The Acropolis, home to the Propylaea, the Temple of Athena Nike, the Erechtheon, and the great Parthenon, was the heart of religious life in ancient Athens. Under the rule of Pericles, these breathtaking structures were constructed between 447 and 421 BCE.
This picture shows an aerial view of the Acropolis. The Propylaea is the gate-like entrance structure in the foreground, the Temple of Athena Nike is the small building on the right just before the Propylaea, the Erechtheon is the building on the left of the main space, and the Parthenon the building on the right.
The Propylaea
A sacred entrance to the Acropolis, the Propylaea stands proudly welcoming all who pass through her. Anyone could go up to the Acropolis, but there were restrictions on who could go inside of the temples; usually, only priests and slaves who were cleaning were allowed inside the temple walls. While usually, anyone was free to roam the Acropolis, there may have been restrictions on slaves and metics' being on the Acropolis during religious festivals, like the Panathenaea.
The Temple of Athena Nike
It is important to consider who constructed the buildings that remain on the Acropolis today: a generation of Athenians who had experienced their city being burned to the ground by the Persians. Pericles was a young teenager when he watched his home perish, and he was determined, along with many other Athenians, to restore its' greatness.
Athena, the goddess of wisdom and war, and Nike, the goddess of victory, though each separate entities, are combined with Nike as Athena's epithet in this temple. The Temple of Athena Nike stands as a reminder of the Athenians' victory over the Persians, the victory that gave them their freedom.
The Erechtheon
The Erechtheon memorializes the mythology of Athens in stone, it is a temple dedicated to both Poseidon and Athena. Myth states that Athena and Poseidon were going back and forth to determine who would dwell in Athens; the two offered Athens gifts: Poseidon struck his trident into the rock and produced a spring while Athena gave an olive tree. As we know, Athena won this dispute and Athens was hers henceforth.
Perhaps the most memorable feature of the Erechtheon is the Caryatid Porch, which displays six women in place of columns.
“Earth proudly wears the Parthenon as the best gem upon her zone.” –Ralph Waldo Emerson
The Parthenon
Ralph Waldo Emerson says it best, the Parthenon stands as the true gem of the Acropolis. Architecturally, the Parthenon's Doric columns and the use of entasis, a technique in which a building's columns are built with a slight convex curve in order to make them appear more perfect to the naked eye, set it apart from the other structures on the Acropolis. While these do make the Parthenon special, what has contributed more to its fame is the sculptures embedded in the architecture. The Parthenon has three layers of sculptures in the architecture: the pediment, the metopes, and the frieze. Among these, the frieze attracts the most attention and debate.
I find myself a bit torn about what to believe the frieze represents, and even more so after looking into the plentiful resources claiming to explain the artwork. The idea that the sculptures could represent the Panathenaic procession, the Battle of Marathon, the sacrifice of the daughters of King Erechtheus, something completely different from these theories, or a combination of them, all seem plausible to me! I'm fond of the idea of the frieze representing the Panathenaic procession, I think that is a very fitting and logical explanation of artwork in the Parthenon. However, I wouldn't put it past the Athenians to make it a collage of their religious life and military life, since those are two of the peoples' key values. I think I would have to say that I believe that the Frieze was meant to be ambiguous and to tell more than one story, but I definitely believe that the Panathenaic procession is part of the answer to the mystery.
The frieze of the Parthenon has always been really interesting to me, so of course, I wanted to peruse it more. The idea that the Athenians sculpted themselves on the frieze, among the gods, is truly amazing. It shows how highly they held the Panathenaic Procession and the peplos ceremony (if that is in fact what it represents). This particular section of the frieze shows both men riding on horseback, some looking back to check on everyone behind them, and some walking. I can't help but think that this, and many of the other artifacts from the Parthenon belong in Greece, and wonder if they will make their way back there one day.
Reflection
The Acropolis was a wonderful introduction to Greece and our program! My favorite topic of discussion was the Parthenon, all of the theories of what the Frieze might have been sculpted to represent and the implementation of entasis. I can't help but think that the frieze is a sort of puzzle that could only truly be solved by and Ancient Athenian, who would probably think we're all crazy for not understanding exactly what the frieze depicts; I'm sure that what the sculptures show was obvious the the Athenians that built the Parthenon and lived during that time period, and it is so frustrating that we can't teleport there for just one moment to ask! As for the topic of entasis, I'm certainly no architect, but I never in a million years would have considered manipulating the structure of a building in a way that the Greeks did in order to make it more appealing to the eye; the building is proof of their deep understanding of architecture and the way that we view things. The idea that our perception is what makes the Parthenon appear perfect could be the root of a million conversations, but it really reminded me of de Botton's chapter that takes place in Provence, focusing on Van Gogh. Once de Botton studies Van Gogh's work, he perceives the landscape differently and has a newfound appreciation for it. This displays how our perception, rather than reality, is what truly defines what we view as beautiful or perfect.
I am excited to learn more about the sites surrounding the Acropolis, and am looking forward to our discussion of the Theaters of Dionysus!
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