Athens :: Geography Greece Papers

AthensProblems with formatThree interesting sites in Athens include the Olympieion, Roman Market, and Hadrian?s library.? The emperor Hadrian1 compete an important role in the history and construction of each(prenominal) three of these sites, lending his name to split of the various structures.? All three sites are laid within close proximity of each other, and serve as examples of the vibrant, changing, and extensive history of the city of Athens.? The architectural styles are also definitive of the many varied artistic and cultural eras these monuments have endured. OlympieionThe Olympieion is also called the Kolonnes or the Temple of the Olympian Zeus, and according to tradition, it dates back to the time of the mythical Deucalion, according to Pausanias, and is connected to ancient cosmogonies.2? agree to other ancient sources, this ancient temple was also associated with the early cults of Zeus?hence the name.? Construction of the Temple of the Olympian Zeus began in rou nd 515 BCE by Peisistratos the Younger, but it was not ruined due to the ?fall of tyranny in Athens.?3? Antiochus IV Epiphanes, the king of Syria, tried to resume the construction around 174 BCE, and it was finally finished under Hadrian (who was intrigued by Greek art and culture) in 124-125 CE.4? The rectangular-based temple stands 250 meters long by 130 meters wide, making it one of the largest temples in the ancient world, though as Frommer?s remarks, ?it may be more appealing as a ruin than it ever was as a contender for the title ?mother of all temples.5? Nevertheless, this temple, one of seven wonders of the ancient world,6 is the largest temple in Greece, and the largest temple built in the Corinthian7 style of architecture.? Originally, the structure probably consisted of about 104 to 108 columns (there is disagreement among sources), however instantly only 16 remain.? Of those 16, only 15 remain standing, as one was struck by lightning in 1852.8? These large columns stan d 17.25 meters high and have diameters of approximately 1.7 meters.? The gate to the temple was built by Hadrian in 131 CE and functioned as a triumphal arch.? The inscriptions found here are also interesting parts of Hadrians arch.? On the northeast side (the side facing the Acropolis), the inscription reads, ?This is Athens, the ancient city of Theseus. On the southeast side, however, there is a different, contrary inscription that reads, ?This is the city of Hadrian and not Theseus.