3:01

this tension between our expectation

3:04

that we see adds visual interest it adds

3:09

intrigue it makes the speed that the

3:11

temple seem more alive and more

3:14

appealing to our r2r I the completed

3:20

Parthenon is a timeless testament to the

3:23

genius of actin yes and kallik rattusses

3:25

unique vision affection through

3:28

deliberate imperfection

3:35

yet it was the Erechtheion not the

3:38

partner that was the ultimate focus of

3:40

the panathenaic

3:46

the temple honored the city's

3:47

mythological past and the diversity of

3:50

different gods central to greek religion

3:55

it is the spiritual home for the cult of

3:57

erectus the god-king who Athena had

4:00

raised has her own child centuries

4:02

before the golden age

4:07

built up from the ancient foundations of

4:10

earlier temples the erechtheion was a

4:13

unique place where the city's mortal

4:15

history and divinity came together

4:28

one looks at the rec film it looks like

4:32

three buildings to me and for that I

4:35

love it because we are so criticized

4:38

today when what we see a modern object

4:41

and sometimes clients or cities or

4:43

governments think that that object is

4:47

perfect and never never change it well

4:49

architecture has never worked that way

4:52

architecture is elastic it's plastic it

4:54

has a sense of growing and and changing

4:57

over time and that's what one looks at

4:59

in terms of direct theme how marvelous

5:02

it is and you can't imagine it as a pure

5:04

object who have it's pure object

5:06

adjacent to it in the in the Parthenon

5:12

the unorthodox floorplan accommodates

5:15

distinct areas of worship for different

5:18

deities

5:20

the upper portion was dedicated to

5:23

Athena while the lower levels had altars

5:25

dedicated to Zeus the king of the gods

5:28

and to Poseidon god of the sea

5:36

it's majestic main entrance protected a

5:39

stone believed to have been struck by

5:40

Poseidon's trident

5:45

on religious high days the temple was

5:48

the center of activity as thousands made

5:50

offerings to the gods that dominated

5:52

their lives and the blood from

5:54

sacrifices would have run freely from

5:56

its many altars across the marble floors

6:03

it's most sacred shrine how's the statue

6:05

of athena polios the guardian for City

6:09

the ceremonial pet loss was draped over

6:12

this sacred statue as the concluding act

6:15

of the panathenaic festival an athena

6:18

who was represented in the form of an

6:21

olive wood statue that was so old that

6:24

not even the Athenians themselves knew

6:27

where it had come from and said that it

6:29

had fallen down from heaven

6:43

the most renowned feature of the

6:45

building is the group of caryatids

6:47

supporting the roof of the temples

6:49

southern foolish

6:52

roman art historian Vitruvius recorded

6:55

that they represent enslaved priestesses

6:57

from the island of carry a who had sided

7:00

with the Persians during their war with

7:02

Greece frozen in stone and facing in

7:06

submission towards the Parthenon the

7:09

caryatids are a permanent reminder to

7:11

future generations to be loyal to athena

7:13

and athens the sculptures are credited

7:18

to our Khomeini's but in their exquisite

7:20

detail and powerful storytelling is the

7:22

guiding hand of Pheidias his tutor and

7:25

undisputed genius of greek sculpture and

7:29

it is with Pheidias his own work but the

7:32

sculptural significance of the acropolis

7:34

is fully realized

7:37

you

7:41

behind the massive bronze doors of the

7:43

partners inner sanctum he created Athens

7:47

is priceless treasure the most expensive

7:49

sculpture ever created

8:03

today the Parthenon dominates the ruins

8:06

of the Acropolis

8:08

its appearance as a classic Greek temple

8:11

belies its real purpose

8:15

behind massive bronze doors that

8:17

protected its inner sanctum was the

8:19

wealth of athletes

8:23

the colossal statue of Athena created by

8:26

five years dominated the treasure room

8:34

11 meters high her flesh was carved of

8:37

ivory her armor of pure gold

8:43

we're told that our sources that the

8:46

amount of gold that was used for the

8:48

statue alone amounted to 40 or 44

8:51

talents of gold talent is an ancient

8:54

Athenian unit of measure equivalent more

8:58

or less to 57 58 pounds at today's gold

9:03

prices Athena's armor would be worth 8

9:06

million pounds

9:11

guarded by Athena and a permanent

9:14

garrison of troops the rest of Athens as

9:16

treasure was stored here often donated

9:19

to the city in the form of votive

9:20

offerings to the goddess

9:28

the giant statue has now been lost to

9:31

history along with the wealth that

9:33

funded Pericles is grand ambition

9:40

but the parthenons greatest riches the

9:42

craftsmanship and beauty of its

9:44

sculpture live on

9:47

the Parthenon has been called a

9:50

sculptors temple and I think that is a

9:52

true characterization in many ways first

9:55

this building was the richest

9:57

sculpturally of any building that had

10:00

ever been built on it increased before

==

4. Transcript

0:00

for

0:02

Pheidias the master sculptor of the age

0:05

oversaw every detail of the path one's

0:08

unique sculpture and wealth working

0:13

outwards from Athena he exploited every

0:15

opportunity to decorate the entire

0:17

building

0:23

the sculptures were not just decorative

0:25

they reminded Athenians of their history

0:28

and reaffirmed their exalted place in

0:31

the universe

0:33

the best preserved of these sculptures

0:35

are held in the British Museum

0:39

they include sections of the Parthenon

0:42

frieze considered by many to be the best

0:44

low relief sculpture ever carved the

0:47

detail achieved with a maximum depth of

0:50

five centimeters is remarkable

0:53

the Parthenon frieze is the best

0:56

sculpture to survive from the best

0:57

period of Greek hard and if it's

1:00

remarkable now it was certainly so in

1:03

its day not least for the sheer scale of

1:06

the thing carved three foot three inches

1:10

high it ran for five hundred and

1:12

twenty-four feet around all four sides

1:14

of the temple in the freeze nothing is

1:20

more glorious than the stream of mounted

1:22

horsemen that flow down much of its long

1:24

north and south sides when Pericles took

1:29

over the running of the Athenian state

1:31

he inherited a cavalry with no more than

1:35

300 men but at the time of his death he

1:39

had increased it to a thousand the

1:44

challenge to find yes whom we credit

1:46

with the design of the freeze was to

1:49

convey a sense of the thrill of standing

1:52

on the sidelines of the Athenian parade

1:54

ground watching pericles kaveri of a

1:57

thousand right by and also to capture

2:01

something of the natural grace and

2:03

rhythm of the riders and one of the

2:07

tricks he used was to create marker

2:10

figures placed at intervals down the

2:12

freeze who would indicate the ten fold

2:15

division into the tribal units so here

2:20

is one such figure we see that he is

2:22

placed nearest the spectator and not

2:25

overlapped by any other rider in his

2:28

group but he overlaps the figure to his

2:31

right who overlaps the figure to his

2:34

right toe overlaps the figure to his

2:36

right who overlaps the figure to his

2:38

right until we reach the figure this one

2:41

here looking back over his shoulder who

2:44

is seven in from the front and who

2:48

marched the furthest point away from

2:51

spectator

3:01

dominating the exterior the eastern

3:04

pediment portrayed the birth of Athena

3:06

much has been destroyed but the

3:08

fragments that remain give us a

3:10

tantalizing glimpse of their original

3:12

narrative power almost certainly painted

3:15

in dynamic colors they capture the very

3:18

moment of Athena's birth

3:22

horses pulling the sun god helios

3:24

announced the beginning of the day set

3:27

in the acutest angle of the pediment

3:29

they are mirrored by horses on the

3:30

opposite angle to balance the chariot of

3:35

the Sun God Helios rising in one corner

3:38

of the pediment the chariot of the Moon

3:41

Goddess Cellini was shown sinking

3:43

beneath the horizon of the other here is

3:47

one of her team of four horses we see

3:51

how brilliantly the sculptor has

3:53

articulated the different elements of

3:56

the face the two tier of the spiky main

3:59

the great rule of muscle on the neck the

4:02

plate of the cheekbone and the trumpet

4:06

of the muzzle but unlike the horses of

4:09

Helios this horse is tired it is at the

4:13

end of its journey it has spent the

4:15

night drawing the moon goddess and a

4:17

child across the vast canopy of the

4:19

night sky its nostrils flare its jaw

4:23

gapes the veins stand out the I bulges

4:27

the ear is pinned back as it makes one

4:31

last effort at the end of its labors to

4:34

find home and the piece of the stable

4:38

circling all four sides of the Parthenon

4:41

sculptured panels record key moments of

4:43

Greek legend I standing by a metal a

4:47

panel carved in very high relief which

4:50

is one of 92 that ran around the outside

4:53

of the temple above the columns all the

4:57

metopes of the Parthenon showed scenes

4:59

of mythological battle on the south side

5:02

from which this one comes centaurs part

5:06

man part horse fight it out with male

5:09

lapid's a race who lived in northern

5:13

Greece the area toward thessaly here the

5:18

human figure has fallen to the ground

5:20

line and now lies supine with life

5:23

seemingly ebbing from his limbs while

5:26

over him

5:27

use the scent or in an explosion of

5:31

arrogant triumph as he claims the rest

5:34

of the picture and as he does so punches

5:36

the air and you can see a skin of a

5:40

panther which he has slain and is now an

5:44

emblem of his wild nature the message of

5:49

the sculptures is twofold the pediments

5:52

and cavalry freezes expressed devotion

5:54

to Athena and the military strength she

5:57

blessed them with while the legends of

5:59

battles serve as a memorial reminding

6:01

Athenians lest they forget of the

6:03

barbaric past from which they have been

6:05

freed

6:08

with the Parthenon Pericles his vision

6:11

to create a monument celebrating victory

6:13

and revenge had been finally realized

6:17

in his biography of pericles puta the

6:20

greek historian imagined the immediate

6:22

impact of the whole acropolis on its

6:24

citizens

6:27

the most wondrous thing of all was the

6:29

speed of their work for while it was

6:32

thought that each one of these works

6:33

would take many generations to reach an

6:35

end all of them were completed at the

6:37

height of a single administration for

6:39

which reason the works of Pericles are

6:42

to be particularly wonder that being

6:44

made in so short a time for all time for

6:47

in beauty each one immediately became

6:50

ancient yet it seems fresh and newly

6:52

made even now but in reality these glory

6:59

days were short-lived 20 years after

7:02

their initiation work on the Acropolis

7:04

came to a halt by 434 bc civil war with

7:09

the Spartans had intensified and the

7:12

Acropolis was never completely finished

7:16

these unfinished stones at the base of

7:19

the propylaea show whether work was

7:21

dramatically curtailed five years later

7:25

Heracles died of the plague but

7:28

decimated the city's population

7:32

in 404 bc athens was finally crushed by

7:37

the spartan army the Golden Age was over

7:40

and with it the brief flowering of

7:42

democracy Athens would never achieve the

7:46

same dominance again when the Roman

7:50

Empire annexed Greece the Acropolis was

7:52

preserved as a monument of human

7:54

greatness but with the advent of

7:56

Christianity the path numbers converted

7:59

into a church many of the sculptures

8:03

were defiled to erase the memory of its

8:06

pagan past in turn the city fell to the

8:11

Ottoman Empire the Christian Church was

8:14

converted into a mosque complete with

8:16

minaret and its statues were further

8:18

defiled

8:21

the faces of the Erechtheion caryatids

8:24

were sheared off even though the sultan

8:27

used the building as his hurry

8:32

yet even after a thousand years of

8:34

cultural vandalism the Acropolis

8:36

remained largely intact but by 1687 ad

8:41

the Ottomans were at war with the

8:43

Venetians who lay siege to Athens the

8:48

Ottoman commander stored his gunpowder

8:49

within the supposed safety of the mosque

8:51

the par thurman on the twenty-fourth of

8:56

sep tember Venetian General Francisco

8:58

Mata seen turned his cannon on to the

9:01

path in a continuous artillery onslaught

9:06

lasting from noon until nightfall the

9:09

Parthenon suffered 800 direct hits the

9:14

inevitable happened one shot anat rated

9:17

the roof and ignited the Gunpowder

9:24

in a split second the Parthenon was

9:28

damaged beyond repair

9:32

over 300 years later only the latest

9:35

innovations in archaeology and

9:37

restoration can grasp the miracles of

9:39

design and masonry destroyed today as

9:43

never before the work of restorers

9:46

reveal those secrets

9:49

you

==

5. Transcript

0:09

the damage from venetian cannons would

0:11

be compounded by two centuries of

0:13

neglect and cultural looting

0:19

some of the marble was even crushed to

0:22

turn into cement

0:27

but at the turn of the 19th century a

0:30

revival of interest in classical

0:32

architecture and ideals brought the

0:35

Acropolis to cultural prominence once

0:37

more

0:41

aristocratic tourists from Northern

0:43

Europe visited the site in increasing

0:46

numbers and helped themselves to

0:48

hundreds of carvings and marble

0:49

fragments as souvenirs

0:53

in 1801 the Turks granted the British

0:57

ambassador Lord Elgin permission to

1:00

salvage artifacts from the site

1:03

elgon took them at their word and set

1:05

about the mass transportation of the

1:07

acropolis back to britain

1:10

the pediment sculptures cavalry freezes

1:13

and battle of the Centaurs with the

1:15

prized pieces of his collection

1:18

the transportation alone costs Lord

1:20

Elgin 75,000 pounds the equivalent of

1:24

three million pounds today

1:27

he hired an Italian landscape painter

1:30

giovanni battista Lucy Airy to remove

1:33

the sculptures for him Lucy Aires

1:37

letters revealed the brutality

1:38

underlying Lord Elgin's suppose it

1:40

rescue mission I should require three or

1:44

four sores 20 foot in length to saw a

1:47

great base relief that we could not

1:49

transport a lesson reduce its weight

1:51

happily it broke in the middle in a

1:53

straight line at a place where there was

1:55

no work yo on the ground we found some

1:59

remains of the of the back of the of the

2:02

sculptures of from the area of the show

2:05

photos that Lord Elgin take from the

2:07

monument and here you can see how he cut

2:10

the sculpture a thick not very thick

2:14

slab due to the transportation

2:16

difficulties of the transportation of

2:18

that period so they used sophos kind

2:22

pouring sand in the gap as they are

2:26

moving and they cut it both sides and

2:28

they break it finally

2:34

the damage caused by Lucy era has more

2:38

recently been compounded by well-meaning

2:39

but in expert archaeologists

2:49

in 1902 restorers decided to replace the

2:54

metal securing clamps that had survived

2:56

for centuries the 20th century

3:00

replacements were supposed to be a

3:01

pre-emptive protective measure but in

3:04

fact they corroded within decades

3:05

cracking the marble they were attempting

3:07

to protect

3:14

this act of folly reveals the high

3:17

quality of ancient mythology the ancient

3:22

clamps with a combination of two

3:24

different strengths of iron beaten

3:26

together and then coated with lead to

3:29

prevent corrosion a level of artistry

3:31

the restorers of 1982 had failed to

3:34

match up to

3:41

today Nicholas toga need is and his team

3:44

are replacing the 20th century corroded

3:47

clamps with titanium versions

3:51

these new clamps will not rust and have

3:54

exactly the same breaking strain as the

3:56

ancient Greek originals when put under

3:59

pressure by earth tremors the clamps

4:02

will break and not the marble in another

4:07

flawed restoration project an

4:09

archaeologist dismantled this column to

4:11

repair its cracked surface on completion

4:16

he replaced the drums in the wrong order

4:19

destroying their original beauty in the

4:22

process such badly conducted

4:26

restorations have forced today's

4:28

archaeologists to evaluate every stone

4:31

on the Acropolis site more than seventy

4:34

thousand pieces of marble have been

4:36

catalogued and restorers now believed

4:38

they know where each piece fits and the

4:42

more they understand about the Acropolis

4:44

the more the genius of its original

4:46

builders is revealed a thousand nameless

4:49

artisans who created this unique

4:51

monument entirely by hand and without

4:54

the use of mortar or cement to preserve

4:59

the building's restorers must match that

5:01

precision an endeavor that pushes modern

5:04

technology to its limits

5:10

plaster casts are made of broken

5:12

sections from these casts exact copies

5:16

of the missing pieces are carved by

5:17

machines which then produce the 3d

5:20

mirror image in marble

5:27

where machines fail they must resort to

5:30

carving by hand

5:39

laborious ly a perfect fit is created

5:42

and another piece of the acropolis

5:44

jigsaw fits into place such restoration

5:49

work is fighting a losing battle to the

5:51

greatest threat the acropolis has ever

5:53

faced

5:55

Lord Elgin cannon-fire the sensibilities

5:59

of Christian and Muslim cleric pale in

6:01

significance when compared to the

6:03

destructive power of acid rain

6:08

no where is the impact of this man-made

6:11

disaster with our Phylly reveal than in

6:14

the destruction of the temple of athena

6:15

nike encased in scaffold the temple is

6:20

simply disintegrating as acid rain

6:23

dissolves the marble

6:25

the temple of victory is now an eerie

6:28

temple of defeat in the face of man's

6:31

poison

6:33

restorers are undecided as to how the

6:35

damage can be halted

6:38

some proposed covering the entire site

6:41

in a thin layer of silicon but the

6:43

long-term effects of this drastic

6:45

measure are unknown and for the time

6:48

being the stones of the Acropolis remain

6:50

exposed

6:52

each year another layer of history is

6:55

washed away

6:58

if the impact of acid rain is not solved

7:01

soon the Acropolis will be lost forever

7:03

I think it's probably its sublime

7:13

quality that gives us a kind of pause

7:15

and to know that we are within this very

7:19

romantic wonderfully proportion

7:22

perfectly constructed artifact of of a

7:27

man that that today haunts us

7:40

no one was more aware of this

7:42

opportunity for a place in history than

7:44

Pericles himself

7:47

addressing the mourners of Athens is

7:49

warded he justified their sacrifice as

7:53

follows

7:55

these men your sons and husbands are

7:58

dead

7:59

but look at what they died for they died

8:02

for Athens and what is that but a city

8:05

that uniquely calls upon its people to

8:07

be citizens not subjects which

8:10

celebrates philosophy science and reason

8:12

and which allows its people to live well

8:15

while exercising both their duty and

8:18

right to be fully human future ages will

8:22

wonder at us even as the present page

8:25

wonders at us now

==