We want to get ahead of the tourist crowd, so we were the first at breakfast this morning. We then took a taxi to the National Archeology Museum. It contains the best treasures from throughout Greece. From the entrance we are guided to the Mycenae section and immediately come face to face with the burial Mask of Agamemnon who led the Greeks into the Trojan War to reclaim his beautiful sister-in-law Helen. Mycenae took over the Mediterranean trade after the collapse of the Minoans. Based on the amount of gold discovered in their graves, they did well. Unlike the Minoans, the Myceneans had a warrior culture. We see weapons, and depictions of soldiers as decoration.
Afterwards we entered a hall with lots of statuary. There is a noticeable evolution of Greek sculpture over time from stiff and idealized in Archaic times to realistic during the Golden Age and then to dynamic and emotional during the Hellenistic Period after Alexander. No wonder the Romans were in awe of Greek art and culture.
I was especially intrigued with several exquisite bronzes. Ancient bronze statues are rare. In times of trouble they would be melted down to make weaponry. Virtually all of the bronzes in this museum were found in shipwrecks.
Afterwards we stumbled around this large complex. With its multiple halls and wings, it is easy to miss large sections. The next area was bronzeware. Aimee liked the household items like hand mirrors, jewelry cases, and scissors but was especially intrigued by the crude medical instruments.
Then we moved into scientific instruments. The star is the Antikythera Mechanism also found in a shipwreck. Thought to be designed by Archimedes, this bronze instrument has dozens of interlocking gears, dials, and tiny writing. This oldest analog computer was used for calculating astronomical events.
Running out of time, we breezed through lots of classical Greek pottery, a surprisingly good collection of Hellenistic Egypt artifacts and some interesting ancient but colorful miniature grave goods, but we still hadn’t run across the Akrotiri frescoes I came to see.
We checked out the second floor and were still unsuccessful, until we noticed a center doorway. We found the Santorini room in the final hall. There were quite a few artifacts (like a rope bed) but only three frescoes, but they were worth the wait. The Spring fresco actually had three completely intact walls!
From the museum we taxied back to our hotel and found a souvlaki shop in the Plaka district to have Gyros for lunch. Gyros is Greek for "turn" referring to the vertical rotisserie they carve the meat from. On the walk back we stopped by the Temple of Olympian Zeus we saw from the Acropolis. Now in ruins it was the largest temple in Greece.
We have some time before meeting up with my sister, so we decide to run through the Acropolis Museum across from our hotel. This new facility is confusing with little direction. After some frustration we found an audio guide we could use on my phone.
The upper floor has all the sculpture from the Parthenon arranged like it would have been originally. Unfortunately most of it is just plaster casts because the best pieces were bought by the British and are now in London. The remaining pieces are in generally poor shape because of years of acid rain in Athens.
Surprisingly the lower floor held my interest more. It contains lots of statuary found buried in the Acropolis from even older temples. Another stash of female statues had been buried to avoid looting during the Persian wars, and then forgotten. Protected from the elements for 1500 years, many of the statues have significant traces of the original color decorations. Disappointingly after taking several photos, I was told photos are not allowed on this floor.
Back at the hotel we rested awhile before taking a walk clockwise around the base of the Acropolis. Our first stop was the ancient Agora. This was the marketplace of Athens consisting of many columned Stoas similar to our strip malls. People with too much time on their hands would discuss philosophical issues in this shopping area. Hence the name Stoics for one group.
The stoas are now in ruins, but one was recreated. It contains a tiny museum. The most interesting artifacts are the Ostraka, or pottery fragments. The Athenians would vote annually writing names on these shards. The "winner" would be banished for ten years. This is the derivation of Ostracism.
We walked around the ruins checking out the Tholos administration center before finishing with the Temple of Hephaestus. This is the most intact of Greek temples; but only because it was a church for centuries.
Continuing on we passed the Roman-era Agora with its Tower of the Winds. This octagonal marble structure had a weathervane and a water-driven clock. We finished walking through the touristy Plaka neighborhood.
For dinner we had our typical salad, fish, and pasta dishes. This time we added an appetizer of Saganaki, a fried cheese appetizer. I thought it tasty. Since we overdid it with three museums today, we ordered two desserts to re-energize. Just to make sure we stopped for ice cream too.
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