Transcript of Greek heritage
- 1. Compiled by: Dimos Derventlis
- 2. , . , ( , 15 6 , ), ( , , ). Philagia , - , . 1.130 . , , .
5 .. (. 420-410 ..?), - . , , . Isolated as it is in a conserved
environment, the Temple of Bassae is an outstanding example of a
Hellenic votive sanctuary in a rural setting. It represents a
unique artistic achievement, remarkable for its archaic features
(elongated surface, an exceptional proportion of 15 columns on the
longer side and 6 columns on the facade, and a north-south
exposure), and for its daring innovations (the use of Ionic and
Corinthian orders for a Doric edifice, the variety of materials
used, and the originality of the layout of the cella and the
adyton). The Temple was dedicated by the inhabitants of Philagia to
Apollo Epicurius, the god-healer who had come to their aid when
they were beset by the plague. Its ruins rise majestically to 1,130
m high in the mountainous region of Arcadia in the heart of the
Peloponnese, near Andritsaina. Built in the second half of the 5th
century BC (c. 420-410 BC?), it belongs to the first generation of
post-Parthenonian edifices. Pausanias admired its beauty and
harmony and, moreover, attributed it to the architect Ictinus,
although contemporary archaeologists have been unable to provide
confirmation.
- 3. . 5 ... , , , . , , , . . . 15 .. , 161 .. , . Athenian
Acropolis is the supreme expression of the adaptation of
architecture to a natural site. This grand composition of perfectly
balanced massive structures creates a monumental landscape of
unique beauty consisting of a complete series of masterpieces of
the 5th century BC. The monuments of the Acropolis have exerted an
exceptional influence, not only in Graeco-Roman antiquity, a time
when in the Mediterranean world they were considered exemplary
models, but in contemporary times as well. From myth to
institutionalized cult, the Acropolis, by virtue of its precision
and diversity, bears a unique testimony to the religions of ancient
Greece. It is the sacred temple from which sprang fundamental
legends about the city. It illustrates the civilizations of Greece
over more than a millennium. From the royal palace of kings in the
15th century BC and the Pelasgic walls of the first fortification,
to the Odeon constructed in AD 161 by Herod Atticus, a unique
series of public monuments was built and conserved in one of the
densest spaces of the Mediterranean.
- 4. , , , . , , 6 .., . . , - , , , ... - . , , . , . 8 .. . , ,
, . , , The layout of Delphi is a unique artistic achievement.
Mount Parnassus is a masterpiece where a series of monuments were
built whose modular elements - terraces, temples, treasuries, etc.
- combine to form a strong expression of the physical and moral
values of a site which may be described as magical. Situated in a
magnificent natural setting which is still intact, it is an
outstanding example of a great Pan-Hellenic sanctuary. During the
Mycenaean period, the female deity of Earth was worshipped in the
small settlement of Delphi. The development of the sanctuary and
oracle were to begin in the 8th century BC with the establishment
of the cult of Apollo. Under the protection and administration of
the Amphictyony, the sanctuary continued to be autonomous after the
First Sacred War and, as a result, increased its Pan-Hellenic
religious and political influence. The Pythian Games were
reorganized, the sanctuary was enlarged, and it was enriched with
fine buildings, statues, and other offerings. The Pan-Hellenic
sanctuary of Delphi, where the oracle of Apollo spoke, was the site
of the omphalos, the 'navel of the world'. Blending harmoniously
with the superb landscape and charged with sacred meaning, Delphi
in the 6th century B.C. was indeed the religious center and symbol
of unity of the ancient Greek world.
- 5. 1309-1523 . . , Great Hospital , . , , . , , . , , , . The
Order of St John of Jerusalem occupied Rhodes from 1309 to 1523 and
set about transforming the city into a stronghold. It subsequently
came under Turkish and Italian rule. With the Palace of the Grand
Masters, the Great Hospital and the Street of the Knights, the
Upper Town is one of the most beautiful urban ensembles of the
Gothic period. In the Lower Town, Gothic architecture coexists with
mosques, public baths and other buildings dating from the Ottoman
period. Rhodes is an outstanding example of an architectural
ensemble illustrating the significant period of history in which a
military hospital order founded during the Crusades survived in the
eastern Mediterranean area in a context characterized by an
obsessive fear of siege. The fortifications of Rhodes, a 'Frankish'
town long considered to be impregnable, exerted an influence
throughout the eastern Mediterranean basin at the end of the Middle
Ages.
- 6. - , , . , 14 15 , , ( , ) . , , , . , 373 . , . 'Suspended
in the air' (the meaning of Meteora in Greek), these monasteries
represent a unique artistic achievement and are one of the most
powerful examples of the architectural transformation of a site
into a place of retreat, meditation and prayer. The Meteora provide
an outstanding example of the types of monastic construction which
illustrate a significant stage in history, that of the 14th and
15th centuries when the eremitic ideals of early Christianity were
restored to a place of honour by monastic communities, both in the
Western world (in Tuscany, for example) and in the Orthodox Church.
Built under impossible conditions, with no practicable roads,
permanent though precarious human habitations subsist to this day
in the Meteora, but have become vulnerable under the impact of
time. The net in which intrepid pilgrims were hoisted up vertically
alongside the 373 m cliff where the Varlaam monastery dominates the
valley symbolizes the fragility of a traditional way of life that
is threatened with extinction.
- 7. 1054, . , , . ( 20 1.400 ), , . , . 33.000 , , , . ( ), ( ),
. An Orthodox spiritual centre since 1054, Mount Athos has enjoyed
an autonomous statute since Byzantine times. The 'Holy Mountain',
which is forbidden to women and children, is also a recognized
artistic site. The layout of the monasteries (about 20 of which are
presently inhabited by some 1,400 monks) had an influence as far
afield as Russia , and its school of painting influenced the
history of Orthodox art. Cloaked by beautiful chestnut and other
types of Mediterranean forest, the steep slopes of Mount Athos are
punctuated by twenty imposing monasteries and their subsidiary
establishments. Covering an area of just over 33,000 hectares, the
property includes the entire narrow rocky strip of the easternmost
of the three peninsulas of Chalcidice which jut into the Aegean Sea
in northern Greece. The subsidiary establishments include sketae
(daughter houses of the monasteries), kellia and kathismata (living
units operated by the monks), where farming constitutes an
important part of the monks everyday life.
- 8. 315 .. , . , . , , 4 15 , , . , David . , 4 15 . , . , , . ,
. Thessalonika was founded in 315 B.C., the provincial capital and
sea port of Thessalonika was one of the first bases for the spread
of Christianity. Among its Christian monuments are fine churches,
some built on the Greek cross plan and others on the three-nave
basilica plan. Constructed over a long period, from the 4th to the
15th century, they constitute a diachronic typological series,
which had considerable influence in the Byzantine world. The
mosaics of the rotunda, St Demetrius and St David are among the
great masterpieces of early Christian art. The Christian monuments
of Thessalonika are outstanding examples of churches built
according to central, basilical and intermediary plans from the 4th
to the 15th centuries. For this reason, they constitute a series
which is a typological point of reference. The influence of the
Thessalonian churches on the development of the monumental arts was
considerable, first in the Byzantine and later the Serbian world,
whether in the early Christian period of the high Middle Ages or
the Palaeologan Renaissance. The mosaics of the Rotunda, St
Demetrius and St David's are among the great masterpieces of early
Christian art.
- 9. , , , (), 6 .., , - . , , 4 . , , . , , , , 4 .. . , , , , .
In a small valley in the Peloponnesus, the shrine of Asklepios, the
god of medicine, developed out of a much earlier cult of Apollo
(Maleatas), during the 6th century BC at the latest, as the
official cult of the city state of Epidaurus. Its principal
monuments, particularly the temple of Asklepios, the Tholos and the
Theatre - considered one of the purest masterpieces of Greek
architecture date from the 4th century. The vast site, with its
temples and hospital buildings devoted to its healing gods,
provides valuable insight into the healing cults of Greek and Roman
.he Theatre, the Temples of Artemis and Asclepios, the Tholos, the
Enkoimeterion, and the Propylaea make the Hieron of Epidaurus an
eminent example of a Hellenic architectural ensemble of the 4th
century BC. In particular, the theatre, an architectural
masterpiece by Polycletes the Younger of Argos, represents a unique
artistic achievement through its admirable integration into the
site and the perfection of its proportions and acoustics.
- 10. , , 1249 , William . , , 1832, . 1348-1460 . , , ( ) . ,
1669, , 1687 - 1715, 1715 , , 40.000 Mystras, the 'Wonder of the
Morea', was built as an amphitheatre around the fortress erected in
1249 by William of Villehardouin. Reconquered by the Byzantines,
then occupied by the Turks and the Venetians, the city was
abandoned in 1832, leaving only the breathtaking medieval ruins,
standing in a beautiful landscape. From 1348 to 1460 Mystras became
the capital of the Despotate of Morea. The beauty of the churches
of Mystras, which during the Paleologus Renaissance had been
covered with dramatic frescoes, the renown of the libraries of
Mystras and the glory of its writers (including Georges Gemiste
Plethon and Jean Bessarion who brought neo-Platonic humanism to
Italy) gave substance thereafter for the legend of the 'Wonder of
Morea.' Dominated by the Turks, conquered briefly by the Venetians
In 1669, then occupied for a longer period from 1687 to 1715, and
recaptured in 1715 by the Ottoman Empire, Mystras never recovered
its past grandeur, although it still numbered some 40,000
inhabitants
- 11. , , . 10 .., . ( ) : (6 ..) (5 ..). . , , - 438 430 .. :
tympanums , , . . , 776 .. - - . : , . The site of Olympia, in a
valley in the Peloponnesus, has been inhabited since prehistoric
times. In the 10th century B.C., Olympia became a centre for the
worship of Zeus.. The Altis (the sanctuary to the gods) includes
the ruins of the two principal temples: the Temple of Hera (6th
century BC) and the Temple of Zeus (5th century BC). The sanctuary
contained one of the highest concentrations of masterpieces of the
ancient Mediterranean world. Many have been lost, such as the
Olympian Zeus, a gold-and-ivory cult statue which was probably
executed by Pheidias between 438 and 430 BC. Other masterpieces
have survived: large votive Archaic bronzes, sculptures of
tympanums and metopes from the Temple of Zeus, and the Hermes by
Praxiteles, found along with its base in the Temple of Hera.
Olympia is directly and tangibly associated with an event of
universal significance. The Olympic Games were celebrated regularly
beginning in 776 BC. The Olympiad - the four-year period between
two successive celebrations falling every fifth year - became a
chronological measurement and system of dating used in the Greek
world. The significance of the Olympic Games demonstrates the lofty
ideals of Hellenic humanism: peaceful and loyal competition between
free and equal men, who are prepared to surpass their physical
strength in a supreme effort, with their only ambition being the
symbolic reward of an olive wreath.
- 12. 5 1,3 . . , . , , ', . , ( , ), , . , , (. 540-528 ..) .
454, , , . 426 . . , . 422 .., , . , 314, , , Lagides . , 2 1 ..,
25.000. Delos is a minuscule island stretching only 5 km north to
south and a scant 1.3 km from east to west. It was here, that
Apollo, son of Zeus and Leto, was born: like Delphi, Delos is the
major sanctuary dedicated to Apollo, the Titan god par excellence,
one of the most important in the Hellenic pantheon. On the island,
which had already been the site of earlier human settlements
(sparse during the Neolithic age, more dense during the Mycenaean
period), everything revolved around the sanctuary of Apollo, the
seat of the Ionian Amphictyonia. The Naxians, the Parians, and the
Athenians disputed the site, with the last-named triumphing under
Pisistratus (c. 540-528 BC). They ordered the first purification of
the place. In 454, the treasure of the Delian Confederacy, which
replaced the Amphictyonia, was moved to Athens. In 426 a second
purification decree forbade being born or dying at Delos. Pregnant
women and terminally ill persons were transported to the island of
Rheneia. The decision, motivated by religious reasons, was not
without political considerations. In 422 BC in a move to strengthen
Athenian domination, the Delians were deported en masse. Except for
some short reprieves and truces, their exile lasted until 314, when
Delos regained its independence in principle and again became the
centre of an island confederation that was tolerated and more or
less controlled by the Lagides of Egypt and later by the
Macedonians. It became a very important cosmopolitan Mediterranean
port ,reaching outstanding levels during the 2nd and 1st centuries
BC, when the average population is estimated to have been
25,000.
- 13. (Monasteries of Daphni, Hosios Loukas and Nea Moni of
Chios)
- 14. ( , 11 . , , 67 , , ). . , . , . : . . Although Although
geographically distant from each other (Daphni is located in
Attica, 11 km from Athens; Hossios Luckas in Phocis, 67 km from the
capital, and Nea Moni in the centre of the island of Chios), the
three properties belong to the same typological series and share
the same aesthetic characteristics. These three monasteries are
outstanding examples of a type of construction characteristic of
the middle period of Byzantine religious architecture. Nea Moni
illustrates the simplest expression, an octagonal church with no
added spaces. Hossios Luckas and Daphni are more complex: they have
a central octagonal space surrounded by a series of bays that form
a square. This more elaborate structure defines a hierarchy of
volumes and functions and permits the implementation of an
extensive iconographic and decorative plan.
- 15. , . . - 4 3 .., 16 .., , . , , 8 .., ? 7 . , 570 .. , 45 m
80 m. - . 100 , . , , . , , , , , 5 . Pythagoreion is a classic
site from the period of Greek colonization, situated round a good
natural harbour on a peninsula that is protected by steep mountains
behind it. It also had the advantage of being very close to the
mainland of Asia Minor. The earliest finds are pre- classical,
dating back to the 4th or 3rd millennium BC, but the main
settlement began in the 16th century BC, when it was colonized by
Minoans from Crete, later to be supplanted by Mycenaeans. The great
Temple of Hera, or Heraion, had its origins in the 8th century BC,
when it was the first Greek temple to be surrounded by a peristyle
of columns; its 7th century successor was also innovatory in that
it was the first temple to have a double row of columns across the
front. But these were surpassed by the temple begun around 570 BC
by Rhoecus and Theodorus, who built a colossal structure measuring
sorne 45 m by 80 m. the earliest in the new Ionic order. It was
supported by at least 100 columns, whose moulded bases were turned
on a lathe designed by Theodorus. Thirty years later this temple
was destroyed in a Persian raid and a replacement was planned on an
even vaster scale, but it was never to be completed. The complex
around the Heraion includes altars, smaller temples, stoas, and
statue bases, all located inside the sanctuary, along with the
remains of a 5th century Christian basilica.
- 16. rchaeological Site of Aigai (modern name Vergina)
- 17. , . . (3 ..), ( ) . 300 (1100-700 ..). , (800-500 ..) . 6 5
.. . 5 , , . The ancient city in the northern foothills of the
Pierian range has been identified with certainty as the capital of
the kingdom of Lower Macedonia, Aigai According to tradition it was
founded by Perdiccas I when the Macedonians of the Argive spread
northwards over the plain of Emathia. This region was already
settled in the Early Bronze Age (3rd millennium BC), as evidenced
by a tumulus (grave-mound) near the river Haliakmon. The wealth and
density of over three hundred grave- mounds in the cemetery of the
Tumuli testifies to the importance of Aigai in the Early Iron Age
(1100-700 BC). The quality of the grave-goods shows that this was a
period of highly developed culture and technological skills in the
community.
- 18. , 15 12 .. . , , . (16 ..). - , . (1580-1500 .. .) (.
1500-1400 ..) , . II - () . (.. 1400-1120 ..), . , , ? , . , , . .
, The archaeological sites of Mycenae and Tiryns are the imposing
ruins of the two greatest cities of the Mycenaean civilization,
which dominated the eastern Mediterranean world from the 15th to
the 12th century B.C. and played a vital role in the development of
classical Greek culture. These two cities are indissolubly linked
to the Homeric epics, the Iliad and the Odyssey , which have
influenced European art and literature for more than three
millennia. The Mycenaean civilization developed on the Greek
mainland in the late Bronze Age (16th century BC). It was
essentially a continuation of the Middle Helladic culture,
transformed by Minoan influences from Crete. Knowledge of its two
earlier periods I (c . 1580-1500 BC) and II (c . 1500-1400 BC)
comes mainly from burials, notably the shaft graves at Mycenae.
Towards the end of Period II more elaborate tomb types developed -
large chamber tombs for families and beehive-shaped (tholos) tombs
for royalty. The apogee of the Mycenaean civilization came in
Period III (c . 1400-1120 BC), when strong citadels and elaborate
palaces were built. Towards the end of this period a script, known
as Linear B, came into use; the language used has been shown to be
an early form of Greek, confirming that the Mycenaeans were Greek
speakers of Indo-European origin. The political structure was that
of an autocratic monarchy, the ruler of which was known as the
wanax, who administered his territory by means of a hierarchical
structure of officials. There was a special class of priests and
priestesses. The people were organized in an elaborate class
system, and slavery was widely practised. .
- 19. The Historic Centre (Chor) with the Monastery of Saint-John
the Theologian and the Cave of the Apocalypse on the Island of
Ptmos
- 20. . 10 . . , , . ( ) , , . , 12 . . 88 2, , . : , 19 , . .
The small island of Ptmos in the Dodecanese is reputed to be where
St John the Theologian wrote both his Gospel and the Apocalypse. A
monastery dedicated to the beloved disciple was founded there in
the late 10th century and it has been a place of pilgrimage and
Greek Orthodox learning ever since. The fine monastic complex
dominates the island. The old settlement of Chor, associated with
it, contains many religious and secular buildings. The Monastery of
Hagios Ioannis Theologos (Saint John the Theologian) and the Cave
of the Apocalypse on the island of Ptmos, together with the
associated medieval settlement of Chor, constitute an exceptional
example of a traditional Greek Orthodox pilgrimage centre of
outstanding architectural interest. The town of Chor is one of the
few settlements in Greece that have evolved uninterruptedly since
the 12th century. There are few other places in the world where
religious ceremonies that date back to the early Christian times
are still being practised unchanged. Ptmos is the northernmost
island of the Dodecanese group with an area of some 88 km2 , is
largely barren, formed from three volcanic masses connected by
narrow isthmuses. There are three settlements: the medieval Chor,
the 19th-century harbour of Skla, and the small rural Kampos. The
site selected by Christodoulos for his Monastery of Hagios Ioannis
Theologos dominates the whole island.
- 21. , , , 8 ... , , . , , , 19 . . , . . , 8 .. . . 15 , , , .
, . , Sanmicheli, . , . , -. The Old Town of Corfu, on the Island
of Corfu off the western coasts of Albania and Greece, is located
in a strategic position at the entrance of the Adriatic Sea, and
has its roots in the 8th century BC. The three forts of the town,
designed by renowned Venetian engineers, were used for four
centuries to defend the maritime trading interests of the Republic
of Venice against the Ottoman Empire. In the course of time, the
forts were repaired and partly rebuilt several times, more recently
under British rule in the 19th century. The mainly neoclassical
housing stock of the Old Town is partly from the Venetian period,
partly of later construction, notably the 19th century. As a
fortified Mediterranean port, Corfus urban and port ensemble is
notable for its high level of integrity and authenticity. The
ensemble of the fortifications and the Old Town of Corfu is located
in a strategic location at the entrance to the Adriatic Sea.
Historically, its roots go back to the 8th century BC and to the
Byzantine period. It has thus been subject to various influences
and a mix of different peoples. From the 15th century, Corfu was
under Venetian rule for some four centuries, then passing to
French, British and Greek governments. At various occasions, it had
to defend the Venetian maritime empire against the Ottoman army.
Corfu was a well thought of example of fortification engineering,
designed by the architect Sanmicheli, and it proved its worth
through practical warfare. Corfu has its specific identity, which
is reflected in the design of its system of fortification and in
its neo-classical building stock. As such, it can be placed
alongside other major Mediterranean fortified port cities