Athens Guide

• May 23 - May 26, 2016

• July 15 - July 18, 2019

KNOW BEFORE YOU GO

• Most sites and museums offer a student discount with a valid student ID.

• Athens has a busing system, metro and taxis available for transportation. However, there are not many taxi stands in the streets.

• Many places in Greece still use the ancient plumbing system. At most of the ancient sites, do not flush your toilet paper! There will be a trash bin for the toilet paper.

• Watch out for pick-pocketers when walking around Syntagma Square (also the Plaka and Monastiraki)!

FUN FACT
There are a ton of stray cats wandering the streets of Athens. They are responsible for keeping the rat and mouse population under control.

I have been to Athens twice - once for a study abroad program and the other for a mother-daughter trip.

Athens has done a fantastic job preserving the temples and ruins. If you're a history-nerd like me, you will love Athens. Aside from touring and visiting museums, I enjoy wandering the city, especially the Plaka, Syntagma Square and the Monastiraki Flea Market.

Both times, I stayed in the Plaka. While the area is a little touristy, it feels safe and is pretty easy to navigate (I still get lost, but what else is new). Located at the base of the Acropolis, the Plaka is in a pretty central location. There are also loads of restaurants, cafes and cute shops. My favorite shops are:

• Melissinos Art - The Poet Sandal Maker: A family owned leather and sandal shop. The shoes are custom-fitted to your feet, right there in the store.

• Michaello Jewellery: A family owned jewelry store in the Plaka.

I took some rather detailed notes when I was studying abroad, but I will provide the SparkNotes (you might want to get comfortable):

Temple of Zeus

• The Temple of Zeus is the largest and oldest temple in Greece.

• In Ancient Greece, temples were not used as a place of worship. Instead they were the house for the god or goddess. Temples were so sacred it was forbidden for a human to enter unless they were making a sacrifice or seeking protection.

• The columns on the temple were inspired from a plant that was growing nearby.

Kerameikos

• Kerameikos was the Athens cemetery and the potters quarter. Kerameikos was the son of Dionysus and Arenodrey. He was the demigod of pottery (kermos means pottery).

• Within the Kerameikos is the Dipylon Gate, which translates to Double Gate. A double gate indicates a very elite city because you had to enter not one, but two gates.

• The Themistoclean Wall served as a defensive wall surrounding the quarter and ran along the Eridanos River (now dried up).

• Next to the river are the remains of the Sacred Gate. In order for people to get to Eleusis (the Underworld), they had to pass through the gate in the correct direction.

• There is a road that leads to Plato's Academy. The academy was founded by Plato in 387 B.C.

• Animal sacrifices were held and made in the Pompeion. The sacrifices were burned because the gods/goddesses liked the smell of burning animals. While the sacrifices were burning, the meat would cook. However, because the gods/goddesses did not like to eat animal meat, it would be divided and distributed to the citizens during a festival, such as the Panathenaia Festival.

FUN FACT: Every year in the Kerameikos, the citizens would congregate and write down the name of individual who they thought was too wealthy or exhibited tyrant-like behavior. The winner was exiled for a year in order to prevent any tyrants from taking over and to maintain the democratic society.

Areopagus

• Located next to the Acropolis, the Areopagus was a massive rock where crime punishments were decided.

• There is a great view of Pynx Hill, where the 50 representatives from the 10 tribes of Athens assembled to discuss and make judicial decisions.

Acropolis

• In 479 B.C., the Athenians formed the Delian League. They offered protection to the island city states, but placed a heavy tax for their protection. The money from the taxes was used to fund the building of the Parthenon and the Acropolis.

• The Acropolis was designed and built to be as aesthetically pleasing as possible.

• The entrance to the Acropolis was held up by columns and had a roof. The roof was made of marble and painted a dark blue with gold stars. Unfortunately the roof is no longer there.

• There is a small temple dedicated to Athena Nike, the god and goddess of wisdom and victory. After the first Pelopennisiean War (Athens vs. Sparta, with an Athens victory), the Athenians built this temple during the 30-year peace period. Nike usually is seen with wings because he flies around from battle to battle, "spreading victory." However, Nike does not have wings in this temple because the Athenians wanted to keep victory at home.

• The most recognizable building in Greece is the Parthenon. While many monuments (such as the Lincoln Memorial) have tried to replicate the architecture, none have succeeded. Here are some of the architectural refinements that contribute to the Parthenon's aesthetic and stability:

  • There are no straight lines throughout the entire structure. The floor is slightly curved, with a 6-inch difference between the highest and lowest point.

  • The columns have a slight curvature to them, with varying thickness. The columns are spaced differently as well.

  • HOWEVER, the Parthenon is symmetrical. This was the first building to properly utilize the Golden Ratio.

• The Parthenon has been damaged over the years. The first damage came from a fire in the 3rd Century B.C., causing the roof to collapse but was was rebuilt with ceramic tiles. The most serious damage came to the Parthenon in the 17th Century when the Phoenicians attacked. The Ottoman's hid gunpowder in the roof of the Parthenon, which exploded when it was bombed.

• The temple was converted to a Christian Church when Greece went through an abrupt and complete change in religion with the introduction of Christianity. The church was then converted to a mosque when the Ottomans came to Greece.

• In the early 19th Century, the British Ambassador of Turkey asked the Greeks if they could make replica's of the remains of the Parthenon sculptures and pediments. He then stole the remains and sold them to the British Museum, where they still are today. The Acropolis Museum currently contains the replicas, which are a stark white compared to the yellowish-tint of the real marble.

• The Acropolis is also home to the Temple of Athena and Poseidon. The ancient myth says, Athena and Poseidon had a competition over who would become the patron god/goddess of the city. Both would present a gift for the people and the people would choose. Poseidon gave two war horses and a sprout of sea water, while Athena gave an olive tree. The people voted for Athena's olive tree, making Athena the goddess of the city.

• The olive tree, given from Athena, sits next to the temple. The back of the temple was dedicated to Poseidon. Due to geographical reasons, there is sea water beneath the temple, which fueled the myth.

• There are six caryatids (maidens) on the front of the temple. Interestingly, the caryatids are similar but not identical, however, no one is sure who they are. Unfortunately, one of the maidens is in the British Museum.

FUN FACT: While the buildings and sculptures are faded, they used to be ornately decorated and painted. The paints were made out of pigments from local minerals. Often, the inside of temples were not painted because humans rarely were allowed inside.

Agora

• The Agora in Athens was originally an abandoned cemetery that was converted and adopted as the new city center.

• The Agora is home to the most preserved temple in Greece, the Temple of Hephaestus. The temple is very similar to the Parthenon but it lacks the architectural refinements. The decoration on the top of the temple depicts battles of Hercules and Thesius (founder of Athens and democracy). The temple was also converted to a Christian Church for some time.

National Archeological Museum

• A major archeological discovery was Grave Circle A, discovered by German Heinrich. The findings from this site confirmed Homer's writings about the Bronze Age.

• A common theme that is seen throughout the ancient times is the advancement of sculptures and art in relation to the advancement of science and medicine. As the human body and physiology was studied, the art became more natural and life-like.

• In my opinion, the coolest artifact is the Antikythera Mechanism. This is essentially the world's first computer, found on a shipwreak. The device was used to predict or verify dates (for example, the date of an eclipse), however it only worked at a particular longitude.

Temple of Poseidon

• Built in 440 B.C., the Temple of Poseidon is located outside of Athens in Sounio.

• The temple has a panoramic view of the sea.

• It is thought the temple was built by the same architect who built the Temple of Hephaestus.

FUN FACT: This temple has "ancient graffiti." The poet, Lord Byron, carved his name into one of the columns.

Monastery of St. Paul the Apostle

• The monastery is located just outside the city of Lavrion.

• In addition to their daily spiritual obligations and services, the nuns are responsible for the upkeep of the monastery.

• If you're able to, I recommend stopping here! While it isn't the easiest place to get to, it is so peaceful.

Again, this is just a highlight reel of Athens. There is also the Panathenaic Stadium, Hadrians Arch, the National Gardens and so much more. Even though the days felt long touring in Athens, 3-4 days is plenty. There are so many neat cities and islands in addition to Athens to see in Greece.