Welcome to "Our Athenian Walking Tour: Stop Two - The Acropolis South Face"

~ Memor Spiritus ~

 

Parthenon at Night

The Parthenon at Night

 

The Theatre of Dionysus Eleuthereus was a major theatre in Athens,

built at the foot of the Athenian Acropolis.  Dedicated to Dionysus,

the god of plays and wine (among other things), the theatre could seat

as many as 17,000 people with excellent acoustics, making it an ideal

location for ancient Athens' biggest theatrical celebration, the Dionysia.

It was the first stone theatre ever built, cut into the southern cliff face

of the Acropolis, and was the birthplace of Greek tragedy.  The site

was used as a theatre since the sixth century BC.

Theatre of Dionysus

The Theatre of Dionysus

 

The Odeon of Herodes Atticus-

a stone theatre structure located on the southwest slope of the Acropolis

of Athens, was built in the 2nd century AD.  It was only active for 105 years,

because it was destroyed (along with other buildings) in the 3rd century AD by

the Herulis - an east Germanic tribe.  It was then turned into a fortress of the

Acropolis.  In subsequent centuries, defensive embankments were

made which almost made it disappear.

 

For many centuries no one knew the function of this building, as only a small part

of it was above the surface of the earth.  The first excavations began in 1848 and

continued through to 1857.  Severe restoration began once again after the Second

World War.  Today, this magnificent building is used for beautiful music nights and

interesting theatrical performances organized by the Athens Festival.

Odeon of Herodes Atticus

The Odeon of Herodes Atticus

 

In Ancient Greece, an asclepeion was a healing temple, sacred to the god Asclepius,

the Greek god of medicine.  The worship of Asclepius began sometime in the 5th century BC.

The asclepeions were then established throughout Greece, usually in settings of awe-inspiring

natural beauty and scenic grandeur.  They were a place where patients would visit to receive

either treatment or some sort of healing, whether it was spiritual or physical.  The asclepeion

located on the south slopes of the Acropolis of Athens dates to around 420 BC.

 

From the ancient Greek Asclepions comes the concept of the healing retreat or sanctuary,

the sanitarium where people go to take the Nature Cure.  You can find their descendants

in the health spas that are so popular throughout Europe and the US.

Temple of Asclepius

The Temple of Asclepius

 

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