GREEK TEMPLES NOW

Dec 1, 20214 min read

TEMPLE OF ATHENA NIKE - Athens

Temple of Athena Nike - Athens The Magnificent Temple of Athena Nike was Recently Correctly Restored and is Ready to Reveal her Colorful...

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Alexios Demos

Nov 15, 20212 min read

Greek Words

AETHER - Ancient Greek Words

Aether - Ancient Greek Words F16's Low Fly Over This Incredible Stadium at Ancient Messene Shaking the Valley & Ancient Myths! By Alexios...

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Alexios Demos

Nov 8, 20211 min read

Quotes

ANCIENT MESSENE - Inspirational Quotes

Ancient Messene - Inspirational Quotes Looking Upon Magnificent Ancient Greek Sculptures the Words of Philosophers Always Echo In My...

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Alexios Demos

Oct 29, 20214 min read

AMPHIAREION OF OROPOS - Oropos

Temple of Amphiaraus - Oropos This forgotten intriguing oracle of Attica, dedicated in honor of Amphiaraus and known as the Amphiareion...

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🏺🏛❗A Storm Is Coming the Gods are Angered! - Temple of Athena Nike - Full Post Coming Soon!
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New Website: www.greektemplesnow.com
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#wanderlust #picoftheday #photooftheday #architecture #greektemples #ig_greece #temple #travelblog #travelgram #letsgo #goexplore #travelphotography #discovergreece #parthenon #greekbloggers #athenanike #greece_all #greece_is_awesome #adoregreece #greece2021 #go_explore_greece #wu_greece #athensvoice #canongreece #reasontovisitgreece #travel #instalifo #ancientgreek #acropolis #mythology

✏📝📸 F16's Low Fly Over This Incredible Stadium at Ancient Messene Shaking the Valley & Myths! From Plato’s dialogue “Timaeus” (360 BC) who refers to a new unknown element known as “aether” and Aristotle’s “On the Heavens” (350 BC) who mentions a fifth element that solely exists in the cosmos the word “aether” would capture the world’s imagination for beyond 2000 years! This magical fifth element was believed to be the invisible building matter of giant cosmic orbs on which planets and stars were “fixed” on (like cloves on an orange) and accounted for their observed rotation!
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Photographing this stunning stadium, I was ambushed by roaring F-16s flying especially low and could feel the vibration of the soundwaves on my chest! The valley lit up with howling animals and animated the imagination for at least 10 minutes reminding me of a common greek phrase to describe fighter jets in flight. The phrase is: "σκίζουν τους αιθέρες" that translates into: "ripping the heavens - the sky". The actual word used, however, is not "ουρανός - sky" but rather "αιθέρες - aethers" referencing ancient Greek mythology. In Greek mythology Aether is the son of Erebus & Nyx and is the primordial “god of light and the bright, blue ether of the heavens”. Keep in mind Aether’s mother Nyx primeval goddess of the night is both much older and much stronger than Zeus who feared her! The unique contrast of the immobile ancient marble ruins and the 2,000km/hr racing F16s inspired me to write this post!
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I do feel the word is gaining popularity again from unexpected sources such as the well-known cryptocurrency (Ether–Ethereum) and via the Marvel Cinematic Universe (Aether–Reality Infinity Stone). What are your thoughts?
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❗Read More : www.greektemplesnow.com
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❗Date of Visit: Oct 21, 2021
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#wanderlust #picoftheday #photooftheday #architecture #ancientmessini #greektemples #ig_greece #plato #travelblog #travelgram #aristotle #goexplore #travelphotography #discovergreece #greekbloggers #aether #greece_all #greece_is_awesome #ancientmessini #stadium #go_explore_greece #inspiration #ancientmessene #canongreece #greece2021 #f16 #words #ancientgreek #definition #peloponnese

🏺🏛❗ Motivational Inspiring Quotes to Start Your Week Just Right!
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First Image: Statue of Hermes (Andros type), discovered in the gymnasium at Ancient Messene - Hermes is the Herald of the Gods.
“For a man to conquer himself is the first and noblest of all victories.” – Plato
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Second Image: Statue of Isis Pelagia found at Ancient Messene – Isis Pelagia is a Goddess of the Seas
“The mind is not a vessel to be filled but a fire to be kindled.” – Plutarch
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Creating these graphics from the statues displayed in the Archaeological Museum of Ancient Messene I was strangely reminded of the black granite sculptures of Ancient Egypt. Personally, I have never witnessed an ancient Greek statue made of granite and recalled that ancient Greek sculptures were painted with quite vibrant colors! White marble being both a local stone and an ideal solution to act as a canvas for colors was an clear choice! New extensive posts about this incredible site coming shortly! Let me know your thoughts!
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#wanderlust #picoftheday #photooftheday #architecture #ancientmessini #greektemples #ig_greece #statue #travelblog #travelgram #letsgo #goexplore #travelphotography #discovergreece #greekbloggers #greecelover_gr #greece_all #greece_is_awesome #feelgreece #greece_united #greecelovers #plutarch #ancientmessene #canongreece #greece2021 #greece_moments #motivationalquotes #motivationalmonday #plato #peloponnese

🏺🏛❗"To see a World in a Grain of Sand
And a Heaven in a Wild Flower,
Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand
And Eternity in an hour."
William Blake
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Happy November! Hellenic Grace To Inspire 🇬🇷 !
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#wanderlust #picoftheday #photooftheday #architecture #athens #greektemples #ig_greece #athens #travelblog #travelgram #letsgo #goexplore #travelphotography #discovergreece #greekbloggers #greecelover_gr #greece_all #greece_is_awesome #feelgreece #greece_united #greecelovers #view #adoregreece #canongreece #greece2021 #greece_moments #parthenon #instalifo #acropolis #wu_greece
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*Disclaimer: I "made" this photo to be used as a graphic with a photograph of mine from the Erechtheion

❗Read More On The New Website: www.greektemplesnow.com
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🏺🏛❗With Halloween coming up I would like to highlight the eerie process of making a sacrifice to Amphiaraus as described by the legendary geographer & traveler Pausanias. It was quite a process and I doubt the majority of modern men would have the stomach for it today! Firstly one would offer silver and gold coins in the Sacred Spring and purify themselves with its water. They would then proceed to place small figurines and other objects such as marble reliefs on the altar in honor of the god. However, here is where things become rather spooky as one would need to sacrifice a ram and then proceed to skin the animal and wrap themselves with the animal skin to sleep with it (or at least use it as a sheet) in the Stoa (covered walkway). Here is where divine enlightenment would take place in the form of Amphiaraus advising while dreaming. I don’t know about you but being covered in a freshly slaughtered animal and needing to miraculously fall asleep with the stench engulfing me would be a rather traumatic experience to say absolutely the least!
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What are your thoughts?
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❗Date of Visit: Oct 22, 2021 Weather Conditions: A Pleasant Cloudy and Sunny Fall Friday Noon
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#wanderlust #picoftheday #photooftheday #architecture #oropos #greektemples #ig_greece #athens #travelblog #travelgram #letsgo #goexplore #travelphotography #discovergreece #greekbloggers #greecelover_gr #greece_all #greece_is_awesome #feelgreece #greece_united #greecelovers #view #adoregreece #canongreece #greece2021 #greece_moments #amphiareion #greekgods #instalifo #wu_greece

❗Read More On The New Website:
www.greektemplesnow.com
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🏺🏛❗I suspect that this gem of a site with a plethora of ruins hidden in a dense pine forest that feels more like a mini nature reserve has been generally forgotten today by even the Greeks as it was dedicated to the renowned hero Amphiaraus, (who enjoyed godlike status in antiquity) rather to a more well-known god of the Olympian Pantheon. Amphiaraus is an especially colorful character; favored by both Zeus & Apollo, a well-celebrated seer, healer, and warrior hero of Argos whose tale like most things Ancient Greek is entwined with profound tragedy. His gift of foresight is not adequate to deter his folly and against his better judgment, he is persuaded by his bribed wife Eriphyle to embark on a war against the city-state Thebes, immortalized by the "father of tragedy" playwright Aeschylus in his play "Seven Against Thebes" (467 BC). Upon seeing inevitable defeat he attempts to escape the battleground with his chariot and Zeus decides to take matters into his own hands by throwing a thunderbolt that swallows Amphiaraus into the ground hence our hero goes out in style indeed! Of course, this is not enough as Amphiaraus has already left notice to his sons that they should murder his wife should he not return! His order is indeed executed by his son Alcmaeon concluding the tale rather brutally enforcing the principle of till death do us part!
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What are your thoughts?
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❗ Date of Visit: Oct 22, 2021 Weather Conditions: A Pleasant Cloudy and Sunny Fall Friday Noon
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#wanderlust #picoftheday #photooftheday #architecture #oropos #greektemples #ig_greece #athens #travelblog #travelgram #letsgo #goexplore #travelphotography #discovergreece #greekbloggers #greecelover_gr #greece_all #greece_is_awesome #feelgreece #greece_united #greecelovers #view #adoregreece #canongreece #greece2021 #greece_moments #amphiareion #greekgods #theatre #wu_greece

🏺🏛❗ GREECE - 200 YEARS OF INDEPENDENCE !
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ΖΗΤΩ ΤΟ ΕΘΝΟΣ - ΖΗΤΩ Η 25Η ΜΑΡΤΙΟΥ 1821 – ΧΡΟΝΙΑ ΠΟΛΛΑ !
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HAPPY GREEK INDEPENDENCE DAY !
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For as Long as Goodness, Hope & Courage Lives in Men’s Hearts Greece Shall Be the Spear of Democracy.
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#wanderlust #picoftheday #photooftheday #architecture #greece2021 #greektemples #ig_greece #athens #travelblog #travelgram #letsgo #goexplore #travelphotography #discovergreece #greekbloggers #greecelover_gr #greece_all #greece_is_awesome #feelgreece #greece_united #greecelovers #view #adoregreece #canongreece #greecetravelgr #greece_moments #indepedence #athens #acropolis #parthenon

🏺🏛❗I present to you the Rising May Full “Flower” Moon 🌕🌘🌜 which marks the last Supermoon for 2020! As archaeological sites in Greece re-open after quarantine on May 18th I would like to post a current photograph and link it to Greek Mythology! In Ancient Greece, there were three goddesses associated with the moon & these were Artemis, Selene, and Hecate. In classical Greece, Artemis is generally fused with Selene (who had few temples dedicated to her), however, Selene is the only of the three that was viewed as the true embodiment of the moon itself as becomes evident by Roman times when she becomes the goddess Luna and her status is reaffirmed. All three deities as you may have noticed were female (girl power 💪) as in ancient Greece the sun was represented as male and hence the moon female. Selene’s name linguistically likely has roots in the Greek word “Σέλας - Selas” that translates to “Light”. This was fitting as in myth similarly to Apollo, Selene; daughter of the Titans Hyperion and Theia drives her celestial chariot with two white horses up to the heavens to illuminate the night sky!
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The moon was fascinating to Greek philosophers as Anaxagoras (510-420 BC) claimed a groundbreaking view of the time that the moon & the sun were objects rather than gods which was clearly heretical 2,500 years ago and resulted in his exile from Athens! His extensive observation of the moon led him to believe that light was reflected upon the moon, from the sun a “burning rock” as he viewed it and claimed in his words, “it is the sun that puts brightness into the moon.” His true contribution to science is that his realization transforms this natural phenomenon into a geometric riddle which he solves to explain lunar phases and eclipses! To this day just like in the ancient world, we measure time in 30day months which are of course approximately the duration of a lunar cycle.
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Oddly Aristotle (384-322 BC) believed that the full moon could cause insanity & epilepsy (due to the observation of the Moon’s correlation with tides and the accurate belief that the brain is mostly composed of water, in fact, it is 75%).❗Text Continued in Comment Section❗
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🏺🏛❗ I present to you the timeless beauty of the Caryatids that function as female architectural columns with resplendent sculptural detail especially in their hair on the south porch of the Erechtheion (406 BC) a deeply sacred temple on the Acropolis of Athens dedicated to both the goddess Athena & the god Poseidon. After 2,500 years on the Erechteion in 2008, five of the six Caryatids were transferred to their current home in the Acropolis Museum of Athens. The remaining “sister” stolen by Thomas Bruce, Lord of Elgin (1766-1841 AD) still resides at the British Museum in London since 1816. In Athenian folklore, the Caryatids lament every night for their sister awaiting the day they will be reunited! Potentially / most likely they were sculpted by Alcamenes a Greek sculptor from the island of Lemnos and pupil of the “godlike” in skill sculptor Phidias (5th c. BC).
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Ironically as legend states the Caryatids were not actually from Athens but rather from the Peloponnese and specifically a town outside Sparta called Caryae. Symbolically their use as support columns represents their punishment by Athens as they committed treason and sided with the Persian Empire in the Greco – Persian wars!
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I don’t even want to imagine all of the archaeologists at the edge of their seats for the 70-minute journey when the Caryatids relocation that was conducted using three tower cranes transferring metal boxes with the Caryatids inside between the old and the new acropolis museum took place in late 2007 early 2008! When you visit pay attention to the backside of the Caryatids as the way their hair is “styled” varies significantly from column to column (the sculptural marble craftsmanship displaying fluid excellence remains the same nonetheless)!
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❗Date of Visit: Nov 19, 2019
Weather Conditions: Afternoon visit around 17:00 (Winter Sunset) - It was very humid, and it rained shortly afterward.
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🏺🏛️❗
Εύχομαι σε Όλους Σας Καλό Πάσχα 🐰🙏, Καλή Ανάσταση ❤️ & Καλά…. Τσουγκρίσματα 🥚! Το Απίθανο «Άρωμα» 🌷της Πασχαλιάς ας Μας Γεμίσει Αισιοδοξία! Καλή Ανάσταση με Αγάπη Υγεία και Ευτυχία🌟!
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Wishing you a Happy Orthodox Easter 🐰🙏❤️ may you Be Blessed with Love, Health & Happiness! This is my favorite plant “Syringa vulgaris” that blossoms during Easter with its purple blossoms smelling heavenly! It is colloquially known in Greece as “Πασχαλία – Pash-haa-Liaa» “Easter Plant, Of Easter” and connects to Greek mythology as the Nymph Serina in order to escape the advancements of the god of the forest Panas transformed herself into this divine flowering plant! In the realm of alternative medicine, it has many applications and is used to alleviate rheumatism, stress, depression, and indigestion among others!
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#wanderlust #picoftheday #photooftheday #easter #flower #greektemples #ig_greece #athens #travelblog #travelgram #letsgo #goexplore #travelphotography #discovergreece #greekbloggers #greecelover_gr #greece_all #ig_athens #feelgreece #greece_united #easter2020 #adoregreece #canongreece #wu_greece #greece_moments #roadtrip #greekgods #butterfly #instalifo
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🏺🏛❗ I present to you the imposing Temple of the Nemean Zeus (330 BC) with its towering slender 10.33m tall columns! Personally, awe struck from these dominating columns I assumed that the Nemean Zeus is a deity interchangeable with Zeus King of the Gods, yet this is not true as the Nemean Zeus was rather the god of shepherds & shepherding! Everything is grandee about this structure, testament that it was built in a time of high confidence in an ambitious Macedonian architectural site redevelopment project one year after Alexander the Great practically defeated the Persian Empire at the Battle of Gaugamela (331 BC). Architecturally the temple is significant as three different orders, Classical Doric exterior peristyle columns but in the interior Corinthian with a secondary level of Ionic Columns were used, hence stylistically showcasing the transition from the Classical period (510-323 BC) to the Hellenistic period (323-31 BC)
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The site that served as the Sanctuary of Zeus at Nemea was initiated in the early 6th c. BC due to the fact that in 573 BC the Nemean sporting Games (573 BC-271 BC) were established running every 2 years and were incorporated into the Panhellenic Games (imagine something like the Olympic Games of today). In fact, the much younger Nemean Games in Ancient Greece were nearly equal to the Olympic Games who were also another part of the Panhellenic Games.
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What I especially like about this sanctuary is its mythological link to the 12 Labors of Hercules. Here is where Hercules had to slay the golden furred ferocious Nemean Lion who inhabited the caves of Mt. Tritos near the site. Mr. Nemean Lion was especially sneaky as he would physically transform into the form of a young woman in trouble and would lure warriors to rescue “her” and then would morph back into a lion and happy meal them munch munch! Of course, Hercules saves the day and hence a mythological tie is cemented between honoring Zeus the father of Hercules and the Nemean Games!
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❗Date of Visit: Jan 10, 2020 Weather Conditions: Noon visit on a wonderful winter Friday!
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🏺🏛❗ I present to you the Sanctuary of Artemis, the Greek goddess of the hunt, wild animals, the Moon and protector of women in childbirth, at Brauron which is located 45km (40 min drive) from the center of Athens! It functioned as a place of worship for at least 500 years (8th c. BC – 3rd c. BC) and is considered one of the earliest & most important sanctuaries of Attica that had great significance for Athenian women. Young girls who were approaching the age of marriage spent a vital amount of time here running races, partaking in sacred dances and in fully devoting themselves to the goddess through sacrifices. There was a noteworthy festival held here every 4 years called the “Brauronia” and part of it was the ritual of the “Arkteia” that involved these young women acting as she-bears (“arktoi”) and marked the completion of their time here (rite of passage). Witnessing the serenity of the site I have the feeling that these young girls must have been sad to leave from this enchanted sanctuary! In the water spring of Brauron, nearby many artifacts (token objects) have been discovered that were offered to Artemis on the eve of marriage and during childbirth.
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The Doric prostyle Temple of Artemis was constructed in the late 5th c. BC of local Tufa (limestone variety) stone as a replacement to an older Archaic temple on the site and again feels unusual especially in terms of color at least to a Greek who is used to marble. It should be noted that there was a fabled sculpture of Artemis of immense beauty in the temple allegedly made by the renowned sculpture Praxiteles (395 BC-330 BC) as mentioned in texts by Euripides, Pausanias & Plutarch! It should also be mentioned that the site was known & inhabited as early on as the Neolithic period.
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I wanted to make a change in my life and one day spontaneously I decided to get in my car and drive to a place where I could clear my mind and feel the tranquility of the ancient world. When we were in Elementary school we had a field trip here I must have been around 7 years old and unfortunately I never visited again until this day when the goddess Artemis inspired me to make Greek Temples during this visit!
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🏺🏛❗From the beginning of the Coronavirus quarantine I have been trying to find a photo from my travels to Greek Temples that captures the essence of this Challenge for me personally. Pictured is the Archaeological Museum of Nemea funded & constructed in 1984 by American philhellenes and gifted to the state. There is a wonderful retro feel to the admittedly dated museum that however has this incredibly memorable window where you can simultaneously enjoy a framed view of the Temple of the Nemean Zeus and a scale model of the entire site (in the plexiglass)! For me this is exactly what the quarantine feels like; you have this unique view within arm’s grasp that you are curious to explore & discover yet you patiently wait in the grim shadows but there is also tremendous optimism as the view gives focus & motivation and you have something compelling to look forward to!
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If you have a moment to comment I would be interested to hear what this “view” represents to you. Is it a trip? Is it a fresh idea that was born out of the pandemic? Is it a longing to see friends in another city? Is it an opportunity to restructure your life to achieve your true potential?
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#wanderlust #picoftheday #photooftheday #travelstories #greektemples #ig_greece #athens #travelblog #travelgram #letsgo #goexplore #travelphotography #discovergreece #greekbloggers #greecelover_gr #words #mytravelstory #feelgreece #mytravelgram #travelbug #peloponnese #postcardsfromtheworld #canongreece #greecetravelgr #greece_moments #nemea #momentsofmine #canongreece #wu_greece #instalifo
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🏺🏛❗Walking around the Agora of Athens one is humbled from the fact that this space in the heart of Athens has been used for at least 5,000 years as the site was originally utilized as a residential & burial area in the Bronze Age (3000-1900 BC) and through the Mycenaen period as tholos (beehive) tombs have been discovered from 1600 BC on the grounds. Through the grains of sand, the Agora remains an important social meeting spot and reaches its acme during the 5th & 4th c. BC when extensive rebuilding takes place. The reconstruction took place because during the Greco-Persian wars the Agora is completely burned by Persians in 480 BC. The architectural rebuilding totally transforms the space as key public and administrative structures are added in the masterplan and in approx. 450 BC (approx. 460-420 BC) under Pericles, perhaps the best-preserved temple of Classical Greece pictured here is realized; the Temple of Hephaestus god of metallurgy, fire & volcanoes (the temple was also dedicated to Athena Ergane goddess of craftsmen). This Doric temple came to be known as the “Theseum” during the Middle Ages since some of its marble sculpture (north & south side metopes) highlight the feats of the hero Theseus (founding hero for Athenians & slayer of the Minotaur who regarded him as an important reformer!)
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Visiting these ethereal grounds and gazing upon the Parthenon and the Hephaisteion leaving the city noise of Athens behind you entering a serene space of marble and trees where the only perceivable sounds are birds chirping and the only visitors (besides the flocking tourists) are the friendly cats and tortoises makes you feel deeply grounded with nature and the ancient Gods! To think that on these grounds emblematic giants such as the great tragedian Sophocles & the philosopher Socrates came to converse with plain citizens makes me daydream in our age of mental poverty how profoundly enlightening and transformative even a 5-minute conversation with these titans could be on one’s life!
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❗Historical Context continued in comment section - please read
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❗Date of Visit: Nov 11, 2019 Weather Conditions: Humid afternoon visit 1 hour before closing time!

🏺🏛❗Wishing you a Happy, Hopeful & Constructive April🐬🌱🌻! During the Coronavirus quarantine, my mind has been racing to this destination and I have longed to revisit this dazzling beach and swim for the first time next to the Sanctuary of Hera in the Peloponnese! The site was thoroughly excavated in 1930-1933 by the British School of Archaeology at Athens but for the most part has been forgotten today by both Greeks and tourists alike! The sanctuary was established in the 8th c. BC and there is something about the surrounding landscape and the way the site is accessed through a spiraling footpath that the visitor actively feels an ancient mysticism long gone from our world. Although the site was originally founded probably by Megarians it soon came under Corinthian control when it flourished through the 6th – 4th c. BC and many additional structures were created such as a second shrine to Hera, an L shaped stoa, an agora, dining rooms, and even a cistern. Unfortunately, by 146 BC when Corinth became a Roman Colony the sanctuary was ultimately abandoned as a place of worship. To this day the sanctuary gives important architectural clues of the development of the morphology of the Greek Temple in its cultic dimension.
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In Euripides’s tragedy “Medea” he refers to a legend that strongly suggests the Sanctuary of Hera as the location where Medea buried her murdered children as she fled from Corinth. “Medea” is one of the most famous Greek tragedies and in the play, Medea is a woman deeply scorned, sidelined by her husband and in her blindly rage to achieve revenge she commits hubris and murders her children to get even with her husband Jason (see the Greek myth: Jason and the Golden Fleece).
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Located 110km from Athens and 18km from Loutraki the drive, especially, the last 9km or so are from the most memorable I have taken in Greece and I would suggest if you are a motorcycle driver to do it as you will enjoy it. There are many activities to engage in this location besides visiting the archeological sanctuary you can swim, hike, visit a lighthouse above the sanctuary, visit Cycladic style Greek churches in the region and enjoy a killer sunset!
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🏺🏛❗The monolithic limestone Doric columns of the Temple of Apollo (built approx. 560 BC) in Ancient Corinth that tower over 7m is quite a sight to behold. Not to be missed this temple can be visited via an easy 1-hour drive from Athens (98km distance). The history of Ancient Corinth is especially extensive beginning from the Neolithic period (6500-3250 BC) where due to its geostrategic position at a pivotal point in combination with the especially fertile land in the region spanning ultimately all the way to Julius Caesar (where Corinth became a Roman colony). The significance of Ancient Corinth is prodigious as the city-state played a role in every single major conflict of Ancient Greece and remained a key location all the way to modern times such as during the Greek War of Independence against the Ottoman Empire (1821 AD).
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Ancient Corinth was an especially wealthy city-state and had a sizeable military force as well and the Temple of Apollo was built at the height of this power at a time when the Isthmian Games became incorporated into the Panhellenic Games (the Olympic Games were also a part of the Panhellenic Games). Unfortunately, for the Corinthians nearly 100 years later the great success of Athens in trading via sea routes in combination with their production of ceramic vases ultimately stole their scepter as supreme city-state after the Persian Wars (490-479 BC). Today this is one of the best sites you can visit due to the reason that along with the Ancient Greek structures there are also many remains of Ancient Corinth as a Roman colony. The archaeological museum originally built in 1932 and recently renovated is easily one of the best I have ever visited in all of Greece, so I hope you discover it!
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In my mind in terms of construction materials, I tend to associate marble with Ancient Greece and limestone with Ancient Egypt. Witnessing these limestone bulky columns as a Greek architect was especially intriguing as I felt a fusion of both cultures and the result is that even though the temple doesn’t have the finesse of i.e. the Parthenon the expansive site counter weighs the imposing nature of the temple bringing equilibrium.

🏺🏛❗ ΖΗΤΩ ΤΟ ΕΘΝΟΣ - ΖΗΤΩ Η 25Η ΜΑΡΤΙΟΥ 1821 – ΧΡΟΝΙΑ ΠΟΛΛΑ
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«Ευγνωμονώ τοις Θεοίς ότι Εγεννήθην Έλλην»
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«Είσαι Έλληνας; Τι Προσκυνάς; Σηκώσου Aπάνω! Εμείς και στους Θεούς Ορθοί Μιλούμε!»
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HAPPY GREEK INDEPENDENCE DAY
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In War, Famine, Crisis and Plague through the Millennia we have Endured and will Endure Until the Marbles of the Parthenon Crack by Lightning.
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For as Long as Goodness, Hope & Courage Lives in Men’s Hearts Greece Shall Be the Spear of Democracy.
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#wanderlust #picoftheday #photooftheday #architecture #stadium #greektemples #ig_greece #athens #travelblog #travelgram #letsgo #goexplore #travelphotography #discovergreece #greekbloggers #greecelover_gr #greece_all #greece_is_awesome #feelgreece #greece_united #greecelovers #view #adoregreece #canongreece #greecetravelgr #greece_moments #indepedence #athens #acropolis #parthenon

🏺🏛❗I present to you the ancient sports stadium built in Nemea during the end of the 4th century BC (approx. 330 BC). The site is situated 400 m southeast of the Temple of the Nemean Zeus, but I would suggest you drive between the two sites. In its heyday, the stadium could accommodate an impressive 40.000 spectators and was used in the Panhellenic Games which were held every two years. The Panhellenic Games were comprised of 4 separate festivals in different locations one of the locations was Olympia i.e. the Olympic Games! Unfortunately for the Nemeans by 270 BC the 178 m long track field no longer held the Nemean Games that were transferred to Argos.
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The stadium is interesting from an architectural standpoint for a variety of reasons including that at its perimeter there was a water channel with stone basins that spectators could use for drinking water while enjoying the races. What is more fascinating is that the architects had planned for a vaulted tunnel running under a hill whose purpose was for athletes and judges to enter the stadium at its center (making quite a grand entrance might I add!). The tunnel connected the stadium with an internal colonnade structure located on the western portion of the site that most likely functioned as a changing room for athletes.
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Around the site there are vineyards and close to the entrance, there are beautiful views of the mountains that on this visit were snowy. Geographically ancient Nemea is an especially mild weathered region making it an especially pleasant day trip from Athens even in winter. The site has very few signs and feels totally untouched making one more easily teleport mentally to ancient times. Even though the stadium follows the standard dimensions of ancient stadiums (600 ft long) to me it felt quite monumental yet classically graceful nonetheless.
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❗Date of Visit: Jan 10, 2020 Weather Conditions: Noon visit on a wonderful winter Friday – The climate in Nemea (357m above sea level) and the mountainous landscape creates the perfect “pocket” for cultivating grapes. Today many producers create excellent robust red wine based on the Greek grape variety "Agiorgitiko"
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🏺🏛❗ Today is officially the first day of Spring 💙💚💛 and I would like to present to you the Temple of Poseidon (440 BC) with all of the surrounding hills adorned with wildflowers! 🌍Strength and courage to all of you and especially to our Italian 🇮🇹 brothers 💪 who in this grave time have displayed their fortitude & ethos!
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❗Date of Visit: Mar 6, 2019
Weather Conditions: Just as the news about the coronavirus were getting worse I was able to make a final escape to Sounio on a sunny day! The site was overrun by international high school students who seemed especially happy to have this adventure in the midst of the coronavirus crisis! The quarantine in Greece started a few days later.
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🏺🏛❗Three columns have survived from the original Temple of Nemean Zeus (330 BC) with an ongoing reconstruction project going on that has added to the original three another two columns in 2002 and four in 2012 (9/34 original visible columns). In this photo we witness a column on the ground, it reminds me of a sliced marble salami and highlights the construction process where these segments (“marble drums”) were held together with wood (and then metal) pegs. It was the love and devotion of the American professor Dr. Stephen Miller from UC Berkeley who started the extensive excavation on the site of Ancient Nemea in 1973 who was subsequently able to secure the private donations necessary that finally led to these columns being re-erected as well as constructing an archaeological museum on the site (1984). Dr. Miller was very fortunate as today he lives in Nemea with his Greek American wife and still visits the continuing archaeological work.
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Looking at the ethereal heavens I was reminded that Ancient Greek temples where generally astrologically oriented towards the rising sun (predominant east-west alignment). Recently a study (2015) concerning the Greek temples in the UNESCO site in Agrigento, Sicily has proposed that on that specific site there are temples aligned to the moon and the constellations which is unusual and made me ponder how ancient architects looked at the night sky for inspiration of the divine structures they designed. *Disclaimer: I “made” this photo it would look exactly like this but ideally, you would have to photograph the Milky Way in July (it wouldn’t be visible in Greece in January), the night pollution in Ancient Nemea is minimal and you would have to get permission to be on the site at night and for the temple not to be lit temporarily! I hope I can secure permission in the future!
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❗Date of Visit: Jan 10, 2020 Weather Conditions: Noon visit on a wonderful winter Friday – The climate in Nemea (357m above sea level) is especially mild and the mountainous landscape creates the perfect “pocket” for cultivating grapes. Today many producers create excellent robust red wine based on the Greek grape variety "Agiorgitiko"

🏺🏛❗ With the Parthenon to my back, I took this photo, where you can see to the, left the Theatre of Dionysus (construction began mid 6th century BC - numerous alterations thereafter), in the center the Acropolis Museum and at the bottom right the sanctuary of the healing god Asklepios (Asklepieion - 420 BC). Surprisingly the sizeable theatre on the south slope of the Acropolis that seated 17,000 during the 4th century BC was essentially forgotten with a portion of it underground until the 19th century AD when excavations began (Rousopoulos -1861)! The Asklepieion is not a one-off structure and it basically functioned as an ancient Greek hospital; there were numerous throughout Greece. They were especially significant as patients visiting these structures would enter a dreamlike / hypnotic state and see visions of gods who would offer medical advice or treat them instantly. That’s literally the definition of placebo effect but I’m sure the pilgrims and patients found comfort in this rather trippy procedure!
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I made this post because I wanted to highlight two structures of lesser importance to the Parthenon that, however, are so easy and enjoyable to visit and worth exploring so I hope you will discover them!
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❗Date of Visit: Nov 19, 2019
Weather Conditions: Afternoon visit around 17:00 (Winter Sunset) - It was very humid, and it rained shortly afterward
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🏺🏛❗ As an architect, it was strangely satisfying witnessing the Temple of Athena & Zeus (3rd century BC) on the Acropolis of Rhodes engulfed by scaffolding during sunset. It felt as if construction was taking place currently and it also reminded me of the endless hours spent in architecture school orbiting around 3d computer models getting dizzy from the countless geometric polygons. Even with the scaffolding you just know that something special lies beneath because the proportions of the temple are so carefully considered! The site is located on the Monte Smith hill and overlooks the “new” city of Rhodes offering an absolutely killer night view perfect for photography so don’t forget this spot!
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Besides the temple the site consists of a theatre, a stadium, ruins of a smaller temple to Apollo and other public buildings as well as cave-like constructions used for worship and recreation (Nympaia). It blows my mind that this site is open 24hours a day, has no entrance fee and how little has been written about it on the internet. This is a massive missed opportunity as most visitors are not even aware of all of the ruins there is to discover on this site! Personally I do not understand why on earth this site has not been developed and I truly hope I will bring awareness to it so something might be done in the future by the department of Hellenic Archaeology. Considering how far away Lindos is from the airport and the city of Rhodes (roughly 50mins driving - cabs cost in excess of 50 euros) this site could easily accommodate for tourists who do not want to travel far!
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❗Date of Visit: Jan 30, 2020
Weather Conditions: Afternoon visit around 17:30 (Winter Sunset) - It had just rained and the sun made a guest appearance for its grand show - the clouds where still dark
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🏺🏛❗ Couldn’t resist with the occasion of Valentine’s Day 💙 not posting the natural heart-shaped closed Bay of St. Paul as viewed 125m above sea level at the edge of the Temple of Athena Lindia! Today many couples flock to get married during the summer at the little chapel of St. Paul at the edge of this charming bay (you can see its edge in the second photo to the right). Of course, this exclusive spot had not gone unnoticed by Hollywood that already marked this filming location as the epic WWII classic Guns of Navarone (1961) starring Anthony Quinn, David Niven and Gregory Peck has multiple scenes directly shot on the Lindian Acropolis.
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For now, this is my last photograph from Lindos, Rhodes and I still can’t decide what was more impressive the incredible history and the temples or the breathtaking view - quite a rare treat in winter indeed! Nonetheless, I do dream of a time when Greece will become a 12month travel destination as having visited this site both in winter and in 40deg Celsius summer my vote goes 100% for a winter visit!
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❗Date of Visit: Jan 29, 2020
Weather Conditions: I would like to say even though it was relatively warm the weather was very indecisive interchanging between 5minute mini rain showers and bold sunlight. Also, at the top of the archaeological site it was extremely windy so if you do visit in winter careful at the edge especially if you are taking photographs (my hands where shaking) as there is a steep cliff!
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🏺🏛 ❗ Pictured is the Propylea of the Sanctuary (4th century BC) that functioned as an epic staircase towards a D shaped portico adding to the processional feeling en route to the the temple of of Athena Lindia located on the highest point of the Lindian Acropolis a few steps beyond this point. The view of the sea is stunning from the Propylea and I dare to say that today the way the site has been laid out by archaeologists the visitor receives an experience perhaps even superior to a visit to the Parthenon!
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Even though cats where especially sacred and revered in Ancient Egypt and even worshipped in the form of Bastet who was a half feline half-woman goddess, they were not able to enjoy such an elevated status in Ancient Greece. In fact, it appears that cats did not exist in ancient Greek domestic homes and the role of driving vermin out was fulfilled by weasels and ferrets (until the miaows were finally imported from Ancient Egypt). Unlike in Ancient Egypt cats rarely are present in Ancient Greek art and literature and as the philosopher, Aristotle remarked in his History of Animals "female cats are naturally lecherous." Clearly, the cat had to do some work to win over the Ancient Greeks but being a cat as cats do they naturally succeeded and the Greek goddess of the hunt Artemis was eventually fused to some extent with some qualities of the Egyptian goddess Bastet and began to be associated with the cat. Later, to a minor extent, Athena goddess of wisdom was also associated with the cat. At any rate I conversed with Mr. cat about his opinion of the site and the unfortunate fact that nobody visits during the winter and how we can change this in the future!
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❗Date of Visit: Jan 29, 2020
Weather Conditions: A Warm Winter Day
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🏺🏛 ❗ Lindos was a powerful ancient Greek city-state of fabled beauty and power and here is where the creator of the Colossus of Rhodes (280 BC) one of the Seven Wonder of the Ancient World was born; Chares of Lindos. The history of Lindos stems all the way back to the Bronze Age where already by the 8th century BC the city-state had a formidable naval force. Cleobulus the great tyrant ruler of Rhodes in the 6th century BC and one of the Seven Sages of Greece (7 men renowned for their wisdom during this era) most likely commissioned the first temple of Athena Lindia on the Acropolis of Lindos. This temple was burned and destroyed through the ravages of time and in the 4th century a new temple the one surviving to this day was erected in Doric style. This site was considered especially significant in the ancient world as even Alexander the Great offered sacrifices here. Even though we associate the goddess of wisdom Athena with Athens it is interesting to note that in ancient Greek mythology describing the birth of Athena Rhodes is strikingly mentioned: "Gold rained on the island [of Rhodes] at the time when Athena was born from the head of Zeus."
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I visited this site and I was the only visitor of the entire day in quiet and somewhat lazy winter Lindos however to my delight I was able to make a new friend as this wonderful furry creature followed me for the entire time I walked the site (for beyond an hour) and refused to leave me until I left the grounds! I instantly remembered what a common theme shapeshifting was in Ancient Greece as the Gods often took the form of animals and had this wonderful, curious and genuine feeling that Athena was pleased I had visited her temple and decided to tour me on the premises!
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❗Date of Visit: Jan 29, 2020
Weather Conditions: A Warm Winter Day
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🏺🏛 ❗I present to you the majestic Acropolis of Lindos during the off season with the majestic Temple of Athena Lindia from the late 4th century-BC proudly overlooking the picturesque fishing village of Lindos one of the most unique in all of Greece. I was the only visitor of the entire day as the friendly ladies at the ticket cashier told me in contrast with 2,000-3,000 that visit daily in summer months in Rhodes. A unique experience having a site this important and so large to explore on your own at a time of the year where Lindos is essentially shut down and gorgeously green 💚 (not to mention cool for those of you have experienced the scorching heat in Rhodes during summer)! More photos of this incredible site in the next few days!
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❗Date of Visit: Jan 29, 2020
Weather Conditions: A Warm Winter’s Day Midweek on a Tuesday with the fishing village of Lindos totally shut down for winter!
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#wanderlust #picoftheday #photooftheday #architecture #arch #greektemples #ig_greece #athens #travelblog #travelgram #letsgo #goexplore #travelphotography #discovergreece #greekbloggers #greecelover_gr #greece_all #greece_is_awesome #feelgreece #greece_united #greecelovers #greecepix #adoregreece #greece_uncovered #greecetravelgr #greece_moments #thesoulofgreece #reasontovisitgreece #lindos #rhodes

🏺🏛️❗The great Athenian philosopher Aristotle once said, "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then is not an act but a habit.” My name is Alexios Demos and in this undertaking in every post, every time, to the best of my capability, greatly limited as it may be, I strive and persist for excellence so I may learn more, so I can share it with all of you and experience your perspective and life lessons. To discover my country and sites with ruins that have not enjoyed the spotlight that they deserve so you may explore them on your travels. To consider how ancient Greek words can be pertinent to today's social issues as a mental compass. To try and decipher through photography and language ancient Greek maxims. To unite my life passions in a form that we can forge new ideas together.
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Greek Temples was made for the celebration of the ancient Hellenic mind for the honor of a time when we did not dream of just gold but of ideas that could unite humanity under one banner - For a time when kneeling was not an option and we turned fear into determination - For a time where gods had human weaknesses and humans walked like gods - For a time when we tamed horses to tame our soul - For a time when we did not just do what was easy but was just and right even if a golden coin was put on our mouth for the ferryman.
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Let us dream together once more!
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Aristotle’s saying has been beautifully paraphrased by the American writer and historian Will Durant who weaved the right words together!

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