1. C.I.R.C.E. Handbook
In the footsteps of ancient Greeks: Athens
Short editions
The Old Parliament Building – political sphere
The Old ParliamentBuildingislocatedonStadiouStreet,inthe square where the statue of
TheodorosKolokotronis,Commander-in-Chief of the Revolutionof 1821, is alsosituated.The
buildingisanarchitectural jewelinthe centre of Athensandone of the mosthistoric
buildingsof the city.
Thisneo-classical buildingwasthe firstpermanentresidence of the GreekParliament.
QueenAmalialaiditsfoundationstone in1858, and itwas builtaccordingto the plansof
FrancoisBoulanger,whichwere later modifiedbythe GreekarchitectPanayotisKalkos.
Trademarkof the buildingare the twoionicporticosinfrontof the twoentrances(northand
south) andthe pediments,bothof themarchitectural elementsthatderive fromancient
Greece. The Greek Parliamentsatinthe OldParliamentBuildingfrom1875 to 1932.
2. The Ancient Agora of Athens – Economic sphere
The Ancient Agora of Athensisthe best-knownexampleof anancientGreekagora,located
nearthe Acropolis. The Agorawasthe heartof ancientAthens,the focusof political,
commercial,administrative andsocial activity,the religiousandcultural centre,andthe seat
of justice.
The Agora's initial use wascommercial,amarketplace.Soonitbecame synonymouswith
democracybecause itwasone of the mainplacesin whichthe Atheniansimplementedtheir
rightsas citizens(500 memberBoule,courts,publicoffices),alongside the Pnyx hill andthe
Theaterof Dionysus.Ruinsof manybuildingsof the Atheniandemocracyandeconomycan
still be seeninthe area.One of themhas beenrestored:The marvelous Stoa of Attalos,a
massive 2 storymarketplace of ancientAthens,donatedbythe GreekkingAttalos.Todayit
hostsa museum.
3. The temple of Hephaestus and Athena – Religious sphere
On topof AgoraiosKolonoshillstandsthe temple of Hephaestus,broadlyknownas
Theseion.Itisone of the bestpreservedancienttemples.Two deitieswerejointly
worshippedinthe temple:god Hephaestus,protectorof all metallurgists,andgoddess
Athena Ergani, protectingall pottersandthe cottage industries.The temple wasprobably
erectedbetween449 and 444 BC.
On the exterioritwassurroundedbya Doric colonnade having6 columnsonthe narrow
sidesand 13 columnsonthe longersides.The entirebuilding wasmade of marble produced
inthe quarriesof Pendeli mountain (inAttica).Onthe interiorof the cellawasa two-part
colonnade formingthe letterΠand at the far endwas a pedestal,thatsupportedthe bronze
ceremonial statuesof HephaestusandAthena,createdbythe sculptorAlkamenis. The lavish
sculptural decorationof the temple featuredhighlyinterestingmetopesthatdepictthe feats
of Herculesandthe featsof Theseus,the majorAthenianhero.
4. The Lusikrates Choragic Monument – Artistic sphere
It isa Choragicmonumenterectedonthe westside of the Streetof the Tripods,by
Lysikrates,in 335/34 B.C.,accordingto an inscription preservedonthe architrave. The
circularbuildingrestsona square podiumof porosstone and consistsof sixCorinthian
columnsof Pentelicmarble alternatingwithpanelsof Hymettianmarble.The columnsare
amongthe earliestexamplesof the use of the CorinthianorderinAthens.
It was createdbythe sponsor(“chorigos”inGreek) as a celebrationforavictoryina contest
of theatrical plays(tragedies) thatwere commoninancientAthens.Manysuchmonuments
wouldstandnearbyduringancienttimes,acrossthe roadcalled the Streetof the Tripods
bearing“tripods”name,tripodsbeingthe monumentserectedtocelebrate victoriesinthe
contestof theatrical plays,suchas the “city’sDionysia”festival.
5. The Theatre of Dionysus Eleuthereus –
Intangible Heritage sphere
The Theatre of Dionysus Eleuthereus wasthe majortheatre inAncientAthens,considered
to be the world’sfirsttheatre,buildinthe 5th
centuryBC at the southernslope of the
Acropolis.DedicatedtoDionysus,godprotectorof theatre, the semicircularcaveacouldseat
17.000 people makingitanideal locationforAthens’biggesttheatricalfestivals of god
Dionysus,called“city’sDionysia”.Itwasthen where Sophocles,Euripides andAeschylus
presentedtheirtragediesandAristophanes andMenandertheircomedies.Theatrical plays
was one of the most importantaspectsof the AthenianDemocracyandwatchingthemwas
a major democraticrightforthe people,bothmenandwomen.
The theatre was separatedhorizontallybythe “diazoma”intotwoparts,the upper andthe
lower.The caveawas separatedverticallyinto“kerkides”,the triangle-shapedpartsbetween
the stairs. Sometimes the theatre wasusedasa place forthe gatheringof the Public
Assembly(Ecclesia tou Demou) insteadof the Agoraor the Pnyx hill due toits massive size.
6. Extended editions
The Old Parliament Building – political sphere
The Old ParliamentBuildingislocatedonStadiouStreet,inthe square where the statue of
TheodorosKolokotronis,Commander-in-Chief of the Revolutionof 1821, is alsosituated.The
buildingisanarchitectural jewelinthe centre of Athensandone of the mosthistoric
buildingsof the city.
Thisneo-classical buildingwasthe firstpermanentresidence of the GreekParliament.
QueenAmalialaiditsfoundationstone in1858, and itwas builtaccordingto the plansof
FrancoisBoulanger,whichwere later modifiedbythe GreekarchitectPanayotisKalkos.
Trademarkof the buildingare the twoionicporticosinfrontof the twoentrances(northand
south) andthe pediments,bothof themarchitectural elementsthatderive fromancient
Greece.
The GreekParliamentsatinthe Old
ParliamentBuildingfrom1875 to 1932.
Afterthe transferof the Parliamenttothe
OldPalace (today'sParliamentBuilding),it
was assignedbyprime ministerEleftherios
Venizelos topermanentlyhousethe
National Historical Museum,an institution
linkedwiththe historical identityof the
building.
The CongressHall of the OldParliament
Buildingbringstothe mindsof itsvisitorsmanyhistoricoccasionsinGreekhistory.Itisfrom
thisrostrumthat HarilaosTrikoupissaidthe famousphrase "Unfortunatelywe have gone
bankrupt"in1893. Here alsoEleftheriosVenizelosannouncedwithgreatenthusiasmthe
signingof the Treatyof Servesin1920, and here wasproclaimedthe FirstHellenic
Parliamentary Democracyin 1924.
7. The Ancient Agora of Athens – Economic sphere
The Ancient Agora of Athensisthe best-
knownexample of anancientGreekagora,
locatednearthe Acropolis. The Agorawas
the heart of ancientAthens,the focusof
political,commercial,administrative and
social activity,the religiousandcultural
centre,andthe seat of justice. The Agora's
initial use wascommercial,amarketplace.
Soonit became synonymouswith
democracybecause itwasone of the main
placesinwhichthe Athenians
implementedtheirrightsas citizens(500
memberBoule,courts,publicoffices),
alongside the Pnyx hill andthe Theaterof
Dionysus.Ruinsof manybuildingsof the
Athenian democracyandeconomycanstill be seeninthe area.
One of themhasbeenrestored:The marvelous Stoa of Attalos,amassive 2storymarket
place of ancientAthens,donatedbythe GreekkingAttalos.Todayithostsa museum.
Extensive buildingactivityoccuredafterthe seriousdamage made bythe Persiansin480
B.C.,by the Romansin 89 B.C.and by the Herulae inA.D.267.
The AncientAgoraof Athensistraversedbyone of the mostimportantancientroads,the
Panathenaic Way, whichservedasthe processional wayforthe greatparade of the
Panathenaic festival,whichwasheldtohonourthe city patrongoddessAthena.
The most importantpublicbuildingsandtemples were:
The Tholos (470 BC): a circularbuilding,servedasthe headquartersof the fifty
prytaneis(officials) of the Boule (senate of 500).
The Altar of the Twelve Gods:the milestonefromwhichdistancestooutsideplaces
were measured.
The NewBouleuterion (5th
. C. BC): the meetingplace of the Boule,the law-making
bodythat draftedlawbillsforsubsequentdiscussionandapproval inthe Assembly
(Ecclesia).
The Metroon(2nd cent. BC): servedas botha sanctuaryof the Motherof the Gods and
the archive buildingof the city.
The Monumentof the Eponymous Heroes(350 BC):was a longbase for the tenbronze
statuesrepresentingthe eponymousheroesof the tentribesof Athens.
The Middle Stoa and the South Stoa I and II: servedascommercial centers.
Stoa of Attalos (159-138 BC): restoredtodayas the Museumof the Agora,it wasthe
majorshoppingmall inancientAthens.
Odeonof Agrippa (15 BC): a large concert hall adornedwithafacade usingpillars
carvedin the formof giantsand tritons.
8. The temple of Hephaestus and Athena – Religious sphere
On topof AgoraiosKolonoshillstandsthe temple of Hephaestus,broadlyknownas
Theseion.Itisone of the bestpreservedancienttemples.Two deitieswerejointly
worshippedinthe temple:god Hephaestus,protectorof all metallurgists,andgoddess
Athena Ergani, protectingall pottersandthe cottage industries.The temple wasprobably
erectedbetween449 and 444 BC.
The temple disposedof apronaos
(anteroom) and anopisthodomos(back
section).Onthe exterioritwassurrounded
by a Doric colonnade having6 columnson
the narrow sidesand 13 columnsonthe
longersides.The entire building wasmade
of marble producedinthe quarriesof
Pendeli mountain(inAttica),whilethe
architectural sculpturesthatadornedthe
temple were of marble producedinthe
quarriesonthe islandof Paros.On the
interiorof the cellawasa two-part
colonnade formingthe letterΠand at the
far endwas a pedestal,thatsupportedthe
bronze ceremonial statuesof Hephaestus
and Athena,createdbythe sculptor
Alkamenis.
The lavishsculptural decorationof the
temple featuredhighlyinterestingmetopes
that depictthe featsof Herculesand the
featsof Theseus,the majorAthenianhero.
The frieze featuresthe victoriousstruggleof Theseusagainstthe claimersof the throne, and
the fightof the Centaurs. Notable sculptural representationsalsoadornedthe pedimentsof
the temple.The westpedimentdepictedthe fightof the Centaurs and the east pediment
the receptionofHerculeson mount Olympus.
9. The Lusikrates Choragic Monument – Artistic sphere
It isa Choragicmonumenterectedonthe westside of the Streetof the Tripods,by
Lysikrates,in 335/34 B.C.,accordingto an inscription preservedonthe architrave. The
circularbuildingrestsona square podiumof porosstone (2,93 m. longon eachside),and
consistsof six Corinthiancolumns of Pentelicmarble alternatingwithpanelsof Hymettian
marble.The columnsare amongthe earliestexamplesof the use of the Corinthianorderin
Athens.
It was created bythe sponsor(“chorigos”inGreek) as a celebration foravictoryina contest
of theatrical plays(tragedies) thatwere commoninancientAthens.Manysuchmonuments
wouldstandnearbyduringancienttimes,acrossthe roadcalled the Streetof the Tripods
bearing“tripods”name,tripodsbeingthe monuments erectedtocelebrate victoriesinthe
contestof theatrical plays,suchas the “city’sDionysia”festival.
The monumentisdecoratedwith afrieze depictingscenesfromthe life ofDionysos. The
uppersurface of the monolithicroof wasornamentedwithcarvedleavesthatendedatan
acanthus-shapedbase whichsupportedthe choragictripod,notpreservedtoday.
The monument,knownalsoasthe "Lanternof Diogenes",wasincorporatedin aCapucin
monasteryin1669.
10. The Theatre of Dionysus Eleuthereus –
Intangible Heritage sphere
The Theatre of Dionysus Eleuthereus wasthe majortheatre inAncientAthens,considered
to be the world’sfirsttheatre,buildinthe 5th
centuryBC at the southernslope of the
Acropolis.DedicatedtoDionysus,godprotectorof theatre, the semicircularcaveacouldseat
17.000 people makingitanideal locationforAthens’biggesttheatricalfestivals of god
Dionysus,called“city’sDionysia”.Itwasthen where Sophocles,Euripides andAeschylus
presentedtheirtragediesandAristophanes andMenandertheircomedies.Theatrical plays
was one of the most importantaspectsof the AthenianDemocracyandwatchingthemwas
a major democraticrightforthe people,bothmenandwomen.
Initiallythe theatre hadportable seats outof wood,butgraduallyitwasmade outof marble
as the city wasgettingricher.Itwas separated horizontally bythe “diazoma”intotwoparts,
the upperand the lower. The caveawas separatedverticallyinto “kerkides”,the triangle-
shapedpartsbetweenthe stairs.The scene wasoriginallymade of woodand lateronout of
marble as well.The orchestrahada marble covering atthe endof the classical era.
Sometimes the theatre wasusedasaplace for the gatheringof the Public Assembly
(Ecclesia tou Demou) insteadof the Agoraor the Pnyx hill due toitsmassive size.
