The main entrance to the Acropolis fortress was easily accessible via a pathway to the plateau on the western side which consisted of two open courtyards, separated by three, 13 meter wide, marble steps. The lower courtyard had a ramp up to the marble steps, buttressed by a wall on the north side, which replaced the original bedrock pathway. The pathway of the upper courtyard proceeded on to the monumental gateway of the Acropolis, which stretched between the Mycenaean cyclopean walls, known as the Peisistratus Portico with its raised gate.
To the left, on the north side of the upper courtyard, at the base of the defensive walls was a lustral basin decorated with religious-themed frescoes. Consisting of a small, rectangular chamber sunk into the ground and accessed via an L-shaped staircase that was open at the top, allowing occupants to be viewed from above. I explained to Pallene that its use was for purification before religious ceremonies and involved cleansing with water, followed by anointing with oil.
On the right side of the main entrance was a defensive bastion, which had a small sanctuary of Athena Nike Goddess of Victory built on it.
Entering through the open main gate, I thanked and complimented the two guards for their hard work. Snapping to attention, the guards, dressed in full armor along with their shields and spears, saluted in a gesture of respect and recognition. Realizing it was probably more for recognition for my father or grandfather, I could only smile and nod back, a sense of humility washing over me.
After entering the main gate, I led Pallene to the right where The Brauroneion, the sanctuary of Artemis Brauronia in the form of a stoa building was located next to the Peisistratus Portico.
“Artemis Brauronia is the protector of women in pregnancy and childbirth, many of which petition the goddess Artemis for help by dedicating items of clothing, which are draped around her wooden statue as you can see over there in that wing of the stoa.”
Leading Pallene further east, I pointed out the next 43 m long and 14 m wide building along the south wall of the Acropolis “this is The Chalkotheke, meaning "bronze store", used to house bronze and other metal votive offerings dedicated to the goddess Athena, such as weapons, statuettes, and other objects.
“Though uninteresting as a storage shed, its reason for existence is completely the opposite. In the middle of the Acropolis there used to be The Old Temple of Athena Polias that collapsed during one of a series of strong earth tremors a couple centuries after the founding of the kingdom of Athens, at which point it burned to the ground. The Chalkotheke was constructed specifically to store those votive offerings while the Temple of Athena Polias was reconstructed.
“At that time the kingdoms and city states of the Mediterranean were flourishing and had been truly interconnected with most civilizations dependent on each other for raw materials, like copper and tin used to make bronze, along with all manner of trade goods and luxury items. Fueled by lucrative trade in valuable metals and finished goods, the great kingdoms and empires of the day had the technological know-how to build monumental palaces and employ scribes to keep records of both financial transactions and historical events.
“In a matter of decades, though, the thriving cultures of the Mediterranean underwent a rapid and near-total collapse. The Mycenaeans of the Peloponnese and the Minoans of Crete, suffered a complete collapse. Same with the Hittites of Asia Minor, who simply ceased to exist as a civilization. The survivors of the collapse of these civilizations were plunged into a centuries-long "Dark Age" that saw the disappearance of some written languages and brought once-mighty kingdoms to their knees.
“We talked about the earthquakes that brought about the collapse of The Old Temple of Athena Polias along with the fire that destroyed it. At that time the volcanoes of Italia began erupting along with the volcanoes of the Hellenic Arc which stretch from Argolis in the Peloponnese through the Cyclades islands. All of these erupting volcanoes were spewing a variety of materials into the air, including poisonous gases, fragments of rock, magma, volcanic glass, fine ash and dust, creating dark clouds of fumes and smoke blocking out the sun and sucking the moisture out of the air to form pyrocumulus clouds down wind.
“All this volcanic activity produced a megadrought down range that lasted at least 150 years, and in some places as much as 300. Where there's drought, there's famine, sparking mass migrations of people. The Dorian Greeks in northern and northwestern Greece, leeward of the volcanoes of Italia, invaded the Peloponnese in an event referred to as the "Return of the Heraclids." Temenos, a descendant of the hero Heracles, led the Dorians on a conquest of various realms in the region. Temenos then divided the kingdoms of the Peloponnese between himself receiving Argos, his brother Cresphontes received Messenia, and Eurysthenes and Procles, the sons of his brother Aristodemus, jointly received the kingdom of Sparta, founding the city's dual royal lineage. Meanwhile the people of the failing Mycenaean civilization at Mycenae fled to the island of Aegina where others of their people had previously settled. The other Mycenaean refugees of the Peloponnese migrated to Cyprus and the Levantine coast, at least the ones that didn’t become slaves.
“While this was all going on in the Peloponnese, the megadrought was in full swing in Anatolia on the eastern coast of the Aegean Sea. It’s not a coincidence that during the worst famine years the Sea Peoples, as marauding invaders and desperate climate refugees, went on the hunt for resources. Their ships invaded Mediterranean strongholds and burned cities to the ground throughout the entire Mediterranean and Near East with their women and children in tow.
“Eventually The Sea Peoples began their push down the Mediterranean coastline of Anatolia, starting from the Aegean, and continuing all the way to Canaan, founding the state of Philistia – taking Cilicia and Cyprus away from the Hittites along the way and cutting off their coveted trade routes.
“Meanwhile, the Hittites were suffering from a three-year period of severe drought which caused crop failures, food shortages, and economic instability. The drought and its consequences contributed to social unrest, military desertions, and a weakening of the central government, making the empire more vulnerable to external threats.
“The Hittites thus faced attacks from all directions, including ongoing pressure from the Sea Peoples and Assyrians, but also an additional onslaught from the Kaskians, Phrygians and Bryges, all of whom were trying to capitalize on the empire's weakened state. After the capital Hattusa was burnt to the ground by the Kaskians, much of the Hittite Empire was annexed by the Assyrian Empire, with the remainder being sacked by Phrygian newcomers to the region. What was left splintered into several small independent states.
“So why was all of this important? With the collapse of all these empires and the piracy of the Sea Peoples international trade stopped. Specifically, once trade routes for tin and copper were disrupted, which is used to make bronze, cities began to fall one after the other resulting in a widespread collapse.
“With the fall of the Myceneans in the Peloponnese at the hands of Temenos and the Dorians, there was a dramatic population decrease in Greece, especially in Boeotia, Argolis and Messenia. Athens fared reasonably well, but our food supply was seriously threatened considering we import half of it. When the people you buy food from are suffering from drought and famine, it’s not surprising that they wouldn’t sell you much of it. Athen’s population suffered from the turmoil, and it wasn’t for several hundreds of years before it recovered, at which point Athenians started migrating to Ionia in Anatolia, the north coast of the Aegean, and into the Black Sea to form colonies and grow their own food. Now we import food from them, just like we do from Thrace.
“The other major casualty of the collapse of all these major civilizations was the loss of a system of writing. When the Mycenaeans, known for being a warrior elite society, conquered Crete a century after the Thera volcanic eruption destroyed that island, and then went on to conquer Minoan Miletos in western Anatolia, the Minoan written language was replaced by the Mycenaean written language. Then when the Mycenaean civilization, with its palace centric organization where the educated elites resided, was sacked and destroyed location after location, that was the end for the Mycenaean written language since only the top one percent could read or write. It was centuries before the Phoenicians brought their alphabet and writing returned to Greece. That is why now every citizen of Athens is taught to read, write and do simple math at a young age, as well as why Athena Academy was built.
“But I digress. The loss of the wealth derived from the lucrative international trade pretty much spelled the end of large-scale monument building. It wasn’t until Athenian tyrant Peisistratus took power that large-scale monument building resumed with his public works projects. He started work on what he called a Parthenon in order to house the xoanon of Athena Polias. It was to be a six column temple and treasury befitting of the Greek Gods, but it was never finished as you can see. Interestingly enough, he was deposed and exiled not once but twice by Megacles, Deinomache’s grandfather.
“It looks like Peisistratus was going to build the typical 6 column temple for Athena, but couldn’t precure the funds to pay for his populist project, likely because his political base was the poor hill people and the heavily indebted commoners. If I ruled over Athens, I’d build a magnificent, breathtaking temple dedicated to Athena with 8 columns on the front and 17 on the sides, built from marble with detailed sculptures and reliefs adorning it, and a roof of white marble tiles that glowed like a beacon in the sunlight. In it I would put a colossal statue of Athena made of gold and ivory, symbolizing the city's devotion and Athena's divine protection. I’d also have constructed a colossal 9 meter (30 ft) tall bronze statue of Athena near the entry of the Acropolis that could be seen by sailors and anyone approaching Athens as a reminder of Athens' glory and the enduring spirit of human creativity and achievement. Come to think of it, I’d also do something about the entry way to this place and build some sort of monumental ceremonial gateway. Probably call it something like a Propylaia…”
Next, I led Pallene to the Pandroseion on the North side of the Acropolis pointing out the stairway down to the caves of Apollo and Pan which could be accessed through a doorway in the cyclopean wall.
“This is The Pandroseion here on the western side of the Erechtheum, and is a place of worship dedicated to Pandrosus, who was the first priestess of Athena Polias and one of the daughters of Cecrops I. In this walled, trapezoidal courtyard, underneath the Sacred Olive Tree is the round altar of Zeus Herkeios dedicated to Zeus as the protector of the household and courtyard. This altar is unique in that no animals are sacrificed here; instead, bread is offered, often without wine. Supposedly this is where Zeus struck down Erechtheus with a thunderbolt.
“The Pandroseion also houses the tomb of Cecrops I, over here in the southeast corner, who was the founder of the city of Athens. Cecrops was a cultural hero, teaching the Athenians marriage, reading and writing, the art of navigation and ceremonial burial. What was very interesting about Cecrops is that he is always depicted as a man from the waist up with a serpent's-tail in place of legs. In other words, he was an amphibian like Gilgamesh over in Babylonia.”
“This is the Sacred Olive Tree which is a symbol of Athena's victory over Poseidon in a contest to become the patron deity of Athens. According to the legend, Athena offered the olive tree to the city, while Poseidon offered a saltwater spring. The Athenians chose Athena's gift, recognizing its practical and symbolic value, as olives, oil, and wood were vital for their lives.
“Upon establishing this city, king Cecrops desired to appoint a patron deity and protector. Poseidon and Athena, both of whom wanted to lay claim to the city, appeared before king Cecrops and a gathering of the people here at the Acropolis, and it was decided that a contest between the two powerful Olympians would be held. Whoever could bestow the more useful gift to the people of Attica would be declared patron deity and have the city named in his/her honor. Poseidon was the first to act striking at the ground with his trident. Lightning came down, blowing a hole in the roof, and a spring of salt water burst from the ground. Athena next thrust her spear into the ground, producing a hole into which she planted an olive branch, which quickly grew into Greece's first olive tree. King Cecrops and the people of Attica then deliberated the usefulness of the gifts. Poseidon's spring made of salt water was not suitable for drinking or much else, while Athena's gift would be immensely useful. Athena was hailed winner of the competition and crowned patron goddess and protector of the city, with the people naming it Athens in her honor.
“Let’s go into the Erechteion itself.” Taking Pallene by the hand, I led her through the elaborate entrance into the north porch and the entire Etrechteion complex that was located in the northeast corner of The Pandroseion. The building itself was made with Pentelic marble with a blue Eleusinian limestone frieze beneath the roofline. The temple's walls were constructed with perfectly cut and dressed, completely regular squared stone blocks of equal height, and length. The north porch had a curved stylobate as the top step, on which six Ionic columns stood supporting the roof, and that was also the floor of the temple.
“Over there in the corner of the porch, and next to the wall, you can see where Poseidon struck the ground with his trident, and the hole in the roof above where lightning came down.”
“Underneath this porch is a snake pit which can be accessed from the east side. The sacred snake of the Acropolis: An incarnation of Erechtheus in snake form, is housed in that crypt and fed honey cakes by the priests.”
“Let’s go inside the building.” We walked into the western most room of the building, which had a series of stone window frames between the outside columns that let light in from the Pandroseion outside. “In this room is where the sacred saltwater well, called the "Sea of Erechtheus" is located.[1]
“In this next room is the altar dedicated to the worship of the combined deity Poseidon-Erechtheus. Erechtheus, associated with snakes, had a snake-like form and was a direct descendant of the Goddess Gaia, or Mother Earth who the planet is named after[2], and was brought up by Athena. A legendary king of Athens, he was considered a founding figure and ancestor of the Athenian people, with this temple, the Erechtheion, being named after him. Over there is the altar of Erechtheus' brother, Boutos, a legendary Athenian hero, as well.
“On the other side of this wall used to be where the shrine to Athena Polias and the wooden statue of her was located. It’s interesting that the temple floor in that chamber is actually a meter (3 ft) higher than in this half of the temple, though the roof level is the same in both parts. Let’s go outside and take a quick look through the six ionic columns on the east porch to see if there is anything inside now.”
After looking into the empty eastern side of the Erechteion, we made our way over to the building housing the Altar of Athena Polias. The altar itself stood within a narrow temple atop a marble pediment on the central terrace of the Acropolis. The triangular pediment upper part of the front of the building depicted the battle between gods and giants at the peninsula of Chalcidice showing Athena was dominant and victorious against the armies of the giants.
“The wooden statue of Athena Polias had been relocated here by the sons of the Athenian tyrant Peisistratus in order to increase visibility during the Panathenaic festival. As a result, Athena became the most revered goddess of Athens due to all the attention focused on her at the end of the festival with the parade travelling here so that young Athenian women could don her with a new robe they made.”
We next moved on to the walled open-air Sanctuary of Zeus Polias, sited to the east of the Erechtheion and Athena’s Sanctuary. The main entrance of the temple itself had an entry facing west with six Ionic columns underneath a triangular pediment.
“The building behind the Sanctuary of Zeus Polias is called the Bukoleion, and is the stable where the oxen are housed that are destinated to be sacrificed during the annual Bouphonia ceremony as part of the Dipolieia festival held in honor of Zeus Polieus. The walled area to the north of the Bukoleion is the paddock where the oxen graze.”
Walking into the Sanctuary there was an altar and a sacrifice table beside it. “Upon the altar of Zeus Polieus, the priests would place barley mixed with wheat and leave it unguarded. The ox, which they kept already prepared for sacrifice, goes to the altar and partakes of the grain. One of the priests they call the ox-slayer, kills the ox and then, casting aside the axe as part of the ritual, runs away. The others bring the axe to trial, as though they know not the man who did the deed.”
With a quizzical look on her face, Pallene asked “What did they do with the meat from the oxen they sacrificed?”
“Well, these sacrificial rituals aren’t just about offering meat to the gods during a festival. The sacrifice of these animals is a complex ritual involving various steps, including slaughtering the animal, collecting the blood, and dividing and consuming the meat in a communal feast. These communal meals are a big part of the Dipolieia festival helping to build social bonds in the community and among the participants.
“First the entrails are roasted and eaten, especially the internal organs of the abdominal cavity, which include the digestive tract, like the intestines, and other organs like the liver, heart, kidneys, lungs, brains and sweetbreads (thymus and pancreas). In culinary contexts, these parts are often referred to as offal or variety meats. The Intestines typically are cleaned and used as casings for sausages or prepared as food like chitterlings (chitlins).
“Additionally, cows and oxen have a complex digestive system with multiple stomach compartments, including the rumen, reticulum, omasum, and abomasum, called ruminants, which can be prepared as food, often called tripe. Tripe has a distinctive smell and mild flavor, making it a popular ingredient that can be simmered in soups, braised, stewed to tenderize it, along with other dishes. Tripe is also a good source of protein and some micronutrients. Some tripe, like honeycomb tripe, is suitable for eating raw with pepper and vinegar.
“Meanwhile, the inedible parts, such as the thigh bones, get wrapped in fat and burned on the altar as an offering to the gods, with wine often poured over them. The smoke from the burning bones is believed to carry the prayers and offerings to the gods.
“Though I don’t mind trying pieces of the entrails and offal as appetizers, I prefer to wait for the primal cuts of meat steaks are grilled from. Specifically, I prefer a porterhouse or T-bone cut from the short loin, both of which have one side which is known for its tenderness and buttery texture, while the meat on the other side of the bone is less tender, but makes up for it with intense, beefy flavor. I like mine seasoned with coarse salt and pepper, and grilled slowly at a low heat to achieve a perfect medium-rare doneness, preserving flavor while still allowing the fat to render. That being said, I would never say no to prime rib, brisket or a thick center cut from the tenderloin (filet mignon).”
“Pericles, that Dipolieia festival sounds like a lot of fun. We ought to go to it together.” Pallene enthusiastically suggested.
“I’m thinking we ought to go out to a steak restaurant for dinner! Hahaha! Let’s hurry and check out the last place, and get out of here.” I laughingly retorted.
We next headed to the Sanctuary of Pandion Hereon located in the south-east corner of the Acropolis of Athens which contained a statue of the hero Pandion, the eponymous hero of the Attic tribe Pandionis, to whom it was dedicated.
“Pandion the first was a legendary King of Athens, the son and heir to Erichthonius of Athens and his wife, the naiad Praxithea. Through his father, he was the grandson of the god Hephaestus. Pandion married a naiad, Zeuxippe, and they had two sons Erechtheus and Boutos who we visited earlier in the Erechteion, along with two daughters Procne and Philomela.
“As the fifth king of Athens, he ruled for 40 years and was best known for fighting a war with Labdacus, the king of Thebes, over boundaries. As you can see, the Acropolis is all about shrines to the gods, and hero kings of Athens.”
“Cool, Pericles, you ready to take off? I find myself strangely hungry to eat beef.” Pallene confided having grown weary from the tour.
[1] Sorry people, there will be no southern Porch of the Maidens where the Caryatids, named after the women of Caryae, who were enslaved for siding with the Persians during the Greco-Persian War. This is because there will be no Persian War in this story. If you go see the Acropolis, make sure you take the time to see them in the Museum, except for the one the Brits ripped off…
[2] What, did you really think you lived on Planet Dirt? You can thank Christianity and their War on Paganism for that one. By the way, just to drive the point home, take a look at all the other planet names. That’s right, they are named after Greek Gods and Titans. And for that matter, the name of the Sun is Helios who was the personification of the sun, often depicted driving a chariot across the sky. Since the planets are all really just moons orbiting the Sun, you can also tell any aliens you meet that you live in the Helios Solar System. Don’t believe in aliens? The supposed Greek Gods were Amphibious Aliens called Nommos from the Sirius Solar System according to tribal records. Now, if you get to meet one of them, you can talk to them about where you live without sounding like a galaxy backwater planet hillbilly.