Being an Archaeologist in Greece...
My first encounter with the term archaeology was when I was 8 years old, one evening in Hydra. I was returning home with my mom and we met a man on our way that stopped and chatted a little bit with my mom. I remember, he was dressed in white linen pants and white linen shirt, a man with grayish to white long hair and beard; to me looked like a mythical figure like Jeus or Poseidon! I couldn't hear what they were saying bat I could hear his voice slow, clear and warm. After he left I asked my mother who this person was and she said he was an "Archaeologist". The word itself had a great impact on me immediately and I asked for more details and by the time we arrived home I had made my decision: I was going to become an archaeologist!
And so I did... I grew up and I end up studying Archaeology in the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece. Living in Greece and studying this subject gave me the chance to visit almost all the archaeological sites in Greece (and not only) and of course almost all the museums! The reason I make this lens is because I have the knowledge, I'm aware of places most people aren't and I want to share with you this guide to the Greek Museums!!!
Are you willing to follow me in this journey?
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The Acropolis of Athens
The "Sacred Rock" of Athens...
The Acropolis hill, so called the "Sacred Rock" of Athens, is the most important site of the city. During Perikles' Golden Age, ancient Greek civilization was represented in an ideal way on the hill and some of the architectural masterpieces of the period were erected on its ground.The first habitation remains on the Acropolis date from the Neolithic period. Over the centuries, the rocky hill was continuously used either as a cult place or as a residential area or both. The inscriptions on the numerous and precious offerings to the sanctuary of Athena (marble korai, bronze and clay statuettes and vases) indicate that the cult of the city's patron goddess was established as early as the Archaic period (650-480 B.C.).
During the Classical period (450-330 B.C.) three important temples were erected on the ruins of earlier ones: the Parthenon, the Erechtheion, and the Temple of Nike, dedicated to Athena Parthenos, Athena Polias, and Athena-Apteros Nike, respectively. The Propylaea, the monumental entrance to the sacred area was also constructed in the same period.
The monuments on the Acropolis reflect the successive phases of the city's history. Some of them were converted into Christian churches, houses of the Franks and later on, of the Turks. After the liberation of Athens from the Turks, the protection, restoration and conservation of the monuments was one of the first tasks of the newly-founded Greek state. This major effort is continued until today, with the large-scale restoration and supporting of the monuments, which started in the 1970's and is still in progress.
The first excavations on the hill were conducted between 1835 and 1837. More systematic work was carried out in 1885-1890 by Panagiotis Kavvadias.
The most important monuments on the Acropolis are:
The Parthenon
The Erechtheion
The Temple of Athena Nike
The Propylaea
Architecture and Meaning on the Athenian Acropolis
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The Acropolis in the Age of Pericles
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The Acropolis: Global Fame, Local Claim (Materializing Culture)
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The Athenian Acropolis: History, Mythology, and Archaeology from the Neolithic Era to the Present
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The Acropolis (Visiting the Past)
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Delphi
The center of earth...
During the Mycenaean period, the female deity of Earth was worshipped in the small settlement of Delphi. The development of the sanctuary and oracle though, began in the 8th century B.C. with the establishment of the cult of Apollo. Under the protection and administration of the Amphictyony, the sanctuary continued to be autonomous after the First Sacred War and, as a result, increased its panhellenic religious and political influence. The Pythian Games were re-organized, the sanctuary was enlarged and it was enriched with nice buildings, statues, and other offerings. In the 3rd century B.C. it came under the domination of the Aetolians and later, in 191 B.C., was conquered by the Romans. During the Roman occupation the site was sometimes plundered but was also favoured by some of the emperors. With the spread of Christianity, the sanctuary lost its religious meaning and was permanently closed down.The ruins of Delphi were uncovered by the systematic excavations of the French Archaeological School, which began in 1893. The village of Kastri, which had occupied the area of the sanctuary since medieval times, was moved to its present position. After the removal of huge quantities of earth that had been accumulated with the landslides, the remains of two sanctuaries, dedicated to Apollo and Athena Pronaea, were finally uncovered. The excavations revealed more than five thousands inscriptions of all kinds, statues, several miniature objects, architectural decorative pieces, all exquisite works of art, representing the major cities of Greek antiquity. Outside the area of the Sanctuary, the Stadium, the Gymnasium, the settlement of Delphi and its cemeteries have also been excavated.
The only monument that could be fully reconstructed from its own building material was the Treasury of the Athenians, which was restored in 1903-1906 by the French excavators, at the expense of the Municipality of Athens. In 1959, the restoration of the altar of the Chians was completed by the Greek Archaeological Service. The gradual reconstruction of parts of the Tholos and the Apollo Temple since 1938, has resulted in major changes in the overall appearance of the ancient remains; the Tholos has been rebuilt up to the marble sima at the base of the roof, while of the Temple have been restored the north crepis, the north wall, the columns on the east side, and the ramp of the entrance.
Have You Been to Delphi?: Tales of the Ancient Oracle for Modern Minds (Suny Series in Western Esoteric Traditions)
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Pythia, oracle of Delphi: Eternal priestess of revelation, past, present, future
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Delphi: [Photographies: "Hannibal." (Apollo editions)
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Olympia
The Altis is the name given to the area in Olympia that comprises the main religious buildings, temples and votive offerings of the sanctuary. Out of the enclosure were the auxiliary buildings, priests' houses, baths, the areas for the preparation of the athletes, guest houses along with other buildings.
The beginning of worship are lost in the depth of the centuries. At the end of the Mycenaean era there was already an installation in the area, and in the Geometric and early Archaic periods, the first simple buildings of the sanctuary were founded.
The games began in 776 B.C. to honour Zeus. Pelops, the king of the Peloponnese was, according to mythology, their founder. The games were taking place in the area in front of the temples to start with, but later as the athletes taking part in the games, as well as the spectators increased, in well organised installations. At the same time the events were enriched in number and variety.
The innumerable offerings of the 7th-6th centuries B.C. were placed outside on trees, altars or in alcoves of the sanctuary. The most important of the offerings were bronze tripods and cauldrons of excellent quality, war loot (hanging on poles) and other art objects and instruments for the games. In the passing of centuries the architectural plan of the sanctuary takes shape, until the end of the 4th century B.C. when it is finally completed.
Some of the most important monuments of the site are:
The temple of Zeus
The Temple of Hera (Heraion)
The Stadium
The Bouleuterion
The Philippeion
The Leonidaion
The workshop of Pheidias
Olympia: Cult, Sport, and Ancient Festival
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OLYMPIAS (Women of the Ancient World)
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Olympia 420 -The Quest for Peace
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Olympia: Warrior Athletes of Ancient Greece
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Sanctuary of Asklepios at Ancient Epidaurus
Were drama and sience was born...
The Sanctuary of Asklepios at Epidaurus was the most celebrated healing centre of the ancient world.The cult is attested as early as the 6th century B.C. when the hill-top sanctuary of Apollo Maleatas was no longer spacious enough for the public worship of the Epidaurus city-state. The authority and radiance of Asklepios as the most important healer god of antiquity, brought to the sanctuary great financial prosperity, which in the 4th and 3rd centuries B.C. enabled the implementation of an ambitious building program for the construction of monumental buildings for the worship (the temple and the altar of Asklepios, the Tholos, the Abaton, etc.), and later, of buildings mainly secular in character (the Theatre, the Ceremonial Hestiatoreion, the Baths, the Palaestra, etc.). The Asklepieion survived until the end of antiquity, having experienced a second heyday in the 2nd century A.D.
The French Scientific Mission to the Peloponnese was the first to conduct excavations on the site. However, all the monuments of the Asklepieion have been brought to light in systematic excavations carried out by the Greek Archaeological Society (1879-1926) under the direction of P. Kavvadias. Additional investigations were conducted in 1942-43 on the Abaton and building E, by E. Martin and H. Metzger. The excavations were resumed from 1948 to 1951, and have been continued since 1974, mainly in the sanctuary of Apollo Maleatas. Since 1985, complementary archaeological research has been undertaken by the Committee for the Preservation of the Epidaurus Monuments.
The first restoration works at the Asklepieion started on the Theatre in 1907, and continued in 1954-1963. In 1984, the task of rescuing the sanctuary from decay as well as improving its presentation as a whole, while organizing an instructive and controlled route for the large number of visitors, was undertaken by the Committee for the Preservation of the Epidaurus Monuments.
The restoration of the Abaton, the Tholos, the Propylon of the "Gymnasium", and the Gate of the West Parodos of the Theatre, with extensive conservation treatment of the authentic material, is in various stages of implementation. Also, for the direct rescue of the authentic material of other monuments, Greek and Roman, conservation is currently in progress. In 1988, the Asklepieion was included in the World Heritage List.
Epidauros
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Important Medical Centres in the Antiquity -- Epidaurus and Corinth --
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Mycenae
The land of Greek Myths...
Mycenae, the legendary home of the Atreides, is situated upon a small hill-top on the lower slopes of Euboea Mountain, between two of its peaks, on the road leading from the Argolic Gulf to the north (Corinth, Athens, etc.).The site was inhabited since Neolithic times (about 4000 BC) but reached its peak during the Late Bronze Age (1350-1200 BC), giving its name to a civilization which spread throughout the Greek world. During that period, the acropolis was surrounded by massive "cyclopean" walls which were built in three stages (ca.1350, 1250 and 1225 BC) except on its SE flank where a steep ravine provided natural defense.
A palace was built on the summit of the hill while towards the Argolic plain lay the wall - painted "Cult Center", the main gate or "Lion Gate" and "Grave Circle A" which contained the treasures now displayed at the National Archaeological Museum of Athens. On the NE side, a tunnel leading to a subterranean fountain was built in "cyclopean" masonry in around 1225 B.C.
More tombs, "Grave Circle B", and large tholoi as well as houses were discovered outside the walls. Mycenae was occupied without interruption until 468 B.C. when it was conquered by the city of Argos and its population banished. It was reoccupied in the 3rd century B.C. for a relatively short period. It had been abandoned for some time when Pausanias visited the site during the 2nd century A.D.
In 1841, K. Pittakis cleared the "Lion Gate" and in 1876, H. Schliemann started the excavations of the "Grave Circle A" which P. Stamatakis continued in 1877, bringing to light a sixth shaft grave.
Mycenae: Agamemnon's Capital
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Corinth, Mycenae, Argos,Tiryns, Nauplion, Epidaurus
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The Panagia Houses at Mycenae
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The Origins of Greek Religion
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Welll Built Mycenae Fasc 7. The Prehistoric Cemetery: Pre-Mycenaean and Early Mycenaean Graves (Well Built Mycenae)
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Knossos
The Centerof the Minoan Civilization...
Knossos is the site of the most important and better known palace of Minoan civilization. According to tradition, it was the seat of the legendary king Minos. The Palace is also connected with thrilling legends, such as the myth of the Labyrinth with the Minotaur, and the story of Daidalos and Icaros.The site was continuously inhabited from the Neolithic period (7000-3000 B.C.) until Roman times.
The Linear B tablets (Mycenaean script) of the 14th century B.C. mention the city as ko-no-so.
Intensive habitation occurred mostly in the Minoan period, when the so-called first (19th-17th centuries B.C.) and second palaces (16th-14th centuries B.C.) were built along with luxurious houses, a hospice and various other structures. After its partial destruction in 1450 B.C., Knossos was settled by Mycenaeans from the Greek Mainland.
The city flourished again during the Hellenistic period (sanctuaries of Glaukos, Demeter, other sanctuaries, chamber tombs, north cemetery, defensive towers) and in 67 B.C. it was captured by the Roman Quintus Caecilius Metelus Creticus. The "Villa of Dionysos", a private house with splendid mosaics was built in the same period.
The most important monuments of the site are:
The Palace of Knossos
The Little Palace
The Royal Villa
House of the Frescoes
Caravanserai
The "Unexplored Mansion"
Temple Tomb
The House of the High Priest
The South Mansion
The Villa of Dionysos
The Knossos Labyrinth: A New View of the Palace of Minos at Knossos
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Knossos Searching for the Legendary Palace of King Minos (Discoveries)
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The Central Palace Sanctuary at Knossos (Supplementary Volume)
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Greek Writing from Knossos to Homer: A Linguistic Interpretation of the Origin of the Greek Alphabet and the Continuity of Ancient Greek Literacy
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At Palaces Of Knossos
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by Katrina
Hello everybody!
My name is Katerina and I'm Greek currently living in the US. I grew up in a tiny little island in Greece: the beautiful island of&n...
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