Spatial Explorations of a Hibernating God

SPATIAL EXPLORATIONS OF A

HIBERNATING GOD Strolling above Eridanos river

BARC0110: Landscape Architecture Theory & Practice Seminar 04 / Topographic Practices / Keeley Thomas Student / Alexandra Souvatzi Submission date: 24/01/2022 Word Count: 2780

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INTRODUCTION The following essay is a topographical practice that combines a walk, text and images to form a critical understanding of contemporary central Athens, in relation to the city’s historical and mythological past.

Having as a starting point the spatial explorations of the Situationists and Surrealists, the walk seeks to reveal an atmospheric perception of the city, which is illustrated on map01 inspired by Debord’s Naked City (McDonough, 1994). The route of the stroll is directed by a buried river, Eridanos, which was linked with mythology and religious practices of ancient Athens.

Theories on psycogeography influence the pedestrian wandering, attempting to relate spaces with their social life, past ideals and their interpretation in the contemporary city.

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To confront this spatial investigation, site visits, academic books and ancient Greek philosophy act as main sources. Plato (Timaeus, Kritias) introduces myths regarding Eridanos river, as well as ideals of social structure. The reflections of Auge (qtd. in Massey, 2000) and De Certeau (1984) on places, assist to frame a speculative reading of the city, while Smithson’s work (1996) demonstrates ways to implement critique on site visits. McDonough’s description of the devire (1994) sets the baseline of the walk, and the film of Keiller (1992) shows ways to incorporate images as a tool of study.

Photographs and footnotes are combined into foot-figures, in order to be embedded in the text and to further advance its context. Ideas, comments and personal reflections augment the written analysis towards a better understanding of each location. Essay and images work together and propose an alternative topography of the text. res 27 u g e i r F pag o F o to g

The study begins with situating Eridanos in space and in history. Then, the stroll follows its course in central Athens, from Kerameikos archaeological site until Mount Lycabettus, where the spring of the river is. During the walk, certain key locations of the city stand out and are analyzed in regard to their character.

Towards the end of the essay, the river is round up to its contemporary reality; a forgotten sewer, emitting mythological links to spaces of Athens.

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In this map, the units of the city are mapped according to their mental connections. Eridanos river forms the boundary that brings everything together. Kerameikos archaeological site, Acropolis’ Sacred Hill and Mount Lycabettus form the core of the investigration. The map also guides the reader to the text.

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A METAPHORA Attica, the peninsula that hosts the capital of contemporary Greece, was seen in antiquity as the most ideal location for the beginning of human life, selected by the Gods02 for its prosperous land, that was abundant in natural beauties.

These included fertile soils that hosted fruit trees, grasses that fed the animals and a lot of rivers that nourished the land and provided fresh water to its inhabitants (Plato, Timaeus).

One of these rivers is Eridanos, whose spring originates at Mount Lycabettus, its body runs through the heart of Athens and its end is poured in the river Illisus, heading towards the sea. Seasonal floods created clays that assisted the growth of Athenian’s pottery district, Kerameikos. However, due to contamination from the growing town, it was covered by a dome and converted into a sewer during the 2nd century CE. The axis of Eridanos was reflected on the town plan of ancient Athens (ATTIKO METRO, 2021) and directed the orientation a highly valued road; the Sacred Way. There, was the origin of an annual walk towards Eleusis that was held as part of Eleusinian Mysteries, the most sacred rite of all religious celebrations (Archaeological Organization, 2022).

Life-bearing rivers, like the majority of natural elements, were given a second life in the realm of mythology.

Eridanos takes its name from a mythical River God that crossed continents, whose banks were covered with amber.

According to Hesiod’s Theogony he was son of the Oceanos (an enormous river encircling the Earth) and Tethys (Titan mother of all rivers, springs and nymphs) (THEOI, 2019).

Long before the Golden Age (480-410 BCE) it was believed that the hill of Acropolis extended from the banks of Eridanos and Illisus until the foothills of Lycabettus (Plato, Kritias)03. The body of the river was the boundary of the Sacred Hill and run on a higher altitude than today. Hence, Eridanus is a frontier as De Certeau (1984) describes it, a space intersecting different spatial qualities. It is a border that evolves and transforms, adjusting itself to distinct histories. It is a boundary that was bounded to allow city growth.

However, Eridanos can be seen as more than a river, or a God, or a frontier. It is a trace of history, running through Attica before humans settlements, witnessing changes that impacted both its surroundings and its banks. This river is linked with what De Certeau (1984) defines as a metaphora; geographical locations that are part of stories and can navigate walks in space.

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Athina and Hephaestus, children of Zeus, were given the region of Attica to create a city, according to their ideals. As they were both wise and involved with fine arts, they created inhabitants that were fair-minded, who governed the city in the most rightful way. The intellectual beauty of the residents matched the natural beauties of Attica.

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In this discussion, greeks from the classical era speculate on an ancient (to them) Greece that existed before Egyptian civilization.

Plato (Kritias) adds another layer of history to Athens, especially to Eridanos River. As the limit of Acropolis’s Sacred Hill, the river can now be seen simultaneously as a water course, a mythological feature and a frontier.

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RUINS If one would seek to find this multifaced river, the most evident location to visit would be Kerameikos. Hidden in plain sight, Eridanos continues his journey on the same course that had carved so many years ago. Like nothing has changed since then, the riverbed is exposed for a brief moment, when it crosses the archaeological site04. His force has been diminished but his impact can be clearly seen on the lush landscape that grows around.

As Smithson (qtd. in Hutton, 2020, p.3) argues, ‘A park can no longer be seen as a thing in itself’. What does this mean for this specific site, that is named by authorities an Archaeological Park? Was it used as a park in antiquity, or can it be used as a park today?

Since neither of these are true, this historical and natural hybrid can be seen as the time travelling machine, that Marot (2003) defines as a garden. A garden that rose into ruin, to become a Romantic landscape, without being designed as such on purpose05. This site, confined within the dense urban fabric, builds up what Rossi (qtd. in Marot, 2003, p.33) described as ‘a locus of collective memory’. Partly landscape, partly architecture, embedded in contemporary Athens, binds its inhabitants to common memories and shared histories. After all, this place is an ancient graveyard; remembrance is its purpose.

Entering the site of Kerameikos feels like Smithson (1996) going into a used cars yard. As one descends to the level of classical Athens, the reality of the contemporary city vanishes behind the 5-meter height difference that separates past and present06. A false future unfolds in this park. A future where both river and ruins are not buried deep below ground but are still glistening under the sun.

Entropy is apparent on architecture, but the landscape shouts rebirth.

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Eridanos freed from its prison nourishes the soil as once did. It appears to be coming out from nowhere. Maybe the site rests on the same clay that Athenians used for their ceramics, so many years ago.

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05 Ancient ruins full of memory surrounded by a landscape infused with life by Eridanos. The aridity of the summer months is counterbalanced by the existence of the river, forming an unexpected oasis within Athens. The partly maintained garden, enriched with trees characteristic to Greek nature, form this Romantic, picturesque landscape.

The new city rests on top of ancient foundations. Religious rituals keep taking place but devoted to a different God. 06

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RUINS Situated right next to the archaeological park, Amaxostasio07, a ‘ruin in reverse’ (Smithson, 1996, p. 72) stands, overlooking the Romantic garden. An enormous building, a constructed exoskeleton, empty of use or identity, completes the ruins of Kerameikos to form the contemporary image of Athens08.

Both ruins have been event spaces; Keramikos hosted the religious rituals before, Amaxostasio hosts cultural events now. Furthermore, they are both connected to the Sacred Way; the first as part of Eleysinian Mysteries, the second as a high-speed connection with the city.

In Keramikos, ancient and contemporary Athenian ruins engage in conversation regarding past and future collective memories09.

This building is named Amaxostasio, because its initial purpose was to be a parking (stasi) for the citiy’s buses (Amaxia). Many architectural competitions have engaged with this abandonded building, but no solution has been finalized.

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Bipolar ruins, side by side, engaging in a dialogue of architypes.

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09 The wall of antiquity in the front, and the wall of today in the back.

In this contrasting height difference, it is worth wondering; Where is the trace of Plato’s (Kritias) ancient Acropolis? According to his description, 10,000 years ago I would be standing at the foothills of the Sacred Hill, much higher than contemporary Athens.

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A NON-PLACE Apart from the brief moment that Eridanos is exposed to the gaze of the world, it quietly slides buried and forgotten, below central Athens. Interestingly, above the axis of its course, lies one of the most significant streets of the contemporary city; Ermou. Perhaps undeliberately, the river still influences the plan of the city.

Ermou is one of the most recognizable streets of Athens.

It connects the Parliament with Plaka, the foothills of Acropolis’ Sacred Hill. It is what MacCannell (1999) would name a front stage; the location of a tourist setting, a social space where tourist performance takes place. Historical attractions from different eras, combined with a wide pedestrian walkway and commercial shops, invite both locals and visitors to participate in its vivid routine.

The familiarity of this street and the social relations that are developed there, define it as an ‘anthropological place’ (Auge qtd. in Merriman, 2004, p. 148), a meaningful, recognizable location of the city with a unique identity10.

However, its glamor does not last long. The pedestrian walk, along with its bustling life is directed to a parallel route, staged properly to invite tourists to what MacCannell (1999) defines as an authentic experience. An expected greekness, refined, packaged and ready for sale.

What does this sudden turn mean for Ermou street?

Its route continues until the site of Kerameikos, but its character is no longer distinct, nor recognizable11. Ermou is cut in half, a broken axis in the heart of Athens.

10 Ermou is Athens’ meeting point. With the Parliament on one end, and Kapnikarea church on the other, it is the most familiar place of the city’s center.

11 Vehicle movement as the main circulation is highlighted by the scale of commercial signage. Like a small-scale Las Vegas, the driver’s gaze is prioritized over the pedestrian’s (Venturi et al, 1972).

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A NON-PLACE This second half of the street unexpectedly pushes away pedestrians and their meaningful social performance, giving way to a permanent traffic congestion. Narrow sidewalks, air pollution and faceless buildings exclude tourists from this crossing. Everyday life of the local population invades the staged dream of the tourist setting.

This part of the street could have been located anywhere in Athens, without changing its use or meaning. It is what Auge (qtd. in Merriman, 2004) would call a non-place; an undefined space devoted to circulation and consumption.

At this point, it is worth wondering; Which part of Ermou truly represents the Greekness of Athens? Can a non-place be more representative than a place?

A mannequin as an objective observer, watching over the two-faced Ermou. Its posture seems to be judging the social performance below.

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A Neoclassical building, named Soho. A mental trip from Athens to London. Just like Kieller’s (2003) Londoners, most Athenians would rather be elsewhere.

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Vintage shops are typical in the lowest part of Ermou. In the past. it was full of artisanship shops. Only few remain today.

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As Massey (1991) argues, place and community do not always overlap. In a certain way, MacCannell (1999) states the same in his description of staged authenticity; the backstage, the less defined and proper space, is where true local life takes place. It’s there that one can witness traces of contemporary Athenian spirit12.

The division of Ermou is indicative of the mentality of the people that use it. A constant debate between importing European lifestyles13 or reviving tradition14.

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AN ASYNDETON Halfway Ermou’s non-place, lies a public square where Eridanos’ echoes can be heard. Monastiraki square was built on top of the river, partly respecting its presence15.

This location is a distinct ‘unity of atmosphere’ of Athens, as Debord (qtd. in McDonough, 1994, p.68) perceives it; a space where a unique mix of social relations take place.

It is a collage of histories, cultures and myths that invite people for various reasons to cross the square, contributing to the social performance16.

These different histories that coexist on this square, augment it in a ‘topos of discourse’ (De Certeau, 1984, p.105), where memories are appropriated and projected in space. Fragments of different pasts located next to each other build the collective memory of Athens and represent its holistic past. The oldest orthodox church (Megali Panagia, 5 century CE) is located within the ruins of Adrian’s Library (2nd century CE). A byzantine chapel (Panagia Pantanasa, 10th century CE) is situated on the side of an Ottoman Mosque (18th century CE). Infront of them, is the Neoclassical train station (19th century CE) within which, Eridanos’ vault and ruins (2nd century CE) are exposed. In the background, Acropolis (6th century BCE) overlooks the square. This dense and fragmented historical collection is what De Certeau defines as ‘synecdoche’ (1984, p. 101).

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This square has a hole. A hole that is hidden behind tall railings and benches. If one manages to look inside, suddenly Eridanos makes its appearance, running quietly below.

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Monastiraki’s atmosphere is so characteristic, that reminds me Smithson’s quote (1996, p.70) ‘Like photographing a photograph’.

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17 A small archaeological site exists in Monastiraki’s underground station; Erinados’ vault and traces of the old city. The river’s soundscape echoes. Passengers pass indifferent next to it. An example of Asyndeton.

The pedestrian public space between them, the square, both separates and unites these attractions. Its indifferent character makes the ruins stand out. It frames them but does not give access to them. It is a ‘hyposignificant’ (McDonough, 1994, p.76) spatial element in a condensed historical unity.

What is the role of people in this social performance that is staged in an urban synecdoche?

Even though this public space is surrounded by cultural attractions, it acts first and foremost as a meeting point; a central part of the city with transport links, commercial shops, pedestrian walks and nightlife. Apart from international tourists, most passers-by of the space don’t go there for its historical grid. The backstage of the city is just around the corner.

Thus, it could be argued that the crowd and its performance does not relate to the past that surrounds it. The traces of history are fragmented into singular elements in space.

An observer could witness the bustling life of Monastiraki square moving casually between the ruins. Ruins that are freely open to the gaze, but not to access.

This historical sequence is cut through by contemporary life. The users of the square are the bipolar of synecdoche (De Certeau, 1984); They are the asyndeton17.

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A NON-METAPHOR Ascending towards Mount Lycabettus, one passes through a peculiar neighborhood of Athens; Exarchia.

Its uniqueness is not encountered in the rhythm of the buildings, nor in historical ruins. It is the spirit of this region that makes it special. Solidarity, freedom, and culture are values on display there18, but also a cause of conflict.

According to Plato’s (Kritias) speculative description of ancient Acropolis, this whole region was part of the Sacred Hill. It was meant to host the residences of the class of warriors; guards, regardless of gender, served the city and its inhabitants and protected them from external attacks.

They had to be just, so their education ought to be holistic and include gymnastics, as well as music and philosophy (Plato, Timaeus).

However, these ethics have been distorted with time19. On one hand, educational values are still in place; numerous theaters and open-air cinemas, music venues, libraries, and art schools. Occupied squats offer free access to learning and culture or even shelter to those in need.

Artisanship shops and family-owned tavernas support local quality over global markets.

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On the other hand, this lifestyle is seen as a threat by the government. Anarchism is said to rule this region. Vigilant police commandos are placed in every corner, ready to act20. Who are they protecting? Similar to Benham’s reflections on L.A. (1972), Europeans are free to do crazy things here, but people from other counties (especially immigrants) are on the fringe (Souliotis, 2019). The same applies to whomever is (or seems to be) engaging with activities of the so-called anarchists21.

Even though contemporary culture groups and security forces coexist in Exarchia, their bond is no longer harmonious; it is explosive.

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20 As Solnit (2001) argued, in certain places pedestrians are seen as suspects. (For such a story visit: https://ampa.lifo.gr/featured/ kataggelia-gia-adaforia-astynomikon-se-kopela-poy-ypedeixe-tonparaviasti-tis/)

Squat 2510 is an educational and cultural space, where classes are open to all. Its ethics are similar to Plato’s. The mannequins on the balcony overlook the conflict of Exarchia, with disappointment.

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21 A marble sign with the text “Neither saying, Nor hiding, But meaning”, next to a trash bin. This brings memories from one of the most tragic events of Exarchia’s recent history; a teenager was shot from a police officer, for no apparent reason. The memory of his death is respected by annual protests, which always result in street fights in Exarchia. (For more information visit: https://www.cnn.gr/ tag/alexandros-grigoropoylos)

Empty buildings are often sealed from police, so they do not become squats. It reminds me Smithson’s quote (1996, p. 364) ‘theories, like things, are also abandoned’.

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A NON-METAPHOR The closer one gets to Lycabettus, the more mythology fades and reality emerges. This region is a non-metaphor, the opposite of De Certeau’s metaphora (1984). Eridanos’ course ends, together with its spatial narrative.

Lush vegetation covers the hill, completely hiding its recent past, that is years of exploitation as a stone quarry22 (Gelasakis, 2020). In contemporary Athens, Lycabettus is an iconic natural landscape, with breathtaking views towards the city. The Mount overlooks Acropolis, and the Sacred Hill reflects its gaze. In a mythological past they were united (Plato, Kritias), but today they are the poles of an opposition.

Acropolis is a symbol of the past and an attraction for tourists. Lycabettus represents the contemporary and the local.

Deep below its soils, Eridanos begins its journey23. Its is a river God that was condemned into obscurity and hibernation, spending his life as a sewer24. However, Eridanos breakes free from this prison and infiltrates Athens, enriching the city with psycogeographical links that mix past and present narratives. Perhaps, in the Athens of the future, Eridanos will return to its natural course and its sediments will unite Acropolis, Lycabettus, and the Sacred Way, once more.

Only but a few remember that this forest is artificial.

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Lycabettus soils remind me Smithson’s (1996) sandbox and his thoughts on entropy.

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If Eridanos was converted in a sewer today, it would probably look like this.

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CONCLUSIONS In recent history, a host of artists have engaged with the act of walking, as a performance that relates experience with the understanding of spaces. As Rendell (2006, p.184) points out, ‘walking provides a way of practicing space through time and time through space’. In this spatial sequence in central Athens, myths and histories are entangled with contemporary life, and offer opportunities to perceive the city in different ways25. It could be argued that strolling above Eridanos is the opposite of Smithson’s walk in the Passaic (1996); layers of history influence space and shape mnemonic places26.

The character of these locations cannot be distinguished by conventional mapping of the route27. However, it is a useful tool for associating the walk with the neighborhoods of Athens and the course of the buried river. By relating the city with its mental notions of time, as well as with its social performance, it is possible to read Athens as an atmospheric entity. This essay is an effort to respond to; How can the feeling of walking there be communicated and shared?

In the era of globalization and international mobility, the values of collective memory are usually neglected.

Increasingly, cities are designed for financial benefit instead of meaningful social connections for the community.

Spaces that host everyday life are seen as the backstage, while those that are linked with history are appropriated for consumption (MacCannell, 1999). In the pscycogeography of Athens, it is seen that reality rests somewhere between the present and the past, the tourist and the local. How can this pedestrian understanding of the city assist landscape architects to enhance public space and to display these mythological and social links?

The soil layers on display remind me the layers discussed in the essay. The coexistence of mythological and historical past with contemporary life.

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Lycabettus, the city and its soils. The ruins of tomorrow glisten marble-white under the sun.

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A conventional map of central Athens demonstrating the course of Eridanos river and the devire route.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY ARTICLES Gelasakis M. (2020). ‘Lycabettus: Today and in history, through original images and archive material’ [Λυκαβηττός: Το σήμερα και η ιστορία του μέσα από πρωτότυπες εικόνες και αρχειακό υλικό] in LIFO, 4 October. Available at: https://www.lifo.gr/now/athens/lykabittos-simera-kai-i-istoria-toy-mesa-apo-prototypes-eikones-kai-arheiako-yliko (Accessed: 22 January 2022) Massey, D. (1991). ‘A Global Sense of Place’ in Marxism Today, June, pp. 24–29 (Accessed: 15 November 2021) McDonough, T. (1994). ‘Situationist Space’ in The MIT Press, October, vol. 67, pp. 59–77.

Available at: http://www.jstor.org/stable/778967 (Accessed: 16 October 2021) Merriman, P. (2004). ‘Driving Places: Marc Augé, Non-places, and the Geographies of England’s M1 Motorway’ in Theory, Culture & Society, 21(4/5), pp.145–167 (Accessed: 29 November 2021) Souliotis G. (2019). ‘Squat evacuations in Exarcheia’ [Εκκενώσεις καταλήψεων στα Εξάρχεια] in Kathimerini, 27 August. Available at: https://www.kathimerini.gr/society/1039849/ekkenoseis-katalipseon-sta-exarcheia/ (Accessed: 20 January 2022)

BOOKS De Certeau, M. (1984). ‘Spatial Stories’. In: The Practice of Everyday Life. Berkeley: University of California Press, pp.115–130 De Certeau, M. (1984). ‘Walking in the City’. In: The Practice of Everyday Life. Berkeley: University of California Press, pp.91-110 Hesiod. Theogony [Θεογονία]. Edited with an introduction and notes by Athanasios G. (2010). Germany: Leipzig Hutton, J. (2020). ‘Introduction’. In. Reciprocal Landscapes: Stories of Material Movements. Routledge. pp.1-27 MacCannell, D. (1999). ‘Staged Authenticity’. In Dean MacCannell The tourist: a new theory of the leisure class; edited by Lucy R. Lippard; and the author., Berkeley; London: University of California Press.

Marot S. (2003). ‘Chapter 2. The Memory of Places’. In: Sub-urbanism and the Art of memory. London: AA Publications, pp. 32-33 Plato. Kritias [Κριτίας]. Edited with an introduction and notes by Chatzopoulos Od. (1992). Athens: Cactus Editions Plato. Timaeus [Τιμαίος]. Edited with an introduction and notes by Chatzopoulos Od. (1992). Athens: Cactus Editions Rendell, J. (2006). ‘Walking’. In: Rendell, Art and Architecture: A Place Between. IB: Tauris. pp.180-190.

Smithson, R. (1996). ‘A Tour of the Monuments of Passaic, New Jersey (1967)’. In: J. Flam, ed., Robert Smithson: The Collected Writings. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, pp.68–74.

Smithson, R. (1996). ‘A Provisional Theory of Non-Sites’. In: J. Flam, ed., Robert Smithson: The Collected Writings. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, p.364.

Venturi, R., Scott Brown, D. and Izenour, S. (1972). Learning from Las Vegas. Cambridge, Mass.: The MIT Press.

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FILMS

London. (1992). [online]. Directed by Keiller Patrick. United Kingdom: BFI Production, Konick Studios. Available at: https://player.bfi.org.uk (Accessed: 16 October 2021) Reyner Benham Lover Los Angeles. (1972). [online]. Directed by Julian Cooper. United Kingdom: BBC2.

Available at: https://vimeo.com/22488225 (Accessed: 29 November 2021) ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITES Archaeological Organization (n.d.). ‘The Sacred Way and Eridanos River’, interpretative signage, Kerameikos Archaeological Park. Location: Kerameikos, Athens, Greece (Visited: 3 January 2022)

WEBSITES – ORGANIZATIONS ATTIKO METRO (2021). ‘Archaeological Excavations per Station’. Available at: https://www.ametro.gr/?page_ id=4234&lang=en (Accessed: 17 January 2022) Greek-Language (2012). ‘Eridanus’. Available at: https://www.greek-language.gr/digitalResources/ancient_greek/mythology/lexicon/metamorfoseis/page_099.html (Accessed: 13 December 2021) THEOI GREEK MYTHOLOGY (2019). ‘Eridanos’. Available at: https://www.theoi.com/Potamos/PotamosEridanos.html (Accessed: 17 January 2022)

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LIST OF FOOT-FIGURES FRONT COVER Souvatzi A. (2022). Eridanos river inside the vault. [Photograph]. Monastiraki underground station, Athens, Greece.

(Author’s own archive) 01 Souvatzi A. (2022). In this map, the units of the city are mapped according to their mental connections.

Eridanos river forms the boundary that brings everything together. Kerameikos archaeological site, Acropolis’ Sacred Hill and Mount Lycabettus form the core of the investigration. The map also guides the reader to the text.

[Diagram]. Base image from Google Earth.

(Author’s own work) 02 Souvatzi A. (2022). Athina and Hephaestus, children of Zeus, were given the region of Attica to create a city, according to their ideals. As they were both wise and involved with fine arts, they created inhabitants that were fair-minded, who governed the city in the most rightful way. The intellectual beauty of the residents matched the natural beauties of Attica.

[Photograph]. Kerameikos, Athens, Greece.

(Author’s own archive) 03 Souvatzi A. (2022). In this discussion, greeks from the classical era speculate on an ancient (to them) Greece that existed before Egyptian civilization. Plato (Kritias) adds another layer of history to Athens, especially to Eridanos River. As the limit of Acropolis’s Sacred Hill, the river can now be seen simultaneously as a water course, a mythological feature and a frontier.

[Photograph]. Kerameikos, Ermou street, Athens, Greece.

(Author’s own archive) 04 Souvatzi A. (2022). Eridanos freed from its prison nourishes the soil as once did. It appears to be coming out from nowhere. Maybe the site rests on the same clay that Athenians used for their ceramics, so many years ago.

[Photograph]. Kerameikos Archaeological Park, Athens, Greece.

(Author’s own archive) 05 Souvatzi A. (2022). Ancient ruins full of memory surrounded by a landscape infused with life by Eridanos.

The aridity of the summer months is counterbalanced by the existence of the river, forming an unexpected oasis within Athens. The partly maintained garden, enriched with trees characteristic to Greek nature, form this Romantic, picturesque landscape.

[Photograph]. Kerameikos Archaeological Park, Athens, Greece.

(Author’s own archive) 06 Souvatzi A. (2022). The new city rests on top of ancient foundations. Religious rituals keep taking place but devoted to a different God. [Photograph]. Kerameikos Archaeological Park, Athens, Greece.

(Author’s own archive)

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07 Souvatzi A. (2022). This building is named Amaxostasio, because its initial purpose was to be a parking (stasi) for the citiy’s buses (Amaxia). Many architectural competitions have engaged with this abandonded building, but no solution has been finalized.

[Photograph]. Kerameikos, Ermou street, Athens, Greece.

(Author’s own archive) 08 Souvatzi A. (2022). Bipolar ruins, side by side, engaging in a dialogue of architypes.

[Photograph]. Kerameikos Archaeological Park, Athens, Greece.

(Author’s own archive) 09 Souvatzi A. (2022). The wall of antiquity in the front, and the wall of today in the back. In this contrasting height difference, it is worth wondering; Where is the trace of Plato’s (Kritias) ancient Acropolis? According to his description, 10,000 years ago I would be standing at the foothills of the Sacred Hill, much higher than contemporary Athens.

[Photograph]. Kerameikos Archaeological Park, Athens, Greece.

(Author’s own archive) 10 Souvatzi A. (2022). Ermou is Athens’ meeting point. With the Parliament on one end, and Kapnikarea church on the other, it is the most familiar place of the city’s center.

[Photograph]. Ermou street, Athens, Greece.

(Author’s own archive) 11 Souvatzi A. (2022). Vehicle movement as the main circulation is highlighted by the scale of commercial signage. Like a small-scale Las Vegas, the driver’s gaze is prioritized over the pedestrian’s (Venturi et al, 1972).

[Photograph]. Ermou street, Athens, Greece.

(Author’s own archive) 12 Souvatzi A. (2022). A mannequin as an objective observer, watching over the two-faced Ermou. Its posture seems to be judging the social performance below.

[Photograph]. Ermou street, Athens, Greece.

(Author’s own archive) 13 Souvatzi A. (2022). A Neoclassical building, named Soho. A mental trip from Athens to London. Just like Kieller’s (2003) Londoners, most Athenians would rather be elsewhere.

[Photograph]. Ermou street, Athens, Greece.

(Author’s own archive) 14 Souvatzi A. (2022). Vintage shops are typical in the lowest part of Ermou. In the past. it was full of artisanship shops. Only few remain today.

[Photograph]. Ermou street, Athens, Greece.

(Author’s own archive)

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LIST OF FOOT-FIGURES 15 Souvatzi A. (2022). This square has a hole. A hole that is hidden behind tall railings and benches. If one manages to look inside, suddenly Eridanos makes its appearance, running quietly below.

[Photograph]. Monastiraki square, Athens, Greece.

(Author’s own archive) 16 Souvatzi A. (2022). Monastiraki’s atmosphere is so characteristic, that reminds me Smithson’s quote (1996, p.70) ‘Like photographing a photograph’.

[Photograph]. Monastiraki square, Athens, Greece.

(Author’s own archive) 17 Souvatzi A. (2022). A small archaeological site exists in Monastiraki’s underground station; Erinados’ vault and traces of the old city. The river’s soundscape echoes. Passengers pass indifferent next to it.

An example of Asyndeton.

[Photograph]. Monastiraki underground station, Athens, Greece.

(Author’s own archive) 18 Souvatzi A. (2022). Squat 2510 is an educational and cultural space, where classes are open to all. Its ethics are similar to Plato’s. The mannequins on the balcony overlook the conflict of Exarchia, with disappointment.

[Photograph]. Exarchia, Athens, Greece.

(Author’s own archive) 19 Souvatzi A. (2022). Empty buildings are often sealed from police, so they do not become squats. It reminds me Smithson’s quote (1996, p. 364) ‘theories, like things, are also abandoned’.

[Photograph]. Exarchia, Athens, Greece.

(Author’s own archive) 20 Souvatzi A. (2022). As Solnit (2001) argued, in certain places pedestrians are seen as suspects.

(For such a story visit: https://ampa.lifo.gr/featured/kataggelia-gia-adaforia-astynomikon-se-kopela-poy-ypedeixe-ton-paraviasti-tis/) [Photograph]. Exarchia, Athens, Greece.

(Author’s own archive) 21 Souvatzi A. (2022). A marble label with the text “Nor saying, Nor hiding, But meaning”, next to a trash bin.

This brings memories from one of the most tragic events of Exarchia’s recent history; a teenager was shot from a police officer, for no apparent reason. The memory of his death is respected by annual protests, which always result in street fights in Exarchia.

(For more information visit: https://www.cnn.gr/tag/alexandros-grigoropoylos) [Photograph]. Exarchia, Athens, Greece.

(Author’s own archive) 22 Souvatzi A. (2022). Only but a few remember that this forest is artificial. [Photograph]. Lycabettus Mount, Athens, Greece.

(Author’s own archive)

23 Souvatzi A. (2022). Lycabettus soils remind me Smithson’s (1996) sandbox and his thoughts on entropy.

[Photograph]. Lycabettus Mount, Athens, Greece.

(Author’s own archive) 24 Souvatzi A. (2022). If Eridanos was converted in a sewer today, it would probably look like this.

[Photograph]. Lycabettus Mount, Athens, Greece.

(Author’s own archive) 25 Souvatzi A. (2022). The soil layers on display remind me the layers discussed in the essay. The coexistence of mythological and historical past with contemporary life.

[Photograph]. Syntagma underground station, Athens, Greece.

(Author’s own archive) 26 Souvatzi A. (2022). Lycabettus, the city and its soils. The ruins of tomorrow glisten marble-white under the sun. [Photograph]. Kerameikos, Athens, Greece.

(Author’s own archive) 27 Souvatzi A. (2022). A conventional map of central Athens demonstrating the course of Eridanos river and the devire route. [Diagram]. Base image from Google Earth.

(Author’s own work) BACK COVER Souvatzi A. (2022). The Sacred Way and Eridanos river before improvement of the terrain (2000-478 BC).

[Photograph of a sign by Archaeological Organization]. Kerameikos Archaeological Park, Athens, Greece.

(Author’s own archive)