When looking at Athens, it is hard to miss the Acropolis, a structure that is the heart of an entire city, with the city built up around it. Looking up at the giant hill, you can see it from all angles, and each angle tells a different story. This week, I had the opportunity to visit both the Acropolis and the Acropolis museum twice each. Each time I tried to take in as much information as possible to learn about the historic landmark that defines the city.The location itself was put in the center of the Attica basin, on an open & flat plateau, which according to the museum gave the location both security and the necessities needed. The Pre-Parthenon was built with many different sanctuaries dedicated to many different Greek gods & goddesses surrounding it on the way up to the Temple of Athena.
On my first trip to the Acropolis I was somewhat worried about the climb. I think after getting to the top I realized that it looks a lot higher and a lot larger than what it is when you're up there. I spent the two hours we had walking around, reading the signs, and taking in as much as I could. I learned about the two different temples up there. On one trip up to the Acropolis, I began listening into an English tour going on. The tour guide was telling the group about the temple and different things that had happened to it over the years. One interesting fact that I learned on that tour was that inside the temple, there was actually a gold statue of Athena. The logic behind having a gold statue was so that if something happened to the Acropolis (if it was burned down or people tried to overtake it) they would be able to move the statue and hide it if necessary. She also explained that the reason they made it in gold was so that if there were ever any extreme economic troubles, they would be able to melt down the statue to use as coins.
When looking at the temple straight on, I noticed a lot of the different features that I've learned about in past art history classes. However, it is much different to see something in person rather than a picture in a textbook or on a projector. I noticed many things that were common to architecture at the time. The large steps leading up to the temple, the doric columns, the pediment and the different statues that would have been carved into the Temple. However, at the Acropolis Museum, I learned so much more about the building itself. I watched the video that explained what the temple looked like in the past. Straight on it is 8 columns with 17 columns on the side. I learned that the columns are not straight perfect lines like they appear when you look at them, but rather about at about 2/5 to the top the begin turning in. The pediment itself is not straight either, but rather has a slight curve to it. The reason the video explained that this was done was to give life to the building and make it seem more alive, with the deviation from straight geometry.
The video also explained that while the Parthenon was made of white marble, every possible inch that could be covered was decorated with different statues, the pediments, friezes and metopes. It said that the Parthenon itself was made up of 16,500 pieces total. I also learned about some of the different statues and decorations put in the temple. The north end of the temple shows a relief of the Trojan War, while the south focuses on the Centaurs. The frieze is decorated with an extravagant procession with many different figures of both humans and animals. The humans are said to all have similar faces but are put in different positions, to show different types of movement.
Another thing I learned in the Acropolis Museum is about the statues. I learned that the statues did not always look like the statues we see today. Rather, the statues were often painted different colors to show prestige and show off the Greek Culture. It also discussed the different uses of the temple and different things that were found while archeologists looked at the area. Apparently, at some point a fire destroyed the temple, and at other points in time it was used as a Mosque, and a Church of Latin. They also told the story of different explosions that destroyed part of the temple and looters that would climb up the temple and take apart the statues. I had just assumed that the Parthenon was just old and that was why it was missing pieces, but the stories of the looting and other things that happened to the Temple give a better explanation as to why it is how it is today.
The museum also explained the significance of Greek gods & goddesses and their importance to Greek culture at that time. The Greek gods & goddesses were human in form and were used to explain all the complexities of the world that humans did not understand. These explanations led to myths, worship, rights and rituals. Each city was named after a God/Goddess which was seen as the protector. One thing I read at the museum said that Athens was named after the daughter of Zeus and Metis, and stood for wisdom. The reason that was said for why they chose the name Athens was because both Athena and Poseidon were fighting over which person would be the protector, and while Athena offered the city an olive branch, Poseidon struck down his trident and gave them water. THe people of the city chose Athena because the liked the offering of the olive branch. I also did not know the many different names for Athena, such as Athena Hygieia, for the sick, Athena Hippa for horses, and Athena Nike for victory of battles.
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