Alright here's the deal. My laptop is kill until I can fix the charger. Thanks to the Herculean efforts Kostes the IT guy, Lenovo is going to fix my laptop and I have only the support staff of the school to thank. In the meantime, I'm blogging from an iPad loaned to me by the amazing Asia, one of my comrades in the program. Hit up @anotherasia on Instagram if you want some quality content. At some point I'll borrow a friend's laptop to upload pics but that's still a work in process. Anyways, to the post!
The night on the boat was great. I hung out with people outside on the deck until everyone dispersed. Then I hit the restaurant and got the saddest chicken and fries I'd ever seen. It was really tasty though, so I guess the meal was a reminder not to judge a book by its cover. I went to bed pretty early and slept well. I woke up at 5:20, couldn't find my glasses, panicked, found my glasses, showered, and got off the boat. We got on the bus one last time for the drive into Athens. When we got to the school, we had to eat really really quickly and then go to the Acropolis. The school ordered us a fleet of taxis though, which meant we actually arrived with some semblance of timeliness.
We were met at the east side of the Parthenon by Dr. Julia Shear, an extremely learned scholar on all things Athens. She explained the Parthenon inside and out, starting with the buildings that used to be on the site. The current Parthenon is on top of several older temples, with one being pretty far along before it was sacked by the Persians in the Second Persian War. The Parthenon is bigger than it's contemporary temples, boasting extra columns across the front and down the side.
Probably the most photographed facade in Athens.
The Parthenon also curves. Like actually. The lines that appear straight are actually slightly curved, according to Vitruvius, a Roman architectural commentator, to prevent the appearance of sagging. For the record, the Parthenon does not appear saggy at all, so maybe he's onto something. Then it happened. Dr. Shear disappeared to the guardhouse with Amy (to clarify, Dr. Amy Smith is our Summer Session Director) and returned with good news. We were going over the rope! Much to the envy of the rest of the tourists, we climbed over the fence and got to onto the pronaos, or porch, of the temple. There we took loads of pictures and generally freaked out about BEING IN THE PARTHENON OMG DREAMS ARE REALITY.
INSIDE THE PARTHENON! Incredible in every way.
We went down the south side of the Acropolis and made our way to the Olympeion, of which only a few famous columns still stand today. One is notably sprawled out across the ground, toppled by a 19th century windstorm. There we spoke to Dr. Bob Lamberton. He's an expert on epigraphy, and the statues that once dotted the area around the temple are rich with inscriptions. The remains currently standing are Hadrianic, and Bob told us about how one statue contains an inscription in honor of the emperor, and a later statue shows that that man became priest of the Olympeion. We also looked at some of the periphery buildings to the temple, including a house similar to one mentioned in Plato's Phaedrus. It's always so cool when written and archaeological sources line up. That's when you know you're really on to something.
We departed the site headed to Loring Hall and the promise of lunch. Upon returning to the school, I made a beeline for IT and managed to get a plan in place for fixing my laptop. Then a quick bite and back out the door for the Areopagus.
Dr. Susan Rotroff, master of stratigraphy, met us on a bench near the famous rock. Paul is said to have spoken to a council of aristocratic Athenians and converted the first Athenian Christian there. The site is popular for pilgrims and there are even "pope stairs," as Susan called them, for when John Paul II visited. We went up on the rock and took in a gorgeous view of Athens and the Parthenon. We didn't stay for long though and were soon descending from the rock to hike to the Pnyx.
Looking back at the Acropolis from the Areopagus.
The Pnyx is a site as puzzling as the spelling of the site name. Historians are still unsure from where the name derives. This theatre-like structure was the place of assembly for Athenian democracy and underwent three distinct periods. Between the first and the second, the whole theatre was rotated 180 degrees for reasons unknown. The site is unfinished and while there are indications that further building was likely, no superstructure was ever found.
The remains of the Pnyx. There is not a lot left.
We left the Pnyx and hiked up one of the tallest hills in Athens, which is the site of the the Philopappos monument. An Anatolian king in exile who was also a Roman citizen who died in Athens, the monument highlights his diverse background. It juts out of the landscape, drawing the eye for miles around. It was at this point that I ran out of water and fortunately we were released back to the school. On the way though, we had to make a delicious gelato stop. I had the Taste of the Day at the small shop, which turned out to be apricot.
Upon returning I chilled until dinner and enjoyed a meal outside with Asia, Luke, and Sally. I also did laundry, which was desperately needed. Another fantastic day with the the promise of something amazing tomorrow as well. Feels like I'm living the dream here.
Thanks for reading. I will try to get a photo post up soon. All historical essay things are very on hold until further notice.
No comments:
Post a Comment