Ancient Heritage - Acropolis of Athens

This article was written during my participation in the University of Toronto field course, POL300Y0: Modern Greek Culture: People, Tradition, Language and Cuisine, based in Athens, Greece. The course instructor is Dr. Themistoklis Aravossitas from the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy. The sources for the photo and texts used in this article are all shown at the bottom.

Όλως δε το συζήν και κοινωνείν των ανθρωπικών πάντων χαλεπόν.

–Αριστοτέλης, 384-322 BC, Ancient Greek Philosopher

If I ask you to name the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear the word "Greece", what will that be? Olympic? Olive? Sea? To me, the answer is the Acropolis. Not only because I have seen this name so many times in my life but also for its importance in human history and civilization.

An Acropolis is the upper part of an ancient Greek city, usually a hill with steep sides, for defense purposes. The Acropolis of Athens is the most famous, and it contains several ancient buildings: Propylaea, Erechtheion, Temple of Athena Nike, and of course, the Parthenon.

Propylaea (προπύλαια) is the gateway, and the name itself can be deconstructed into προ, "before" and πύλη, "gate." As we climbed the stairs, we noticed it was very slippery, which indirectly reflects how many people have visited this place for hundreds and thousands of years.

Erechtheion (Ἐρέχθειον) is a temple dedicated to Athena. The most prominent elements are its Caryatid, the sculpted female figures serving as pillars. Unfortunately, one of those original six figures, removed by Lord Elgin in the early 19th century (1801 - 1812), is now in the British Museum in London. The Acropolis Museum holds the other five. But we noticed all six figures were standing there, which our tour guide said were replicas. The sculptures themselves are very vivid: they seem to march ahead while also maintaining the balance and providing a sense of stability

Parthenon (Παρθενώνας) is dedicated to Athena as well. It was built for the victory over the Persian invasion in the Golden Age of Athens, therefore, it is also considered the symbol of democracy and western civilization. An important issue related to Parthenon is the return of the marbles: Lord Elgin took many marbles from the Acropolis in the early 19th century, when Athens was still under the control of the Ottoman Empire. Those who support the return believe that the marbles are a simple piece of art and thus should be reunioned and presented at the Acropolis museum. Others, however, think putting them at the British Museum provides more international context to the marbles.

Personally, the most striking thing about the Acropolis is how the Parthenon survived all those years of invasion, erosion, and vandalization, as well as serving dramatically different purposes: as a treasury, church, and mosque. Born in an authoritarian regime, the fact that it still stands there keeps reminding me about the values of democracy, which we should all fight for it.

(*We went there around 7, 8 PM, so the sunshine was not so strong and winds were blowing gently, so not too hot. The temple looks perfect under the clear sky and sunset. I believe that was perfect timing.)

References

[1] Γνωμικολογικον, Αποφθέγματα, Γνωμικά, Αφορισμοί, Ρητά, Παροιμίες, https://www.gnomikologikon.gr/catquotes.php

[2] Carole Raddato, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:The_Acropolis_of_Athens_viewed_from_the_Hill_of_the_Muses_(14220794964).jpg

[3] Propylaea, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Propylaea

[4] Erechtheion, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erechtheion

[5] Caryatid, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caryatid

[6] Parthenon, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parthenon