Nighttime light on Acropolis
(Editor’s note: Two 87-year-olds have just returned from a cruise off the Dalmatian coast. Their trip started in Athens, Greece. Here is a description of that city. –eeb)
By Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher, GwinnettForum
SEPT. 29, 2023 | Never have I seen a symbol that dominates a city as does the Parthenon at the Acropolis in Athens, Greece. It is formally known as the Temple of Athena Parthenos (Athena the Virgin).
The massive stone structure, in ruins but still an amazing edifice, glows white while being lighted during the night skies, sitting on a flat seven acre limestone hill 490 feet above the surrounding land. The night time darkness heightens its statement, though even during the day, it’s easily visible from most of Athens, while the city tapers easily down from the Acropolis to the coastal sea level, about 17 miles away.
The re-creation of the 42-foot statue Athena in Nashville, Tenn. is the focus of that second replica of the Parthenon just as it was in ancient Greece. The Nashville Parthenon and the Athena statue are both full-scale replicas of the Athenian originals.
The Parthenon in Nashville, Tenn. doesn’t dominate the area as does the Athens original. The Parthenon in Nashville, Tenn. is situated entirely differently. In Nashville, the Parthenon stands as the centerpiece of Centennial Park, and while beautiful and not in ruins, the Tennessee version does not stand out uniquely from the surrounding Nashville land. It’s a tourist attraction, but not the compelling symbol of Nashville, which is dominated by country music. But in Greece, you can see the Acropolis from much of the city, as it dominantly reigns over the area.
Can be seen from throughout the city.
The original Parthenon is so inspiring, even more so at night, in its stand-out whiteness.
The Acropolis of Athens is the most striking and complete ancient Greek monumental complex still existing in our times. Its overall dimensions are approximately 101 by 228 feet. The Parthenon, the apotheosis of ancient Greek architecture, has been rocked by earthquakes, set on fire, shattered by exploding gunpowder, looted for its stunning sculptures and defaced by misguided preservation efforts.The Achaemenid destruction of Athens was carried out by the Achaemenid Army of Xerxes I during the Second Persian invasion of Greece, and occurred in two phases over a period of two years, in 480–479 BC.
Acropolis dominates the city.
And to think this magnificent structure was built about 1,500 years ago when many modern tools and transport vehicles were yet to be built. The flat structure of the Acropolis is in itself spectacular. To accommodate the temple, the south part of the summit was cleared, made level by adding some 8,000 two-ton blocks of limestone, a foundation 36 feet deep at some points, and the rest was filled with soil kept in place by the retaining wall. Think again: how did they maneuver these massive stones to the site without modern mechanical devices?
While skyscrapers are the symbol of New York, the Parliament of London, and the Eiffel Tower a symbol of Paris, the Acropolis stands out as the dominant feature of Athens, and all of Greece. It is a magnificent domination!
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