Greece is a country chosen by the Gods. Part 1. Attica and Peloponnese
"The prudent Charon did not drown in the dams of Leta
Signs of ancient antiquity: the Shrines of Delphi, the Parthenon;
And the Colossus of Rhodes rises, which means that Greece is alive!
About the glory of the Mediterranean, the rumor is spreading around the world ..."
Firmly "attached" to Europe in the north, and in the south - framed by islands, which, as if by someone's generous hand, are scattered in the sea, Greece is like a whim of nature. According to legend, Greece is the fruit of the love of Demeter, the goddess of agriculture, and Poseidon, the god of the sea.
About the country and its long history
Greece is a country where the culture of East and West is combined. Greece is the birthplace of Democracy, the birthplace of art, the birthplace of the Olympic Games. Greece is a country with a long history, interesting and multifaceted, as evidenced by stone statues that have passed through the centuries and attract tourists again and again.
On the territory of Ancient Greece, various civilizations were born, which were absorbed and united by the Mycenaean civilization (2100-1100 BC) - the first culture in Greece, where the Greek population prevailed. The era of Ancient Greece (the cradle of Western civilization) began with the first Olympic Games in 776 BC. e. During this period, Ancient Greece had a powerful influence on the whole of Europe, made a huge contribution to the development of the language, politics, education, philosophy and architecture of the modern world. After the death of Alexander the Great in 323 B. C. e. , Ancient Greece was replaced by the era of Hellenistic Greece, during which the importance of Greece fell sharply. Then came the difficult period of Roman Greece after the conquest of these lands by Rome, terrible disasters pursued the unfortunate people of Greece, but this oppression was not able to destroy the fruits of ancient Greek education.
After the fall of the Roman Empire, the Byzantine Empire was formed in 395, which became the successor to the cultural, historical, political achievements of Ancient Rome. From 1453, most of Greece was under the control of the Turks, being part of the Ottoman Empire until the Greek independence in 1821.
The modern state of the Hellenic Republic is located in the south of the Balkan Peninsula, on an area of .131940 sq. km (together with the islands occupying an area of .25166 sq. km, of which 257 sq. km are uninhabited). The state includes mainland Greece (Attica, Peloponnese, Central Greece, Thessaly, Epirus, Macedonia, Thrace), the islands of the Aegean and Ionian Seas, the island of Crete. The population of Greece is 11.3 million people, 98% of the population are Greeks, they are also Greek Orthodox Christians, the state language is Modern Greek.
Currently, in Greece, the word "Hellas" is the official self-name, and the definitions "Greek" or "Greece" are not recognized by the population and are used only in communication with foreigners.
Athens is one of the oldest cities in the world and one of the youngest capitals in Europe.
We begin our acquaintance with the country from its capital - the city of Athens, named after the ancient Greek goddess of wisdom, Athena, who was their patron. Athens was built in Attica next to the Saronic Gulf. On all sides, the city is protected from bad weather and strong winds by the mountains of Parnef, Pendelikon and Hymett, standing guard for many centuries, so it is always sunny and warm in Athens. The city has a rich history: in the classical period (5th century BC), the city-state reached the pinnacle of its development, defining many trends in the development of later European culture. Over time, Athens lost its former grandeur and turned into a provincial city.
According to the Treaty of Sevres in 1920 and the Treaty of Lausanne in 1923, concluded as a result of the Balkan Wars of 1912-1913, Greece almost doubled its territory and population, and Athens very soon took its rightful place among European capitals. Currently, on the city square of 39 sq. km lives about 35% of the total population of the country, together with Piraeus, there are about 3.5 million inhabitants. Two hills rise in the center of Athens: the 125 m high Acropolis hill with the Parthenon and ancient temples and the 275 m high Lycabettus (Lycabettus) hill with the picturesque church of St. George on top.
Athens is the cradle of a great civilization, symbolized by the magnificent ensemble of the Acropolis, which we visited first. Acropolis, translated from ancient Greek - "city on a hill. " In the 5th century BC e.
the legendary Pericles erected on the top of the hill the city of the gods - the Acropolis as a temple of the goddess Athena, from which, in fact, the birth of the city began and which became the cradle of European culture. This grandiose composition of perfectly balanced structures creates a monumental landscape, completely unique in its beauty and consisting of a whole series of masterpieces of the 5th century BC. e. : The Parthenon by Phidias, Iktinos and Kallikrates, the Propylaea, the Temple of Nike Apteros, etc. The Acropolis illustrates more than a thousand years of ancient Greek civilization. This is a sacred temple, from which the main legends about the city came from. The Acropolis of Athens is considered worldwide the most outstanding masterpiece of ancient architecture. And it is no coincidence that the Parthenon temple, which is part of it, was chosen by the international organization UNESCO as its official symbol. We approach the Acropolis and get to the ceremony of the morning changing of the guard.
We rise to the hill where the Acropolis stands. First, our eyes open to the world-famous monument of ancient architecture, the theater of Dionysus, built in the 4th century BC. e. , which, as it were, opens a window into the past and has not ceased to amaze the consciousness for thousands of years.
Our attention is drawn to the Parthenon, the symbol of democratic Athens, which was completed between 447-432 BC. e. It was a pavilion with columns on the faç ade, a Doric temple with Ionic elements. Its alcove is especially wide and had a P-shaped colonnade on both sides. Inside the alcove there was a colossal statue of Athena known to everyone - Parthena, made of gold and ivory.
The temple was built of Pendelicon marble and decorated with avant-garde sculptural compositions by Phidias (frieze: in the east - the Battle of the Giants, in the west - the Battle of the Amazons, in the south - the Battle of the Centaurs, in the north - the Fall of Troy / pediments: in the east - the birth of Athena, in the west - clash of Poseidon and Athena).
In 421-406 BC. e. Erechtheion was built north of the Parthenon - an unusual Ionic temple dedicated to the ancient Greek deities and Poseidon, as well as Athena, two gods who, according to myth, claimed to protect Athens. On the southern facade of the Erechtheion stood Caryatids - female statues with a supporting function. The rock of the Acropolis, in addition, was decorated with numerous buildings (the sanctuary of Aphrodite Pandemos, the sanctuary of Artemis Brauronia, Chalkothek, the temple of Roma and Augustus, the sanctuary of Zeus Poliea, the Arrephorion), and between them there were statues of great value, sacred offerings of believers.
In the southeast of the sacred rock, today the New Acropolis Museum operates, highlighting the development of classical sculpture in the best possible way.
From the Acropolis you have a beautiful view of the ancient Greek Agora, the labyrinths of the streets of Plaka, the lively, bright, noisy, pulsating heart of the ancient and eternally young city. We are heading to the Panathenaikon stadium, built on the site of an ancient stadium for the first modern Olympic Games in 1896. The stadium is made of white marble and has an unusual elongated shape, being an almost complete copy of the ancient ancient stadium, which was built in the city under Herodes Atticus. The stadium got its name in honor of the ancient competitions that were held during the celebration of the so-called Panathenaic - honoring the heavenly patroness of the city, the goddess Athena.
During these celebrations, competitions were held in chariot racing, Greek wrestling, and poetic ability.
Olympeion, the temple of Olympian Zeus, is located 500 meters southeast of the Acropolis, the largest temple in all of Greece, built from the 6th century BC. e. until the 2nd century A. D. e. The Temple of Zeus stands on a three-stage terrace measuring 107.7 × . 41.1 m. Its elongated rectangular building was once surrounded by two rows of columns placed close to each other. Little is known about the interior of the temple. Once there was a giant chrysoelephantine (i. e. , covered with gold and ivory) statue of Zeus, which was a copy of the statue of Zeus Olympian by Phidias, which was one of the seven wonders of the world. Only a few marble columns of the temple have survived to this day, and the statue was damaged during an earthquake in the 2nd century. However, this is only one version of the disappearance of the statue.
Next to it stood a statue of the Emperor Hadrian, also made of gold and ivory.
Near the ruins of the temple of Zeus is a monument to Byron. Grateful Greece, in the form of a beautiful maiden, rewards him with a palm branch. In July 1823, Byron headed for the island of Ionia in Kefalonia, where he intended to lead a campaign against Lepanto. The poet settled in Missolunga, where the army of Prince Mavrocordatos was located. However, even before the Greeks attacked the Turks, Byron had an attack of fever. The poet died on April 19.1824 at the age of 36 in Missolunga. And although he died achieving almost nothing for the Greeks, his death so shocked public opinion that it influenced the decision of England, France and Russia to support Greece in its struggle for independence. This was the beginning of the process of formation of the modern "European idea", and Lord Byron stood at its origins.
His last three poems are "The Day I Turned Thirty-six", "Last Words of Greece" and "Love and Death". At the worldwide gathering of poets in Montevideo, Byron was proclaimed "The best poet of the last three centuries. "
Not far away is the modern Syntagma (Constitution) Square, where the Palace of the Hellenic Parliament, built in 1840 as the Royal Palace, is located.
In front of the Parliament building, at the monument to the Unknown Soldier, the guard of honor of the Evzones keeps their watch. In different countries, I have repeatedly witnessed the changing of the guard of honor. Greece was no exception. This ritual here is very interesting and I want to dwell on this in more detail. The form and step of the soldiers, somewhat reminiscent of a dance, are too remarkable.
Evzones (gr.
- well belted) - an elite infantry unit of the Greek army, which arose as light infantry during the Greek War of Independence at the beginning of the 19th century. Evzones were formed mainly from highlanders. From 1833 they became part of the regular army, from 1940 they served in light infantry units and in the royal guard. Today, guards of honor of the Presidential Palace and the Greek Parliament have been formed from Evzones. Candidates undergo a very rigorous selection process, and appearance plays an important role: attractiveness and high growth - not less than 187 cm are a prerequisite.
The outfit of the Evzones is very interesting, which consists of: a pharaoh - a bright red hat with a long tassel, a fustanella - a woolen pleated skirt with 400 folds, symbolizing 400 years of Ottoman rule in Greece, a white cotton shirt, white woolen stockings, a calzodet - black garters for leggings with tassels, a tsaruh - leather boots with large black pompoms (each tsaruh weighs about 3 kg and is lined with 60 steel nails so that the evzon can effectively walk along the pavement), a vest - an exact copy of the vest of the hero of the national liberation struggle of Greece Theodoros Kolokotronis, the weapon of the evzon - American self-loading rifle of the Second World War M1 Garand. Privates and officers differ in the details of their uniforms. Ordinary Evzones have a shorter skirt, and the tassel on the pharaoh, on the contrary, is longer. The officers wear blue, not black, garters, on their pharaoh, in addition to the coat of arms of Greece, stars are also depicted.
Instead of a rifle, officers carry sabers, copies of those that fought back in the early 19th century.
At the northwestern foot of the Acropolis is the Monotiraki area. Walking along the main street of Panepistimiou, we admire the ensemble of buildings of the University, the National Library and the Academy, which are the so-called "Neoclassical trilogy" of Athens.
We pay attention to the building of the National Historical Museum and the bronze monument to the general of the Greek Revolution Theodoros Kolokotronis. It was created by the sculptor Lazaros Sokhos in 1900 in Paris. The monument was erected in its present place in 1904. The pedestal of the monument is decorated with relief scenes of the battle of Dervakion and the meetings of the Peloponnesian Senate during the Greek Revolution.
The monument is installed in such a way that the head and gaze of Kolokotronis are turned to the palace of the Greek Parliament, and the right hand points in the opposite direction, where the royal stables were located throughout the 19th century. On this occasion, a popular political joke was born in Athens: the general points out to the parliamentarians that for their obedience and complete submission to the monarch, their rightful place is the stable.
We are heading to Omonia Square (Consent), not far from which our hotel is located. This is one of the central squares of the capital, to which six streets flow, the traffic on it is very busy. Here is the eponymous station of the Athens metro. This is the view of Omonia at sunset.
After walking just a few steps along this street, we find ourselves in a small round Karaiskaki square, almost the entire middle part is occupied by a modern monument with a huge base and a metal structure that from afar resembles a bouquet of kitchen knives. But no, this is Icarus falling from heaven. It is noteworthy that symbolic buildings and monuments are rare for Athens.
Athens is one of the few capitals in the world where the fast-paced life of a modern city seems to stop, stopping with respect at the oases of ancient archaeological complexes, which, like fabulous scenery, grow golden slender columns from the bowels of history. People built the first dwellings under the shadow of a huge rock more than seven thousand years ago, and in the era of antiquity the city-state became the center of the future European civilization.
Here the foundations of philosophy and democracy were born, here art became a part of everyday life. In the 5th century BC e. The city of the gods was erected - the Acropolis, crowned with the majestic Parthenon, glorifying the golden age of Athens. Walking along the streets named after Plutarch, Sophocles, Euripides, Diogenes, we seem to be turning over the amazing pages of the city's history. Next to the modern buildings, terracotta Byzantine churches grow into the cultural layer, and behind the wall of the ancient temple, the strict neoclassical lines of the 19th century palace shine white. The Agora and triumphal arches remained from the Romans, fountains and mosques from the Ottomans.
In addition to Athens, Attica attracts with its archaeological sites, in particular, Cape Sounion, where the temple of Poseidon and Athena is located. We make a bus tour of the region of Attica.
This trip along the picturesque sea coast of the Attic Riviera included a visit to Cape Sounion with the Temple of Poseidon. On the way we visit the thermal lake Vouliagmeni, where those who wish had the opportunity to swim in its life-giving waters.
I preferred swimming in the warm lake to swimming in the Aegean Sea on the beach, located opposite the thermal lake.
Rocky Cape Sounion - the southernmost point of Attica - deeply cutting into the Aegean Sea, from ancient times symbolized the indissolubility of sea and land. From the 7th century BC e. here was the sanctuary of Poseidon. In 480 BC. e. the sanctuary was destroyed by the Persians. In its place, Pericles (444-440 BC) built a marble, pavilion-type Doric temple, decorated on friezes with scenes from the Battle of the Centaurs, the Battle of the Giants and the exploits of Thisus, the remains of which we see today. On the colonnade, among the many tourist signatures of the 19th century, Lord Byron's signature has also been preserved.
In 412 BC. e.
Sounion was fortified and the defensive wall now protected the sanctuary of Poseidon. In this fortress, one of the five most important Attica, there was a constant guard. In the III century BC. e. was fortified with bastions and new buildings. According to mythology, it was from this rock that the ruler of Athens, Aegeus, rushed when he saw his son's ship with black sails (Thiseus, although he defeated the Minotaur in Crete and saved the Greeks from a terrible tribute, he forgot to change the sails). This sea was named after Aegeus.
The cliff offers a very picturesque view of the Aegean coast.
We return to Athens, on the way admiring the beautiful houses and villas of the coastal region of Athens on the one hand and the magical scenery of the sea coast of the Attic Riviera during sunset on the other hand.
Peloponnese - the center of the most ancient civilization in Europe
The next day we make an excursion to the Peloponnese peninsula, where we will get acquainted with the place, which is rightly called the cradle of European civilization. This place is one of the most beautiful parts of the country, where every stone breathes history. On the way, we get acquainted with the Corinth Canal, which was cut in the narrowest point of the Isthmus of Corinth in 1882-1893 by French and Greek engineers. This impressive canal, 6 km long and 23 m wide, located at the crossing from Attica to the Peloponnese, connects the Corinthian and Saronic Gulfs, the Ionian Sea with the Aegean Sea. Thanks to this canal, ships sailing from Piraeus and heading for the Ionian and Adriatic Seas do not go around the Peloponnese, saving a distance of 185 miles.
This canal, the construction of which began under the Roman emperor Nero, replaced the ancient diolkos - a stone-covered road along which ships were dragged from one sea to another by a wheeled vehicle.
We enter the peninsula (although now it can be considered an island) Peloponnese. It was here that the ancient Greek civilization was born, here are the greatest buildings of Greece: temples, palaces, fortresses, ancient theaters. Cities such as Sparta, Mycenae, Corinth, Patras are invaluable cultural monuments of the country and the pride of its history. The total area of the Peloponnese is 22 thousand square meters. km with a population of about one million people. There are hundreds of unique monuments of history and culture on this territory, and the local nature amazes with the brightness of colors and an abundance of colors.
The coastline of the peninsula stretches for more than a thousand kilometers, and wonderful sandy beaches stretch along the rocky shores washed by the Aegean and Ionian seas.
One of the most significant archaeological reserves in Greece, of great importance in the history of Greece, are Mycenae, located at an altitude of 278 m, surrounded by the steep hills of Zara and Profitis. According to legend, the city was built by the son of Zeus, Perseus, and the descendants of Danae, the son of the Egyptian king Bel, lived here for many years. In 1400 B. C. e. The Mycenaeans conquered the island of Crete, and then they subjugated the neighboring islands of Rhodes and Cyprus. For two hundred years, the Mycenaean civilization dominated this region of the Mediterranean. The Mycenaean acropolis was destroyed by fire in 1100 BC. e. This marked the beginning of the decline of Mycenae. The brilliant civilization (1500-1100 BC) lost its glory and died out.
The entrance to the acropolis is located on the east side, where the magnificent Lion Gate (XIV-XIII centuries BC) has been preserved, which is the earliest example of European monumental sculpture.
Outside the fortress walls there are also several ancient tombs in which the Mycenaeans buried their kings and heirs to the throne. The treasury of Atreus and the tomb of Clytemnestra are best preserved. The most famous of the tombs belongs to King Atreus, who during his lifetime owned hundreds of slaves and for whom casters specially cast bronze ingots, which he kept in his own treasury. The Treasury of Atreus dates back to 1250 BC. e. This is a two-chamber tomb: along a long corridor you can go to the domed room where the body of the buried king rested, and in a small side aisle there were the remains of previous burials.
A huge 9-meter stone slab weighing 120 tons was installed above the entrance to the treasury. How the ancient masters installed it is still unknown.
On the territory of Mycenae there is an archaeological museum, which contains the most valuable exhibits discovered during the excavation of the ancient city.
Next stop in Epidaurus - one of the oldest Greek cities and ports, whose theater was once considered one of the seven wonders of the world, as well as the sacred clinic of the Ancient World, where they worshiped the god of healing - Asklepios. Demigod builders erected in Epidaurus the temple complex of the Asclepius hospital with a stadium and a theater, where ailments were healed not only with medicines, but also with music, drama and physical exercises. We were pleasantly surprised by the beautifully preserved theater for about 14 thousand seats, built in the 4th century BC. e.
, with unique acoustics, where outstanding performances of ancient Greek drama are played every summer and which hosts international theater festivals. Amazing acoustics of the theater, preserved to this day! If you stand at the bottom in the center, say something in a whisper, you will be heard in the very top rows. The marble steps are also very well preserved.
Next to the theater there is an archaeological museum with a small but very informative and quite interesting exposition. One of the halls of the museum shows what a classic tholos burial looks like. Among the sculptural exhibits stands out the capital of the column, carved by the famous sculptor Polykleitos.
The museum also boasts a large collection of surgical instruments found in the sanctuary of Asclepius, dedicatory inscriptions made by order of the healed, and in addition, stone images of healed organs are exhibited here, which the ancient Greeks traditionally donated to the temple after recovery (votive objects).
We complete our acquaintance with the Peloponnese in the city of Nafplion, the capital of the Argolid nome, the first capital of independent Greece and the most important seaport in the east of the Peloponnese. Nafplio is one of the most charismatic and picturesque towns in the Peloponnese with a rich history dating back to antiquity. This amazing city has played an important role in the history of Greece for centuries, including the war of independence. Today, about 14 thousand people live in the city.
This city is very old, and at the same time lively and modern, port, but clean and calm, famous for its fortresses, castles, picturesque embankment and cozy streets full of souvenir shops. Nafplion is an Italian town with Greek sauce and a little Turkish spice.
The history of Nafplion goes back to the time of the Crusades. The Franks, Byzantines, Turks and Venetians ruled here and changed the architectural appearance of the city, reminiscent of Mediterranean Italian cities with its elegance. The city owes its name to the mythical Nafplio, the son of Poseidon and Amemonis. The son of Nafplio was the wise Palamid, who gave his name to a rocky hill with a castle, rising above the city at a height of 216 m, which can be climbed by a staircase with 857 steps from the sea, on the other side an asphalt road was connected to the citadel. The rock was first fortified during the II reign of Venice (1686-1717).
Palamidi Castle had 8 towers, the gates of which were decorated with the Venetian coat of arms - the lion of St. Mark.
After the independence of Greece, Nafplion became the capital and residence of the first ruler, John Kapodistrias (1829-1834). Nafplion remained the capital after the assassination of Kapodistrias in 1831 until 1834, when King Otto moved the capital to Athens. On the Square of the Three Admirals there are monuments to prominent figures - the first president Kapodistrias and the first king Otto I, because after the death of Kapodistrias, the European powers decided to turn the Greek Republic into a kingdom and elected the 17-year-old Bavarian prince Otto the first king of Greece.
During the Greek War of Independence, Nafplio was the largest Turkish fortress in Greece. Greek rebels besieged the fortress for a year before the Turkish garrison laid down their arms.
After that, the first Greek government was located in the city, which remained in Nafplion until 1834. Opposite the monument to Kapodistrias there is a tombstone of one of the leaders of the Greek revolution.
Not far from the square with monuments is the well-known city Military Museum (Thursday to Sunday from 9.00 to 14.00 admission is free) with an extensive collection of weapons, uniforms and other memorabilia from the Revolutionary War and the Civil War.
We walk along the narrow streets that suddenly go up steeply, admiring the lovely balconies twined with thickets of bougainvilleas.
A very important object for Greece is the Church of St. Spyridon, which is located in the very center of Nafplio. Here, in 1831, the first president of Greece, John Kapodistrias, was assassinated. The bullet that went through the president's body is kept in the church.
The temple is distinguished by rich door ornaments, inside there is also a list of foreigners who died for Greece, and among them are the nephews of Lord Byron and the first US President George Washington. We pass by the bell tower.
We approach the main square of the city - Syntagma, where there are many cozy restaurants. The museum, located on it in the Venetian building of the former Arsenal, contains the archaeological material of Nafplion and its environs. Fragments of frescoes and terracotta idols from Mycenae tell about the Mycenaean period. The museum presents: a collection of weapons, a collection of glass, porcelain, an exhibition of ceramics, an archaeological exhibition, statues, sculptures.
We go out onto a well-groomed embankment with palm trees, on which bunches of orange seeds hang in clusters.
One of the three famous fortifications of the city is clearly visible from the embankment - the Venetian round fortress of Bourdzi, built in 1473 on the island of Bourdzion, lying 500 meters from the coast, in the center of the harbor. It is often considered the hallmark of the city. The Venetians called this fortress "Castelli". The fort received its current name "Burdzi" during the period of Ottoman rule. It has known different times, but is now used as an expensive hotel and restaurant, as well as the site of the Summer Music festival. You can get to the fort by boat from the port of the city.
Imperceptibly the time has come to say goodbye to the hospitable warm Peloponnese. We return through the Corinth Canal to Attica, to the port of Piraeus. Piraeus was founded in the 5th century BC. e. by order of the strategist of Athens Themistocles as a guarantee of the future maritime dominion of Athens, and since then has remained a constant companion of the Greek capital. Piraeus was immediately surrounded by walls.
The quarries of Attica provided abundant material for construction, and while the walls of Piraeus bore all too clear traces of haste in their construction, port and city buildings were erected with more care and less prudence regarding building costs. The construction of Piraeus was led by the architect Hippodames. The walls surrounded the entire peninsula in such a way as to connect Piraeus and Athens. The walls stretched for a mile and a half, following the hollows of its rocky shores and including all three bays of the Attic Peninsula, which were convenient for the parking of the fleet. At the mouth of the harbor of Piraeus, two towers rose opposite each other at such a close distance that the entrance to the harbor could be easily blocked by chains - these were the sea gates of Piraeus and all of Attica.
Currently, Piraeus is a satellite city of Athens, located 8 km away and actually merged with the capital, as well as the largest Greek port on the Aegean Sea.
A large Minoan lines ferry called Knossos Palace is waiting for us at the port to take us to the largest Greek island of Crete.
