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Today, our virtual journey will take us to Naxos, the largest of the Cycladic islands. Endowed with more resources (such as arable land, emery and fine quality marble) than most of the others, the island flourished during the archaic period … Continue reading
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Today, our virtual journey will take us once again to the sanctuary of Zeus in Olympia, this time to see its stadium, where the famous Olympic Games were held. The English word “stadium” (plural stadiums or stadia) is Latin, derived … Continue reading
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I should have thought of it earlier. In fact it should have been one of the first stops of this “virtual journey in Greece,” if not the very first. Obviously, during a time of pandemic, it makes sense to visit … Continue reading
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Continuing our digital covid-19 journey, today we’ll visit Olympia, to see the Tholos (round building) built there by Philip II of Macedon. Philip II and the Olympic games In the 356 Olympic Games, the king of Macedon, Philip II, took … Continue reading
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According to Vitruvius, a Roman architect and architecture historian, what we know as the “Corinthian order” was the invention of a Greek architect called Callimachus. According to Vitruvius, after the death of a young girl in Corinth, her nurse gathered … Continue reading
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Right next to the Propylaia (the gate to the Acropolis), stands the tiny temple of Athena Nike (Victory), built between 432-424 BCE. An inscription informs us that the building was designed by Callicrates, one of Parthenon’s architects. The temple was … Continue reading
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The temple of Olympian Zeus in Athens had several construction phases which lasted well over 650 years (from the 520 BCE to 132 CE). Remains of the first construction phase can still be seen around the sanctuary, such as this archaic limestone … Continue reading
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The Acropolis is a rocky hill in the middle of Athens. The Parthenon is the most famous monument on top of that rock. The name Acropolis derives from the Greek words AKRO (meaning peak, top) and POLIS (meaning city). Acropolis therefore means … Continue reading
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The Nemean games, held every two years, were not unlike the Olympic ones. They were also centered around another temple of Zeus, in another fertile valley, the valley of Nemea. Famous for its wine since antiquity, the area is renowned … Continue reading
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I’ve written about Sounion before; isolated at the end of a cape commanding spectacular views of the Aegean, it has long been attracting the romantic and the adventurous. Far away from settlements and curious eyes, many of the temple’s visitors … Continue reading
Aristotle, Greek tourist guide 