The Bite Magazine - Autmn/Winter 2020 - Issue 28

bitetravel Lord Elgin justified taking the marbles based on Ottoman sul- tan Selim III’s passage: “When they wish to take away some pieces of stones with old inscriptions and figures, no opposi- tion be made.” The glass-encased Parthenon Gallery on the third floor con- tains the relief sculptures of the Parthenon frieze depicting the Panathenaic procession. These are exhibited in a contin- uous sequel along the perimeter of the gallery. Not all of the original blocks are here: one is at the Louvre in Paris, 80 are at the British Museum in London, and other fragments are found in numerous European museums. The metopes, mar- ble slabs depicting Greek legends are found here too. Taking its name from keramos, meaning pottery in Greek or perhaps the son of Dionysus and Cretan princess Ariadne, Kerameikos is the cemetery of Ancient Athens used from the 9th century until the Roman times. It was divided into two regions by Themistoclean walls: the inner was inhabited, and the outer part was the cemetery which laid outside the city walls. The Dipylon Gate and the Panathenaic Way led to the Acropolis, and the Sacred Gate led to Eleusina, an important town in ancient times. The small museum found on Kerameikos holds the findings of the archaeological site. In the first room, you will discover tombstones from both the Archaic and Roman periods that adorned the cemetery. The other rooms feature vases, jewel- lery, and other objects that were buried with the dead to go with them to the afterlife and artefacts discovered in a group tomb of men, women, and children. It is believed that be- tween 429 and 426 AD, a malady killed a substantial number of Athenians. Hadrian’s Gate also called the Arch of Hadrian, is a triumphal arch in walking distance from Syntagma Square, between the rock of the Acropolis and the Temple of Olympian Zeus. It was built to mark the line between the old part of Athens and Hadrian’s new city and constructed from fine Pentelic mar- ble; the arch is similar to Roman arches. Two inscriptions are carved in the architrave, the first says, “This is Athens, the ancient city of Theseus” and the other reads, “This is the city of Hadrian and not of Theseus.” Another remarkable historical monument is the Temple of Olympian Zeus. It began construction in the 6th century by Peisistratos but was not completed until the reign of Hadrian in 131 AD, seven hundred years later. The Classical Greeks decided to leave it unfinished because they believed it sym- bolised the arrogance of people who thought they were equal to the gods. In the 3rd century, Antiochus the IV of Syria at- tempted to complete it by hiring Roman architect Cossutius, but work was halted when he died. The main attraction of visiting Athens is the Acropolis, one of the most famous ancient archaeological sites in the world, located on a limestone hill high above the capital city. Since it was completed in the 5th century BC, this designated UN- ESCO Heritage Site has influenced architecture around the world for centuries. It is the most striking and complete an- cient Greek monumental complex that still exists. It has been a home to kings, a citadel, a mythical home of the gods, a religious centre and a tourist attraction. Dating back to the Late Cretaceous period when dinosaurs still roamed the earth, the Acropolis is located on the Atti- ca plateau. Several hills surround the site: Lykavittos Hill is the highest point, rising 277 metres above the city. Hill of the Nymphs, standing at 100 metres high, is located to the north point of the green area making up the southwest area of the Acropolis and close to the Pnyx. Its name is taken from an inscription dedicated to the nymphs, who were worshipped in a time of antiquity. Pnyx Hill is an archaeological site on a small, rocky hill in the centre of Athens where statesmen Aristides, Pericles, Demos- Acropolis - Odeon of Herodes Atticus or Herodion with Athens in background