Athens
BLP:
In the morning, we walk around the ancient Agora of Athens and then climb up to the crowning jewel of Athens, the marble-capped Acropolis Hill and visit the famous Parthenon and Erechtheion Temples. Then walk to nearby Mars' Hill (Areopagus) (Acts 17:22) where Paul delivered his soul-sIrring sermon to the giants of philosophy, logic and learning and spoke about the inscription: “to an unknown god”. Enjoy the rest of the day at your own leisure in Plaka, the oldest and most picturesque district of Athens.
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Bible:
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Travel:
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Tue 3/12
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Wed 3/13
- 7:00 — Breakfast
- 8:00 — Depart Hotel
- 8:15 — Tour of Ancient Agora
- Ancient Agora of Athens;
- Stoa of Attalus (and the Jerusalem temple connection);
- The Altar of Zeus Agoraio;
- The Temple of Hephaestus;
- torso of a statue of the Roman Emperor Hadrian;
- altar to the 12 gods
- 10:30 — Arrive at Mars' Hill (Areopagus)
- 11:15 — Depart
- 11:30 — Lunch
- 1:30 — Acropolis
- 3:00 — Free Time on Acropolis or shopping
- 5:00 — Transport to Hotel from Shopping District
- Dinner
- Overnight in Athens
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Thu 3/14
- 7:00 — Breakfast
- 8:00 — Depart Hotel for day tours of Corinth, Cenchrea, Battle of Salamis
- 5:00 — Arrive at Athens
- Overnight in Athens
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Fri 3/15
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Sat 3/16
- Early morning departure from Athens
- Italy & Greece 2019
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- Italy & Greece 2019
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Resources:
Agora of Athens
The Agora in ancient times was the business, political and legal center of Athens, bringing together citizens and foreigners, litigants and jurors, and merchants and philosophers.
Stoa of Attalus
The Stoa of Attalos (also spelled Attallus) was a stoa (covered walkway or portico) in the Agora of Athens, Greece. It was built boy and named for King Attalos II of Pergamon, who ruled between 159 BC and 138 BC. It was first and largest shopping center of antiquity and became the main meeting point of the Athenians in that period.
Altar of Zeus Agoraio
Zeus Agoraio: Meaning Zeus of the agora, the marketplace Where is the altar? Pergamon in present day Turkey. Considered a masterpiece of the Hellenistic Age, this ancient Greek structure was shipped to Berlin in 1919, and the museum was built, in part, to house it.
Temple of Hephaestus
It is a well-preserved Greek temple—remains standing largely intact today. It is a Doric Peripteral temple located at the north-west side of the Agora of Athens, on top of the Agorais Kolonos hill. Hephaestus was the patron of metal workers and Athena Ergane, patroness of potters, craftsmanship and fire. It was built around the same time as the Parthenon.
Torso of a statue of the Roman Emperor Hadrian
This statue was originally placed in the Stoa of Zeus. The chest piece that he wears is called a cuirass. Note the children Romulus and Remus that are sucking the wolf and in adulthood founded the city of Rome.
He was a powerful ruler committed to strengthening the Empire. Hadrian oversaw several important projects, including the Temple of Venus and Roma and Hadrian’s Wall to defend the part of Britain they controlled from attack “separate Romans from the barbarians to the north”. The wall shows the Romans engineering and building skills.
In Athens, Hadrian’s projects were the Library of Hadrian, The Hadrianic Aqueduct, the completion of the temple of Olympian Zeus, the monumental bridge over Eleusinian Kephissos, Hadrian’s Arch.
Altar to the Twelve Gods
Also called the Sanctuary of the Twelve Gods, It was an important altar and sanctuary at Athens, located in the northwest corner of the Classical Agora. Rebuilt ca 425 BC to repair damage suffered in the Persian invasion of 480/79 BC The altar was used as the central point for measuring road distances. From the 5th century BC, the altar became associated with the Goddess of Pity, probably because the enclosed area served as a place of asylum.
Mars’ Hill
The Areopagus is a prominent rock outcropping located northwest of the Acropolis in Athens, Greece. This was where the Athenian supreme tribunal and court of morals was held. From some part of this hill Paul delivered the address recorded in Acts 17:22-31
Acropolis
Standing at 156 m, with temples that include the Parthenon and its 360-degree views, the Acropolis is the universal symbol of Athens. The Acropolis of Athens is the most striking and complete ancient Greek monumental complex still existing in our times.
The Greek root acro- means “high;” Thus, an acropolis is basically a “high city.”
Ancient cities often grew up around a high point, in order that they could be more easily defended.
Parthenon
The Parthenon is a temple dedicated to Athena, goddess of wisdom and war, the chief deity worshipped by the residents o Athens at that time. It is a resplendent marble temple built between 447 and 432 BC during the height of the ancient Greek Empire. The building is approximately 101 feet wide and 228 feet long.
In 1687, during Venetian siege of the Acropolis, the defending Turks were using the Parthenon as a store for gunpowder, which was ignited by the Venetian bombardment. The explosion blew out the heart of the building, destroying the roof and parts of the walls and the colonnade.
Erechtheion
It was here that the god of the sea, Poseidon, had challenged the goddess Athena for control of the city. Poseidon had struck the floor of the temple with his trident, making water flow, but then Athena had struck the ground with her spear and made an olive tree grow (a more productive gift).
The western part of the Erechtheion was dedicated to the worship of Athena Polias (patron deity of Athens), while the eastern part was devoted to Poseidon-Erechtheus.
All of its columns are in the Ionic order, except the even more unusual Caryatids in the south. The caryatids represented the women of Caryae, who were doomed to hard labour because the town sided with Persians in 480 BC during their second invasion of Greece. Also, part of the roof over the north porch was left out on purpose.
Plaka
Wikipedia:
Plaka is the old historical neighborhood of Athens, clustered around the northern and eastern slopes of the Acropolis, and incorporating labyrinthine streets and neoclassical architecture. Adrianou Street running north and south is the largest and most central street in Plaka. Plaka was developed mostly around the ruins of Ancient Agora of Athens. It is the oldest district of Athens and has been continuously inhabited from the neolithic to the present day. As a result, Plaka contains monuments from all periods of the city’s history. Some streets, like Adrianou and Tripodon, can be traced back to the ancient era.
Other sites
- Acropolis Museum
- Temple of Olumpian Zeus
- National Archaeological Museum, Athens
- World’s best collection of ancient Greek art displayed chronologically from 7000 B.C. to A. D. 500
- Hours: Nov-March Tue-Sun 8:00-15:00
- Hadrian’s Library
- Shopping and Restaurant Districts
- Organize a tour to Marathon or Thermopylae
- Boat Tour
- Anafiotika - Delightful village-like neighborhood draped across the hillside north of the Acropolis. Hours: Always open
- Tower of the Winds
- Mount Lycabettus AKA Lykavittos Hill
- It is ideal for a magical stroll. Its height is 277 meters and is the highest hill of the capital. The most beautiful view that any visitor can enjoy. Cable car and the funicular start from the same place.
- 10 Euro per person round trip using the Lycabettus Hill Cable Car.
- Another suggestion: Get a taxi to Aristippoul St. in Kolonaki, a short ride from the center and decide whether to walk or take the funicular. The funicular leaves from the corner of Ploutarhiou and Aristippou Streets every 30 minutes.
- Lycabettus appears in various legends. Popular stories suggest it was once the refuge of wolves, (lycos in Greek), which is possibly the origin of its name (meaning “the one [the hill] that is walked by wolves”).
More to come...
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