Post from Tim:
We ascended the Acropolis with flocks of noisy Greek school children who were herded quickly up the hill by fast talking teachers whose expressions clearly told each passerby, ""I don't get paid enough for this crap."" But as much as I enjoyed watching the action of the comical crowds, I forced my attention away from the present and towards the past. I wanted to feel the history of what I was about to see.
It seems little coincidence that the Delphic Oracle planned the site 2500 years ago as the province of the gods and dedicated it to Athena, the goddess of wisdom. For here is a heavenly connection to the root of wisdom in every western nation. Our philosophy, architecture, democracy, literature, art, drama, and even sports owe a debt to the culture that erected these buildings. And so, the Acropolis is a direct link to our own past.
Walking with the school children, we passed the Theater of Dionysus. This 17 000-seat amphitheater was built in 161 AD and in its day, hosted dramas by Sophocles, Euripides, and other well-known writers.
Rising higher up the Acropolis, we entered the top of the plateau through what remains of the Propylaia's immense solid gates (erected in 437 BC). We passed though towering pillars and the view opened up to reveal the area's crown jewel: the famous Parthenon, one of the wonders of the world and an instantly recognizable symbol of international history.
One must have a grand imagination to envision how this building looked in its prime.
I always thought of it as white marble. But in fact, brightly colored sculptures depicting marriage feasts, contests with centaurs, and mythic battles encircled the top of the building. A 12-meter high ivory, gold plate, and jaded statue of Athena stood watch inside. Above her, a blue ceiling hung decorated with gilded stars. I built a fuzzy reconstruction in my mind and transported myself back hundreds of generations.
Just down the hill, Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle presented ideas that changed the world. A few hundred years later, the Apostle Paul argued the new religion of Christianity and won over Greece's first converts.
The Acropolis is a wonderful place for people with imagination and time to kill. For the majority of visitors, like the Princess Cruise group that I saw, a tour guide fires a 30 second history lesson into a crowd and sends them on their way with 20 minutes of free time. I was glad we were on our own to linger and enjoy.
It seems little coincidence that the Delphic Oracle planned the site 2500 years ago as the province of the gods and dedicated it to Athena, the goddess of wisdom. For here is a heavenly connection to the root of wisdom in every western nation. Our philosophy, architecture, democracy, literature, art, drama, and even sports owe a debt to the culture that erected these buildings. And so, the Acropolis is a direct link to our own past.
Walking with the school children, we passed the Theater of Dionysus. This 17 000-seat amphitheater was built in 161 AD and in its day, hosted dramas by Sophocles, Euripides, and other well-known writers.
Rising higher up the Acropolis, we entered the top of the plateau through what remains of the Propylaia's immense solid gates (erected in 437 BC). We passed though towering pillars and the view opened up to reveal the area's crown jewel: the famous Parthenon, one of the wonders of the world and an instantly recognizable symbol of international history.
One must have a grand imagination to envision how this building looked in its prime.
I always thought of it as white marble. But in fact, brightly colored sculptures depicting marriage feasts, contests with centaurs, and mythic battles encircled the top of the building. A 12-meter high ivory, gold plate, and jaded statue of Athena stood watch inside. Above her, a blue ceiling hung decorated with gilded stars. I built a fuzzy reconstruction in my mind and transported myself back hundreds of generations.
Just down the hill, Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle presented ideas that changed the world. A few hundred years later, the Apostle Paul argued the new religion of Christianity and won over Greece's first converts.
The Acropolis is a wonderful place for people with imagination and time to kill. For the majority of visitors, like the Princess Cruise group that I saw, a tour guide fires a 30 second history lesson into a crowd and sends them on their way with 20 minutes of free time. I was glad we were on our own to linger and enjoy.