Travel Secrets by V

The Ingenuity of the Parthenon

Visiting the Acropolis is a must while in Athens. Even though the Parthenon looks straight, there is not a single straight line in it. Everything is crooked but the Greeks found a way to trick the eye into believing what it sees is straight. When you look at a straight line in the distance, it will appear slightly curved. The Greeks wanted the Parthenon to look straight from a distance so the entire building is slightly curved. The most fascinating part about the construction of the Parthenon is that no pieces are interchangeable. Each piece was carved with its location in mind and they only fit in one location. Putting the Parthenon back together is quite a challenge.

Why Did the Greeks Build the Parthenon?

Pericles came up with the idea of building the Parthenon. The problem is he needed funds to do it. He diverted funds that were supposed to be used to protect the nation and he used them to glorify his city by building the Parthenon instead. It was to honor the goddess Athena and was built as a symbol of victory over Persia. It took 8 years to build and required twenty thousand tonnes of the finest white marble. It cost the equivalent of 100 million dollars to build. They continued adding decorations to the Parthenon until 432 BC.

How did they Build the Parthenon?

Marble had to be taken from a quarry 10 miles away. It was pulled by ox and rollers until it reached the bottom of the 302 ft slope that lead to the top of the Acropolis. The blocks of marble were then put in a cart that was attached to a pulley at the top of the slope. The other end of the rope was attached to a cart that men and oxens pulled until the block of marble was on top of the 302 foot slope.

Eight wooden cranes would then lift the 13 ton block of marble up into it’s place on top of each other until they were stacked 8 high. There are 46 columns. The marble blocks were locked in place with iron clamps. These were placed in the center so that they would not be visible in the final design.

MUST SEE

Beulé Gate

You will enter the Acropolis through the gorgeous Beulé Gate. It was discovered in 1852 by French archaeologist Ernest Beulé. It’s an impressive entrance with beautiful carvings.

Erechtion

Originally the temple of Athena Polios to honor her and her foster son Erechtheus. The main feature on the south side is the caryatid porch. Female statues commonly called caryatids after Karyai in Lakonia. The beautiful statues serve as columns. Since the real ones are in the British Museum, these are all recreations. Next to the Caryatids is an olive tree which was produced by Athena when she competed with Poseidon for control of the city. The north porch is superb. In the north porch of the Erechtion there is a hole in the ceiling where a thunderbolt stuck.

Tours

Tours are a great way to visit the sites in Athens. They will pick you up at your hotel and drive you to the site. There is a driver and a guide and the guide will give you all sort of information about the history and culture. Once you arrive at the site, he will already have your entry tickets ready. He will give you a guided tour of the site pointing on special features that you may not have noticed on your own as well as tell you all about them. You will then have some free time to explore the site on your own after which you will be taken to a location for lunch and once the tour is over, they will take you back to your hotel.

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