Images of Athens

The Acropolis and the Parthenon
Acropolis ticket

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
The Acropolis and the Parthenon as seen from Mount Lykavittos and The Church of Agios Giorgos (Saint George).
The word Acropolis, is Greek for "the high point of the city."
The Acropolis and the Parthenon from Aeolou Street.

The entrance of The Theatre of Herod Atticus.
The Theatre of Herod Atticus built by the Romans in 161 AD, it is used today for classical concerts.

The stairway leading up to the Propylaea a the monumental gateway or portal leading to the entrance to the Acropolis. Composed of Pentelic white marble, it was constructed by the architect Mnesikles in 438 BC.
The reverse view between the columns of the Propylaea.

 

The Parthenon
The most important and magnificent monument on the Acropolis is the Parthenon. It has become a symbol of the genius of the ancient Greeks merging architecture and aesthetics.
The Parthenon was built in honor of Athens' patron goddess and guardian of the city Athena--the virgin ("parthenos") goddess who in mythology stubbornly protected her purity even when Hephaistos persistently pursued her.
My tourist photo. I put the camera on a mini-tripod and then on a block of marbel, framed the shot, set the timer, then ran into position.
The Parthenon was the most expensive temple constructed during the Classical Period. It provided the citizian of Athens with work for several years, and it nearly bankrupted the city-state. It is estimated that to build the Parthenon today would cost over $3 billion!
The temple was adorned with an interior frieze depicting the Panathenaic Festival. The pediments consisted of sculpture recounting two important myths connected with Athena. Metope friezes depicting the exploits of Herakles and other mythology figures also adorned the exterior.
The Parthenon consists of 8 x 17 columns. It is a peripteral temple with columns running on all sides.

View from the Arcopolis
The Theatre of Herod Atticus in the fore ground. In the background is Filopappou Hill and the structure on top of it is Phylaki Sakratus.

On Nymphon(Pnyx or Pnika) Hill is the National Observatory that was completed in 1890.

In the centre of this image is the Ancient Agora of Athens. It was the centre of the religious, commercial and public life of the city. Originally it was an open space, which was flanked gradually by public buildings and commercial arcades, temples and altars dedicated to the gods, as well as statues of prominent citizens and foreign benefactors.

The Stoa. The original bulding, the Stoa of Attaloswas, erected in 150 BC. The Stoa was reconstructed in the 1950s by the American School of Classical Studies and today it houses the Museum of the Ancient Agora.
In the foreground is Church of Aghioi Apostoloi (Holy Apostles). Restoration of the wall paintings of the church began in 1985 and is still in progress. The monument is open to the public and it is used for religious purposes only once a year, on June 29, St. Peter and St. Paul's day.
The Temple to Hephaestus, the best preserved ancient temple. It was built in 449 BC and housed the statues of Hephaistos and Athena sculpted by Alkamenes.
Looking along Aeolou Street which turns into Patission Street at Omonia Square.
Lykavittos Hill (sometimes referred to as Lycabettos or Lykabettos) is the highest point in Athens, rising 910 feet above sea level. The name perpetuates the belief that the mount was inhabited by wolves. Another legend suggests that Lykavittos appeared when Athena accidentally dropped a large rock that she was going to use in the construction of the Acropolis.
The temple of Olympian Zeus in the foreground and behind trees is the Panathinaikon Stadium which was reconstructed for the first Modern Olympic Games that was held in Athens in 1896.

 

The Erechtheion
The Erechtheion was built in ca. 420 BC in the Ionic order. On the left of the temple is porch with felmale statues that act as support for the roof, they are called Karyatides. Some of these were stolen by Lord Elgin and are currently being held illegally in the British Museum.
The main temple was divided into two sections, dedicated to the worship of the two principal gods of Attica, Athena and Poseidon-Erechtheus. A relief frieze, bearing a representation possibly of the birth of Erechtheus, decorated the exterior of the building.
A propylon on the north side of the Erechtheion.

Changing the Guard
A sentry in the khaki uniform

The Changing of the Guard takes place in front of Parliament (Vouli) on Constitution or Syntagma Square (Plateia Syntagmatos). The ceremony takes place, on the hour, 24 hours a day, directly in front of the Tomb to the Unknown Soldier. The soldiers who perform this duty are "Proedriki Froura", the Guards of the President of Democracy. Originally formed as the Royal Guard in 1868, as a regiment of the Greek Army, there are approximately 200 members of this elite unit. Soldiers in the Guard (Euzones) detail are in their ceremonial position in front of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier for an hour at a time, 3 times during a 48 hour period.

The uniform of the Euzones is khaki, with a "fustanella" or kilt. It perpetuates the uniforms of the historic Greek mountain guerrillas, Klephts and Armatoles, who resisted the Turkish occupation during the War of Independence. There are seasonal variations of this uniform, cotton in the summer, and woollen during the winter, as well as a "Cretan uniform", which is an adaptation of traditional Cretan clothing. On special occasions, the guards wear a ceremonial uniform that consists of a white and black fustanella, there are 400 pleats in it, one for each year of the Turkish occupation. The soldiers also wear red or black caps and red clogs with pom-poms. Evzone's from Crete wear blue breeches and caps with white boots.

The Tomb to the Unknown Soldier is located in front of the Parliament Building. The Tomb has a sculpture depicting a Greek soldier. The inscriptions inscribed on the wall of the tomb are quotations from Pericles' Funeral Oration of 430 BC that were delivered after the first year of the Peloponnesian War to honour the fallen Athenians. The monument and the building of the Parliament were dedicated on the National Independence Day, March 25, 1932.

 

Mount Lykavittos and The Church of Agios Giorgos (Saint George)
Mount Lykavittos and the Chiurch of Agois Giorgos as seen from Syntagma Square with a telephoto lens.
The view looking up from part way up Mount Lykavittos.
On the top of Mount Lykavittos the Church of Agios Giorgos (Saint George).
Panathinaikon Stadium which was the site of the first Modern Olympic Games. They were held between April 6 - 15, 1896. In 2004 the stadium was the finish line for the Marathon and the venue for Archery.
The temple of Olympian Zeus the building in the bottom right hand corner is the rear of the Parliament building.
The cafe on the top of Mount Lykavittos with the city in background.
Looking northeast past the Threatre of Lykavittos from a seat in the cafe.
The open air Threatre of Lykavittos.
A view of buildings in Goudi from the cafe on Mount Lykavitto.
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