ATHENS. 



ATHENS. 



or Musical Theatre of Herodes Atticus, named by him the Theatre o 

 Regilla in memory of his deceased wife. This splendid monument o 

 the munificence of a private individual was erected in the 2nd century 

 A.D., and was the finest building of the kind in Greece. The Odeium 

 differed from the ordinary theatre in its smaller size and in having 

 a roof ; the roof of this Odeium was of cedar, and was much admiree 

 for its design. Portions of the building yet remain. 



The Grotto or Cave of Apollo and Pan, with the little spring, describee 

 by Pausanias (L 28) as close to the Propylsea, is at the north-west angle 

 of the Acropolis, and near some steps which led up to the Acropolis 

 from the northern side of the city, as appears by the following coin 

 from the British Museum, in which the Parthenon is apparently indi 

 Grotto of Apollo. Brit. Mus. 



Real size. 

 Enlarged. 



cated. The worship of Apollo in this cave is of early date ; the worship 

 of Pan was not introduced till after the battle of Marathon, at which 

 he was believed to have befriended the Athenians. The descent to the 

 spring was from the Propylsea by the flight of steps shown in the coin. 



The Aglaurium was another cave situated on the north side of the 

 Acropolis where the rock was steepest, and dedicated to Aglaurus, 

 one of the daughters of Cecrops. It was hi the Aglaurium that the 

 Athenian youths on first putting on their armour were obliged to take 

 the oath of fidelity to Athens. The Aglaurium is supposed to have 

 had a private access to the summit of the Acropolis. A cave some 

 distance east of that of Apollo and Pan is thought to be the ancient 

 Aglaurium. 



The annexed plan will show the arrangement of the principal build- 

 ings, &c. on the summit of the Acropolis. 



Plan of a portion of the Acropolis. A, the Parthenon. 



At the west end of the Acropolis, where alone the approach is prac- 

 ticable, the ascent was paved with marble slabs, and the open space 

 at the summit was filled up with the Propytea, a magnificent work of 

 Pentelic marble, which served both as an approach and a military 

 defence to the citadel. It was constructed by order of Pericles. The 

 architect was Mnesicles ; and the cost of ita erection was 2000 talents, 

 or 460,0001. The front or central part, which was flanked by two 

 projecting wings, consisted of six fluted Doric columns, about 29 feet 

 high, supporting a pediment, and approached by four steps. A vesti- 

 bule, formed by six Ionic columns, placed in a double row and parallel 

 to one another, stood behind this portico, and led to five openings or 

 doors, of which that in the centre was the widest. The roof or ceiling 

 of thi/i vestibule rested on triple lengths of marble beams laid across 

 the vestibule ; the beams belonging to the two side-aisles rested 

 respectively on a lateral wall, and the architrave of the nearest row of 

 columns ; these beams were about 22 feet long. Those lying across 

 the central passage were about 17 feet long. On these beams rested 

 the slabs of the ceiling, which was decorated with various ornaments. 

 The five openings led by steps into a portico which faced the platform 

 of the Acropolis, and had a front and pediment similar to that at the 

 western entrance of the Propylica. The western portico, or that facing 

 the city, was 43 feet deep ; the eastern was about half that depth. 



It was by the central door that the chariots and horsemen entered the 

 Acropolis ; foot-passengers entered by the smaller doors on each side. 

 The northern wing was a hall 35 feet by 30 feet, called the Pinacotheca, 

 from the paintings which covered the walls ; the southern wing was 

 a hall of similar proportions. This beautiful work suffered grievously 

 during the occupation of Athens by the Turks. A great part of the 

 eastern side of the Propylasa was destroyed about 1656 by an explosion 

 of gunpowder (Spon, ii. 107) which took place in the part between 

 the five doors and the west front, which had been formed into a 

 powder-magazine. Spon (ii. 106) describes the west front with its 

 pediment and the Ionic columns of the vestibule as existirjg in 1676 ; 

 but the upper part of the west front is now entirely gone. Since 1834 

 the most extensive and carefully-conducted excavations have been 

 made in and around the Propyleea. The central part and the northern 

 wing have been cleared from the modern constructions built in them, 

 and from the battlements which had been erected upon the walls in 

 the middle ages. In the central part the six Ionic columns of the 

 vestibule are still standing, though only about two-thirds of their 

 original height, except one which is snorter than the rest. The 

 parts of these columns however which had fallen down were found 

 among the ruins, but the capitals are much damaged. The northern 

 wing is in perfect preservation up to the cornice ; and the tower 

 of the southern wing is still standing, but no trace has been found 

 of the paintings which Pausanias saw iu the Propylaea. In the 

 northern wing numerous fragments of sculpture of different styles 

 have been found and are still preserved. 



The most remarkable discovery made in the course of the excava- 

 tions on the Acropolis is that of the elegant little Temple of Victory 

 Unwinged (Nike Apteros). Before the unexpected discovery of the 

 fragments of this temple in 1835 all that was known to exist of it 

 were the traces of its foundations and some portions of its sculptured 

 frieze which were iu the British Museum. The greater part of the 

 remainder of the frieze was found, with much of the rest of the 

 building. As all the fragments except the sculptures of the frieze 

 were in a state of excellent preservation, it cannot have been destroyed 

 by force ; and as Spon and Wheler saw it still standing, it was pro- 

 bably taken down by the Turks in 1684 for the purpose of using the 

 masonry in constructing the great battery. Out of all that thus 

 remained, the attempt was made to restore this beautiful edifice. The 

 restoration was conducted by Ross, Schaubert, and Hansen. The 

 restoration is now complete, and the temple of Nike Apteros once 

 more is seen in its full beauty. The temple consists of a cella with 

 four Ionic columns, supporting a pediment at each end. It is only 

 27 feet long by 18 feet wide ; the columns are 134 feet high ; it stands 

 on a stylobate 3 feet high, and the top of the pediment is 20 feet above 

 the stylobate. 



The chief ornament of the Acropolis was the Parthenon, or Temple 

 of the Virgin Goddess Minerva, which stood on the highest level of 

 bhe Acropolis, and was built of the hard white marble of Pentelicus. 

 It was erected during the administration of Pericles, and finished in 

 B.C. 438. The architects were Callicrates and Ictinus, but the general 

 superintendence of the whole was entrusted to Phidias. It was a 

 peripteral octastyle, that is, it had columns along its sides and eight 

 columns at both ends, of the purest Doric order. It had fifteen columns 

 on each side, and eight columns at each end surrounding a cella. The 

 building was 228 feet long, 101 feet broad, and 66 feet high to the 

 apex of the pediment. The columns of the peristyle were 34 feet high, 

 and 64 feet in diameter at the base. At each end was an inner range 

 of six columns, each of 54 feet diameter. The eastern inner chamber 

 or hecatompedon was supported by twenty-three columns ; in this 

 chamber was the splendid chryselephantine statue of the goddess. In 

 ;he western chamber were four columns. Everything was done which 

 ;he most refined art combined with an apparently unlimited expendi- 

 ture could effect to produce a work of the utmost magnificence, and 

 ;he Parthenon is generally regarded as the most perfect example of 

 3recian art. In its original state the effect must have been exceed- 

 ngly beautiful and impressive. It had every advantage of situation, 

 climate, &c. It was distinguished by simplicity and majesty of form, 

 >eauty of material, exquisiteness of execution, and grandeur of style ; 

 while to these architectural merits must be added the extraordinarily 

 rich display of sculpture in the pediments, the metopes, and the frieze 

 along the exterior of the cella, and also the decoration of painting and 

 of bronze ornaments. The chief portion of the sculpture of the edifice 

 was removed by Lord Elgin, and now forms one of the leading features 

 of the collection of antiquities in the British Museum. This noble 

 monument of ancient art is now greatly damaged, though a few cen- 

 .uries ago it was probably in a state little worse than it had been for 

 2000 years before. It suffered from the ravages of war between the 

 Turks and Venetians, and also in the bombardment of the city in 1827. 

 ?he remnant of the sculptures which decorated the pediments, with 

 many of the metopes and a large part of the frieze are now in the 

 ~5Igin collection of the British Museum. These sculptures form an 

 ipoch in ancient art, and as well as the temple to which they belonged 

 will be the subject of separate articles in the division of the ENGLISH 

 ?YCLOF,EDIA devoted to SCIENCE AND AKT. In the Elgin Room of the 

 Jritish Museum are two models of the Parthenon, by Mr. Lucas ; one 

 howing the building in its present ruinous condition, the other as 

 estored to its original state. In the course of the excavations made 



