Tag: thegreekblue
Acropolis – Ακρόπολη
The Erechtheion is an ancient Greek temple located on the north side of the Athens Acropolis. The temple was built around 415 BC by Phidias and was dedicated both to Athena and Poseidon. It is famous for the beautiful porch on its southern side with the six female figures statues. These female statues are called Caryatids and they are serving as an architectural support taking the place of columns supporting a structure. Ancient Greeks used very often Caryatids as an architectural detail to their structures such as in the treasuries of Delphi, and this style was copied also by the Romans.
During the Ottoman occupation of Greece, a Scottish nobleman was appointed as an ambassador of Britain in Constantinople. Lord Elgin with the permission of the Ottoman authorities removed numerous antiquities from all over Greece. The most notable of them was one Caryatid removed from the Erechtheion which Elgin used it to decorate his mansion in Scotland. Elgin, after the burden of his escalating debts, sold the Caryatid to the British museum and the statue still remains there since then.
Athens, Greece
The city-state of Athens during 480 and 404 BC went through a period of economic growth and cultural flourishing. This era has been commonly referred to as the golden age of Athens or the golden age of Pericles. Many of the most influential people lived during that era such as the playwrights Aeschylus and Sophocles, the historians Herodotus and Thucydides, the physician Hippocrates and the philosopher Socrates. During Pericles rule the most important present remains were constructed in the Acropolis of Athens including the Parthenon, the Propylaia, the Erechtheion and the temple of Athena Nike.
