In ancient Greek mythology, a jealous competition arose among the gods to become the patron deity of the beautiful and prosperous city of Cecropia. The story tells of Poseidon, who presented the gift of water to persuade the citizens to choose him. They were at first thrilled, until they realized that, as god of the sea, his water tasted of salt and would not satisfy them. Athena, goddess of wisdom, revealed as her gift a single seed she threw on the ground, which took root and grew into an olive tree, and would provide a constant source of food, oil, and firewood. The citizens rejoiced and changed the city’s name to honor her.
The global city of Athens is, today, the capital of Greece and one of the world’s oldest cities, inhabited for at least 7,000 years. Here it is easy to believe in ancient mythology, as the city is dominated by the shining Acropolis, the “Sacred Rock” of the gods, the most important ancient site in the western world crowned by the Parthenon, which stands sentinel over Athens and is visible from almost everywhere in the city….and we had just one day to take in centuries of its history. How do we do that? We enlisted the capable, friendly and enthusiastic services of a knowledgeable Greek pair, Aris, our driver, and Georgia, our guide, to show us the many sites.
The first Olympic games began in Athens, tracing back to 776 BC, and continued for almost 12 centuries until they were banned as pagan cults. Originally built in the 4th century AD, the Panathaenic Stadium, with seating for 70,000 made of marble from Mt. Penteli, the same source and material used in the construction of the Parthenon, was completely restored in 1895 by a wealthy Greek businessman, to be used for the return of the first modern Olympic Games the following year.
The ancient citadel of the Acropolis sits on a rocky outcrop above the city of Athens. People lived on its high plateau until the late 6th century BC, but in 510 BC, the Delphic Oracle (another famous Greek myth by which prophecy and advice from Apollo were delivered through a medium) declared that it should be the province of the gods. Later reduced to ashes by the Persians in 480 BC, Pericles set about with an ambitious rebuilding project to transform the Acropolis into a city of temples. Today, a wide stone walkway guides tourists progressively steeper and narrower up to the summit, overlooking on the way, the sloped seats of the Herodian Theater. Built in 161 AD and partially restored in 1950, it is now used as the main venue for the annual Athens Festival.
Farther below is the Theater of Dionysis, the site of the world’s first theater and origin of the term “thespian”. Originally a timber structure, it was reconstructed of stone and marble from 342 BC to 326 BC with a seating capacity of 17,000. Beyond that is the contemporary Acropolis Museum, whose top level sits askew on its lower levels to achieve the same cardinal orientation as the ancient Parthenon above it.
At the top of the walkway is the monumental gate of the Acropolis, known as the Propylaea, and beyond that, the flat summit with the massive marble columns of the Parthenon, the Temple of Athena Nike, and the Erechthion, where an olive tree grows next to it, believed to be traced back to the same Sacred Olive Tree planted by the Goddess Athena herself, its silver-green leaved branches a symbol of peace.
Everywhere on the flat mountaintop is scaffolding and parts of archaeological ruins, stacked and grouped in an apparent constant state of restoration and organization. And the views from there overlook the entire city of Athens dotted throughout with classical ruins among more modern buildings, including the Temple of Olympian Zeus, the largest in Greece, smack in the middle of the city, originally with 104 corinthian columns of which only 15 now remain. Athens is a staggering world center of archaeological research, filled with institutions, museums, libraries, conferences, lectures, seminars and exhibitions, and at any given time hundreds of scholars and researchers, in all disciplines of the archaeological field.
After a quick tour of the modern city, Georgia took us to her favorite bakery for a delicious taste of the “national snack”, or “street breakfast” known as koulouri. This bread snack dating to Byzantine times, is a large soft pretzel formed into a hoop that is available everywhere and can be eaten on the run…enough to hold us over until lunch.
Under the slopes of the Acropolis to the northwest is the Agora, the heart of ancient Athens and the lively, crowded, center of its athletic, artistic, spiritual, political, and social life. It included sophisticated engineering of an urban sewer and stormwater drainage system, colonnades of classic statuary, the Temple of Hephaestus, known to be the best preserved temple in Greece, and was a forum for scholars and philosophers such as Socrates and Plato.
Georgia took us to an area called Monastiraki for lunch at a lovely and delicious, sunny cafe along the city’s original urban rail transport called the Green Line, its graffiti-lined walls perched next to the ancient ruins of Agora. We tried almost everything on the traditional menu, along with a rustic local wine, when Georgia’s tempting descriptions made it too hard to choose just one. This charming bohemian flea market neighborhood in the old town of Athens, with narrow pedestrianized streets, sells all kinds of antiques, arts, and funky wares. Afterwards we strolled through the beautiful nearby Plaka district, the old, charming heart of Athens at the foot of the Acropolis, with its neoclassical mansions, red tiled roofs, narrow lanes, balconies overflowing with geraniums and jasmine, street cafes, and shops.
After a long day, Aris and Georgia drove us back to our ship, docked at the nearby port of Piraeus, an ancient city in its own rite and the largest passenger port in Europe. We said our goodbyes to our new friends and, with promises to return, thanked them for blurring the lines between reality and mythology… and making it possible, and fun, to believe in the gods.
Greek history is ever amazing and your photography is truly inspired. I was entered into the Society of Thespians 65 years ago.
I love the Athena-Kristina!
I got a little wordy…but there’s so much to tell about! A fascinating city!
Amazing! And very interesting. Thanks Kristy!