Rome to Athens 9/15-10/1/2023 Episode 13 (Part 1) Athens, Greece Saturday 9/30

Athens, the Capital of Greece and her largest city, home of the Acropolis and the site of the beginnings of the modern Olympic Games, known as the birthplace of democracy, drama, and great philosophers.

Our day started with a visit to the Acropolis and the Areopagus (otherwise known as Mars Hill). We thought this was the free weekend, so wanted to arrive as early as possible and were ready to depart the ship as soon as the go-ahead was given at 7:15 a.m. The ships dock at the new, extremely large Port of Piraeus which is about six or seven miles from the center of Athens and the Acropolis. We took the complimentary, required bus from the ship to the terminal and grabbed a cab.

Ancient Athens is, well, ancient. As in other growing, modern cities that are built on top of ancient ruins, discoveries continue to be made nearly every time a new building project is begun. Our taxi driver wanted to give us a tour to point out the best spots – all for a price, of course, and even though we turned him down he still took us to a lookout overlooking Piraeus and wanted us to get out and take pictures! We told him no and asked him again to get us to the Acropolis quickly (we had already set a price and were determined we weren’t paying for the detour!).

Upon arriving, we learned that it was not the free weekend but it had just opened at 8:00 and we only had to wait in a short line for tickets. There is a combination of walking and climbing steps to get to the top, some new and some ancient. The site quickly fills with people – over 20,000 a day we were told, so you are always climbing up or down with thousands of very close friends.

Historians say that structures have been built on top of the Acropolis as far back as 1200 to 1500 B.C. That covers a lot of ground so let’s fast forward past the Bronze Age, past the Mycenaeans who are believed to have built a huge fortress on top with 20 foot high, 15 foot thick walls, past the Athenians who built a temple to the goddess Athena in the 6th century B.C., and past 490 B.C. when the “Old Parthenon” was built and then destroyed in 480 B.C. by the Persians, along with most everything else on the Acropolis.

We arrive at what is known as “The Golden Age of Athens” under the rule of Pericles (460 to 430 B.C.) who started several huge building projects on the Acropolis that lasted for fifty years, and which he did not live to see completed. They included, among others:

the Parthenon – what the Acropolis is known for, an enormous temple that housed ornate sculptures and an imposing statue of the goddess Athena,

the Propylaea – massive entryway to the Acropolis.

and the Temple of Athena Nike, the Erechtheion – a temple made of marble which also honored Athena along with other Greek gods and heroes. It is noted for the “porch maidens”, six Caryatid maiden statues that support the porch.

It is difficult to show the size of the site and structures with my little camera phone, or to imagine the numerous sculptures carved into the marble around the top and inside. They told the stories of Greek wars and great events, including the famous Trojan horse.

The buildings and the Acropolis itself were used for different things over time as the Greeks were invaded by varying peoples. In 1687, more than 2000 years after it was built, the Parthenon was nearly destroyed in an explosion and laid waste for over 100 years, with much of its priceless artifacts being lost to looters. In 1801, in an effort to preserve them and with the permission of the Turks who were in power at the time, a British Earl removed over half of the sculptures and sold them to the British Museum where they still remain. This is a sore point with the Greeks, who want them returned! For more info on the Parthenon itself and pictures of the various types of sculptures try this interesting site: https://www.britishmuseum.org/blog/introduction-parthenon-and-its-sculptures

Since the Greeks won independence in 1822 there have been efforts to excavate, study, and restore the Acropolis and its structures to as close to the original as possible.

On the southwest slope of the Acropolis is an ancient Roman theater known as the Odeon of Herodes Atticus. Built in 161 in honor of his wife, whose death he is said to have had a hand in, it had a wooden roof made from Cedars of Lebanon and seated 5000 people. It was destroyed in 267, restored in marble in the 1950’s, and is used for events with many famous artists having performed there including Frank Sinatra, Luciano Pavarotti, Andrea Bocelli, Diana Ross, and Liza Minelli.

Looking down from the Northwestern side is the site known as the Aeropagus or Mars Hill.

It was at different times a meeting site of the elders of Athens and various Councils, and was where trials were held for murders, treason, and arson of olive trees. Olive trees are quite important in this part of the world. Most notably, it is the location where Paul the Apostle preached his famous sermon found in Acts chapter 17. He had been speaking in the synogogue and in the Agora (marketplace) about Jesus and His resurrection from the dead, and he was taken to the Aeropagus and asked for more. Paul told them he could see they were very religious and had even included an altar to the “Unknown God”. He told them of that God, the Creator of the world and everything in it, who does not dwell in temples made by man’s hands, who could be found if they would seek him, who calls all to repentance and much more. Scripture says that some scoffed at the resurrection, but some believed including Dionysius the Areopagite and a woman named Damaris. Later there was a church and monastery on the Aeropagus dedicated to Dionysius the Areopagite.

It is just a big rock now with a plaque, written in Greek, that commemorates the spot. The old steps are closed off and new ones are built off to the side, but it was so easy to imagine Paul walking up those old steps to the top as he proclaimed the resurrection and saving power of Jesus.

Just north of Mars Hill is a temple and the ongoing excavations of the Greek Agora or marketplace,where Paul would have been speaking.

Greek Mythology was something I read as a youngster including Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey. While I understood that Greek gods were gods with a little “g” and were not to be worshipped, the stories were filled with great adventures of heroes and heroines who were exciting and inspiring, and who accomplished magnificent and noble things in spite of character flaws and imperfections and sometimes tragically bad decisions. Their glories – and failures certainly taught life lessons that I remember to this day.

With that, I’ll pause on our adventures in Greece, and hope to finish later today. May we all be inspired and transformed by the knowledge of the Creator and Giver of life of whom Paul spoke in Acts.

Thanks again for traveling along and wading through the narrative and pictures. We appreciate your company!