ANCIENT GREEK ARCHITECTURE | FIELD GUIDE
HISTORICAL SERIES ©2020 MYTHICAL ROUTES
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HISTORICAL SERIES ©2020 MYTHICAL ROUTES
MYTHICAL ROUTES HISTORICAL SERIES
ACROPOLIS OF ATHENS ANCIENT GREEK ARCHITECTURE
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Table of Contents Table of Contents
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Historical Series
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Copyright Notice
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Cradle of Western civilization
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Acropolis of Athens
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About the Author
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Books by G. Baltoyannis
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Historical Series collection
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Photography Series
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Adventure Travel Greece
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Historical Series Mythical Routes Historical Series is a location-based series of architectonical / historical guides based on the best seller books by architect and author G. Baltoyannis. For more information visit Mythical Routes | Books.
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HISTORICAL SERIES ©2020 MYTHICAL ROUTES
ANCIENT GREEK ARCHITECTURE CHTHONIC AND CELESTIAL ❖
Editor in chief: Angelo Baltoyannis
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Author: George Baltoyannis
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Translation: Chris Loutroutzis
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Text editing: Lorraine Adams
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Graphic design: Angelo Baltoyannis
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Design Layout & Pagination: Mythical Routes IKE
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ISBN: 978-618-84479-0-5
“Mythical Routes inaugural mission is to help spread the ideas and facts of Ancient Hellenic World with the broader geographical meaning throughout the international adventure community”
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Copyright Notice All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, send us an email or write at the address:
Mythical Routes Nymfon Sqr. 1, Glyfada 16674, Greece Disclaimer : All materials are protected under the United States and international copyright laws and treaties which provide substantial penalties for infringement. The use of any images or other materials, in whole or part, for any purpose, including, but not limited to, reproduction, storage, manipulation, digital or otherwise, is expressly prohibited without the written permission of Mythical Routes. Governing Law : Any claim relating to Mythical Routes's web site shall be governed by the laws of the State of Greece without regard to its conflict of law provisions. General Terms and Conditions applicable to Use of a Web Site.
Copyright © 2020 MYTHICAL ROUTES | All Rights Reserved For more information, visit Terms of Use
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Cradle of Western civilization Greece is considered the cradle of Western civilization, being the birthplace of democracy, Western philosophy, Western literature, historiography, political science, major scientific and mathematical principles, Western drama and the Olympic Games.
! Ancient Messini, Peloponnese © 2019 A. Baltoyannis
From the eighth century B.C., the Greeks were organized into various independent city-states (polis), which spanned the entire Mediterranean region and the Black Sea. Philip of Macedon united most of the Greek mainland in the fourth century B.C., with his son Alexander the Great rapidly conquering much of the ancient world, from the eastern Mediterranean to India. Greece was annexed by Rome in the second century B.C., becoming an integral part of the Roman Empire and its successor, the Byzantine Empire, which adopted the Greek language and culture.
The country's rich historical legacy is reflected in part by its 18 UNESCO World Heritage Sites. 7 of 20
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Acropolis of Athens Route in Spacetime The Acropolis of Athens, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, was populated since the Neolithic era and during the Mycenean times was fortified with walls that protected the officers of the army. Later, in the place of the palace, there was built a temple dedicated to the gods Poseidon and Athena, which was destroyed later during the Archaic era twice, and was rebuilt for the second time at the beginning of the 5th century B.C.
! Acropolis by Leo von Klenze
The construction of the walls of Acropolis started with Kimon (Greek: Κίμων) and Themistocles (Greek: Θεμιστοκλῆς), Athenian politicians and generals in mid-5th century B.C., and was completed with Pericles (Greek: Περικλῆς), a prominent and influential Greek statesman and general of Athens during its golden age and his cooperators - the architect Iktinos and the general supervisor and sculptor Fidias - have built Parthenon (dedicated to the goddess Athena).
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! Acropolis site-plan
The Acropolis of Athens is a privileged archeological site for a variety of reasons. It is located in the middle of a plain 22 km long and 10 km wide, with an altitude of 156.20 meters. So the Acropolis is towering over the surrounding hills and becomes peripherally visible from long distances, without the head of the visitor assuming a discomforting position while observing it. This way, especially in ancient times, space functioned symbolically and defensively for the residents of Athens. When we climb the Acropolis we observe that there is a comfortable visual image around the area in every direction with great clarity for at least 50 km. Athens emerged victorious creating two battles - symbols: the Battle of Marathon (490 B.C.) and the Battle of Salamis (480 B.C.) the first is connected with the oligarchic Athens and the second with the democratic Athens. The building complex of the Acropolis that the visitor observes nowadays, was constructed after the Persian Wars and after these victorious battles.
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Then the Athenian League began to develop, under the pretext of addressing a future Persian threat, under the auspices of the Athens and consisted of more than 236 city-states (some even raise them to 400).
Its political and economic sphere of influence extended to a radius of 1,200 km. All these are important in relation to the logic of the Acropolis building projects and this is because the projects we see on the Sacred Rock do not concern Athens as a city-state but Athens as a superpower, City-Patroness of the alliance.
Propylaea The Greek word propylaeon (προπύλαιον) is the union of the prefix pro(before) plus the plural of the gate, meaning literally "that which is before the gates”. Climbing the stairs of the Acropolis let us remember for a little while the myths about Athena the goddess who protects the city of Athens.
! Propylaea, Acropolis of Athens
Crossing the threshold of the Propylaea we observe the separation of the columns in Triads. We enter a timeless space that is the Past, Present, and Future. The Propylaea, which we pause for a moment to marvel at their art, 10 of 20
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cost the Athenian State 290 talents that in today's rates would sum up to 71.3 million euro (for materials and labor).
Parthenon The Parthenon (Greek: Παρθενώνας) is a former temple on the Athenian Acropolis, Greece, dedicated to the goddess Athena, whom the people of Athens considered their patron. Construction began in 447 B.C. when the Athenian Empire was at the peak of its power and was completed in 438 B.C., although decoration of the building continued until 432 B.C. It is the most important surviving building of Classical Greece, generally considered the zenith of the Doric order. Its decorative sculptures are considered some of the high points of Greek art. The Parthenon is regarded as an enduring symbol of Ancient Greece, Athenian democracy and Western civilization, and one of the world's greatest cultural monuments.
! Parthenon, Acropolis of Athens
To the Athenians who built it, the Parthenon and other Periclean monuments of the Acropolis were seen fundamentally as a celebration of Hellenic victory over the Persian invaders and as a thanksgiving to the gods for that victory.
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The believer reaching at the end of the passage, admired the colossal bronze statue of Athena, perhaps a project by Phidias. At the same time, he could admire the Athenian Ionic Erechtheum and the Doric Parthenon. These are two structures with a completely different aesthetic.
! Erechtheion, Acropolis of Athens
On the one hand in the Erechtheion Athena Polias protector of the earth’s forces and fertility is a tender mother full of femininity, on the other hand in the Parthenon Athena Pallas, the warlike patron of the city is presented virile and terrifying. The Parthenon was built to commemorate the victory at Salamis because the sea was the advantage of Athens. It is of course reasonable to assume that Pericles could not have decided to build the brilliant temple of the Virgin which cost 500 talents, that would be 132.000.000 euros today (as much as a modern-day 44 km long national highway of European standards), without politically taking advantage of the construction in the area. From this point, when the Attic sky is clear, we can relive the terrible battle between the Persians and Greeks.
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So when the Panathenaic procession entered the Acropolis area, every Athenian entered into another dimension like when passing through an Arch of Triumph. Here the gods were close and next to him, perhaps they even touched him (something similar happens today with the Christian procession of Tinos). So the relationship God-Man was immediate. And the pillars, the geometric shapes, the sculptures, etc. were playing the role of a symbolic reminder to man (just like the hexapteryga and the icons of the Christian world today). The believer who followed the Panathenaic procession was leaving optimistic. And as he timelessly entered the area of the Sacred Rock (Past - Present Future), he also timelessly left (Future - Present - Past). He saw the Past before him towards Salamis, since the Propylaea have this visual direction. In the Sacred Site (Acropolis), man participates actively, seeing visions and creating performances (like in the various sacred sites of the monotheistic cults). 
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About the Author George Baltoyannis was born in Athens, Greece in 1941. His father was from Epirus and his mother from Andros. He studied architecture in Rome and took part in art exhibitions (Margutta – San Luca – Artecom – Palazzo Delle Esposizioni etc.). He returned to Athens in 1970 and worked as a freelance architect and at the same time was an employee, successively at the Greek Ministry of National Defence (Pentagon), the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA) and the Autonomous Building Organization for Officers (AOOA). Today, alongside the above activities he also researches and lectures on history of art.
His books and theories have been embraced by the Università degli Studi dell'Aquila in Italy, where he was invited several times to give lectures, and the theories of his book “Sacred Architecture” have been integrated into the curriculum of lesson "Elements of Geometry" of the University of Ioannina in Greece.
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Books by G. Baltoyannis With more than 30 years of Historical research on the relation between ancient Greek architecture and ancient religion, George Baltoyannis is the author of five best seller Greek books. Most books are available in English language and eBook reflow format. For more information, visit our Shop.
Sacred Architecture
Sacred Journey to Mystical Greece
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Sacred Astronomy
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Historical Series collection To view the full Historical Series collection eBooks and get all available Mythical Guides, in mobile-friendly layout, visit our Shop.
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Photography Series Mythical Routes Photography Series is dedicated to understanding photography, learning about the history of travel photography and adventure photography specific techniques, mastering equipment and much more.
Angelo Baltoyannis | architect
Angelo Baltoyannis is an Architect and Urban Planner with postgraduate studies in Art and Photography. He was a project partner with Nikon Greece in 2017, contributor in many photographic magazines like iFocus, Overland Times and editor in chief in Mythical Routes Publishing. Angelo has been involved in Travel Photography for over twenty years and focused mainly on Adventure Photography. He has closely worked with the American motorcycle clothing company KLiM, the Swiss motorcycle luggage company Enduristan and the Greek motorcycle gear company Aurora Rally Equipment. His has been marketing and art director for the Greek adventure gear shop Most Wanted Warehouse since 2014 and his work has been featured in the
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German overland magazine Overland Journal, the social accounts of Nikon Greece, and the Austrian Brand Management company Seven MMD GmbH, manager of companies like KTM, Motorex, FMF and more.
Memories from the East
Adventure Travel Photography
“ Live with no excuses and travel with no regrets ” ~ Oscar Wilde
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Adventure Travel Greece Our travels and expeditions showcase the beauty and the hidden historical facts of the Ancient Hellenic World with the broader geographical meaning of the term while riding through the breathtaking scenery of long mountain ridges, forest national reserves, remote dragon lakes and isolated hi-planes.
We organize Off-road Adventure Motorcycle Tours and On-road Cultural and Gastronomy Tours with a Historical approach, that can be ridden with your own motorcycle or with one provided from us. You ride at your own pace, always 19 of 20
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accompanied by a tour leader who will take care of everything for you. Our routes are ideal for dual-sport and adventure motorcycles and are based on the tracks that unfold along with the plot of the best-selling history books of architect and researcher George Baltoyannis (self-guided, SUV, VAN services available). Follow our travels with the #mythicalroutes hashtag, or visit the Mythical Routes social media accounts
Our Expertise. Your Adventure.
! WWW.MYTHICALROUTES.COM
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