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Greece - Athens
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Athens - January 2002
A week away from the cold of England in January seemed
welcome, the unseasonably warm Athenian weather made it better still.
| Acropolis |
Acropolis |
The great rock of the Acropolis with the
Parthenon sitting in pride of place is one of the worlds
most famous images.
This one was taken from mount Filopáppou at dusk. |
| Propylaia |
Parthenon |
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| Built in 437 BC, after the completion of the Parthenon, the
Propylaia forms the entrance to the Acropolis. |
The first building in Pericles great scheme, the Parthenon
utilises many optical illusions to achieve perfection through
imperfection. |
| Erechtheion |
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Caryatids |
| The temple was the last of Pericles' works, where
Athena and Poseidon-Erechtheus were worshiped. The
Erechtheion's porch is supported by the statues of the
Caryatids, the originals of which can be seen in the Acropolis Museum.
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| Acropolis Theatres |
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| Rebuilt in the 4th centaury BC to hold 17,000 spectators, the
Dionysos Theatre originally had 64 tiers of seating, of which
only 20 survive. |
The Odeon of Herod Atticus was built in the 2nd centaury AD
with 6,000 seats. It has been restored to be used for
music and drama. |
Dionysos Theatre Reliefs |
| Ancient Agora |
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| On the lower slopes of the hill of the Acropolis,
the Agora is a maze of ancient ruins punctuated by the more
complete Thiseon temple (left) and the modern
reconstruction of the Stoa of Attalos. |
| Keramikos |
Roman Forum |
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| The ruins and ancient tombs of Keramikos proved a peaceful
Sunday morning haunt. |
The Roman Forum was built during the reigns of Julius Caesar
and Augustus. |
| Olympic Stadium |
Temple of Olympian Zeus |
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| The open-ended stadium was built for the first modern Olympiad
in 1896, it's more similar in style to ancient Olympia
than to modern stadiums. |
Once the largest temple in Greece, completed by Hadrian 131
AD, only 15 of the original 104 columns remain standing. |
| Parliament |
Evzónes - (455Kb mpg) |
Parliament |
| In front of the Parliament building, formerly the
Greek royal palace, the Evzónes stand guard at the Tomb
of the Unknown Soldier. It's worth waiting to watch
the change of the guard. |
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