The ancient Roman theatre in Milos

Having visited the catacombs we walked up the steps

and enjoyed the views of the gulf of Milos and Klima, the village

Behind us we could see the village of Tripyti.

In front of us, the town of Plaka.

We took this path





and reached the remains of the city walls of the ancient city of Klima which used to be the island's first port.A bit further on we reached the area where in 1820 a local farmer discovered the statue of Venus de Milo.  (Today the precise spot of its discovery is unknown). Created during the late Hellenistic period (c. 120 BC), made of Parian marble, it is assumed that the statue originally stood in the Gymmasium of the ancient city.





We continued along the path and finally got our first glimpse of the Roman theatre.

Built on a prominent spot on the hillside, the theatre overlooks the ancient harbour and the village Klima: the views are spectacular and its acoustics are very good. Theatrical and music performances take place here today as in its present state the theatre has a seating capacity of 700.





The theatre was originally constructed by the inhabitants of the ancient city of Klima, possibly during the Hellinistic Age (3rd century BC). After the destruction of the city by the Athenians in Roman times, above the preserved foundations of the classic theatre, a bigger one was built made of snow-white Parian marble and remarkable bas-reliefs, which it is estimated had a seating capacity of 7000.

We continued our descent and now we had a much better view.

Seven marble tiers, six rows of seats, the auditorium, the orchestra, the stage floor and a lot of architecturally elaborate parts are preserved. In spire of the losses of material through stone robbing and illicit excavations, and the fact that only part has been revealed and investigated, it is one of the best preserved ancient theatres in the Cycladic islands.

It's a fine example of a theatrical structure of its time, with features corresponding to those of Roman and Romanised theatres of the eastern provinces of the Roman empire - the type that was formed on the prototype of the Greek theatre.

The horseshoe-shaped auditorium is for the most part constructed on a natural slope while its extremities are formed of earth filling supported by strong retaining walls. The excavated section which holds about 700 spectators and is estimated to constitute about 1/10 of the whole, belongs to the lower part of the auditorium. This is divided into seven wedge-shaped blocks of marble seats by eight marble stairways.

The wall of the stage has three blind doorways with marble frames - only the western one is preserved.

The orchestra (originally, in Greek theatres, the place where the chorus performed) is slightly larger than a semicircle and laid out 1.60m below the first row of seats so that it could be used as an arena for gladiatorial combats or animal fights. The floor was of beaten earth and its  circumference had a facing of marble slabs.

At the south side of the western retaining wall is an entrance with marble door-jambs, through which the spectators reached the auditorium by passing below the blocks of seating via a vaulted corridor with a staircase. The walls of the corridor had probably painted decoration.

A last look at the view of the ancient port and Klima

another look at the theatre once we reached the top of the hill 

and we walked back to the old olive tree by the catacombs and rang for a taxi to take us back to Adamas.

Around Athens

We pretended we were tourists last week when friends were visiting and we showed them around.

We started outside the Acropolis Metro station which is by the Acropolis Museum, and this is the back of the modernist building.

another view of the side of the building. I could not take any photographs of the front as I was facing the sun which was very strong that day

A view of the Acropolis from the Irodou Attikou Avenue. Hardly any scaffolding from this side, phew!

One of the few remaining Art Nouveau buildings in Athens. The authorities wanted to demolish it so that there would be a straight view of the Acropolis from the Museum - typical shortsightedness of the Greek government, but there was too much opposition to the plan, so it was shelved

the entrance to the building - the graffitti is sheer vandalism.

We continued walking up the Avenue until we got to the Irodou Attikou Roman theatre, which is where we saw the performance of Mikis Theodorakis' Canto General last summer

and this is what the theatre looks like as seen from the Acropolis.

Limited visibility due to the smog created by the wood and other materials that people are burning in order to keep warm



 

A good view of the Iphaistion, also called Thesion, which is in the middle of the Ancient Agora and is one of the most well preserved temples - it was dedicated to Iphaistos, the god of fire.



About to enter the Propylae which is the entrance to the Acropolis on the west side. This building was the work of the architect Mnesikles and was erected in 437-432 BC. It consists of a central building and two wings. The north wing had frescos on its walls and is therefore known as the Pinakotheke.



The Erechtheion, built between 421 and 406 BC and the architect may have been Mnesikles. The sculptor and mason was Phidias. On the north side there is a porch with six Ionic columns while on the south is the 'Porch of the Maidens' with six draped female figures, the Karyates acting as supporting figures. The temple was dedidated to Athena and Poseidon. Within the foundations lived the sacred snake of the temple which represented the spirit of Cecrops and whose well-being was thought essential for the safety of the city. It was fed honey cakes by the priestesses of Athena. The snake's occasional refusal to eat the cakes was thought a disastrous omen.

In 1801 one of the Karyates was removed by Lord Elgin in order to decorate his Scottish mansion and later sold to the British Museum along with the pedimental and frieze sculpture taken from the Parthenon. Athenian legend had it that at night the remaining five Karyates could be heard wailing for their lost sister. Elgin attempted to remove a second Karyate; when technical difficulties arose he tried to have it sawn to pieces. The statue was smashed and its fragments were left behind. It was later reconstructed haphazardly with cement and iron rods. In 1979 the original five Karyates were removed to the Acropolis Museum and replaced in situ by exact replicas.

Lycabettus Hill in the distance

 



zooming in

The remains of the Temple of Olympian Zeus in the distance. A colossal ruined temple, its construction began in the 6th century BC, it was meant to be the biggest temple in the ancient world, but it was not completed until the 2nd century AD during the reign of Roman emperor Hadrian. During the Roman period it was renowned as the largest temple in Greece and housed one of the largest cult statues of the ancient world. The temple fell into disuse after being pillaged in a barbarian invasion in the 3rd century AD.

The Parthenon dedicated to Athena whom the people of Athens considered their patron. Its construction began in 447 BC and was completed in 438 BC. It is the most important building of classical Greece, generally considered the culmination of the Doric order. In 1806 Lord Elgin removed some of the sculptures with Ottoman permission. These sculptures, now known as the Elgin Marbles were later sold to the British Museum.

One more photograph of the Parthenon that I have downloaded from the internet - there is so much scaffolding at the moment that I could not take a further satisfactory photograph

Moving along around the Parthenon on the south slope of the Acropolis we can see the Theatre of Dionysus below as well as the Acropolis Museum in the distance.

We then walked down the hill and came to the Roman Forum, located near the Ancient Agora. The Ancient Agora, in the centre of the ancient city, is a large open area surrounded by buildings of various functions. It was utilised for commerce, political, religious and military activity. Meetings were held four times a month to enact legislation, to hear embassies, and deal with defence. The Winds Monument is on the right. This is an octagonal monument built with Pendelic marble featuring a combination of sundials, a water clock and wind vane. Below the frieze featuring the eight wind deities there are eight sundials. 

 We then walked through the flea market

and on to Adrianou Street which is full of restaurants, cafes and bars. It was a sunny day so everyone was sitting outside.

 We chose Kuzina as the place to have lunch

but, like everyone else, we sat outside where we could have a distant view of the Acropolis

 zooming in

 one more view of the Acropolis from Monastiraki Square seen as we were heading home.