So I missed a day, but not to worry, I still did things! Wednesday was another day with some introductory bits, but it was awesome, too. We were introduced around the second library at the American School, the Gennadius library, and then around the agora excavation people. But we also had John Camp show us around the Hephaesteion, and then we got to go inside! This is a temple dedicated (probably) to Hephaestus and Athena and is one of the most complete still standing temples in the world. The inside was totally awesome. Looking out towards the Parthenon...
Inside. That big door in the back was made by Christians when they switched the orientation of the temple to make it into a church. Their reuse of the building (despite the giant door they made) is what helped preserve the temple so well.
This Greek lady yelled at us when we started to step over the barriers, but Dr. Camp came back out and shooed her away, which was a bit amusing. That evening there was also a garden party, which was partly to welcome us and partly because there are a bunch of trustees visiting just now.
And then today was fun. We did a day trip and went out to see Brauron first. There was a temple to Artemis there which seems to have been connected with rites of passage for young girls. Unfortunately the site itself is closed because they are doing reconstruction, but we did get to go into the museum, which was awesome. There they have the oldest wooden idols in the world, which were preserved in muddy pits. Ta-da!
Brauron is rather wet, because there is both a river and a spring there. Then we stopped by Thorikos, and we hiked up a mountain to look at a tholos tomb and a trigangular tomby thing... This is looking down into the Tholos tomb, which is open to the sky, though in antiquity it would have been finished in a dome and covered with earth to keep it from falling in on itself. Also, that doorway is nearly person and three-quarters sized.
And then we looked at the Laurium silver mine opening and a theater. From there we went to Sounion, which is on the coast, and looked at the temple to Poseidon which is perched up on the peak. We also took a look at a sanctuary to Athena which was located below that. And then we went swimming, which was fabulous. The temple to Poseidon: It's like asking to be made into a postcard, with the white marble and the blue sky and all that. So pretty!
I'll see if I can get the pictures up tonight, but if not I shall come back and add them later. (And look, I did it finally! ^^) Love you all!
This Greek lady yelled at us when we started to step over the barriers, but Dr. Camp came back out and shooed her away, which was a bit amusing. That evening there was also a garden party, which was partly to welcome us and partly because there are a bunch of trustees visiting just now.
And then today was fun. We did a day trip and went out to see Brauron first. There was a temple to Artemis there which seems to have been connected with rites of passage for young girls. Unfortunately the site itself is closed because they are doing reconstruction, but we did get to go into the museum, which was awesome. There they have the oldest wooden idols in the world, which were preserved in muddy pits. Ta-da!
Brauron is rather wet, because there is both a river and a spring there. Then we stopped by Thorikos, and we hiked up a mountain to look at a tholos tomb and a trigangular tomby thing... This is looking down into the Tholos tomb, which is open to the sky, though in antiquity it would have been finished in a dome and covered with earth to keep it from falling in on itself. Also, that doorway is nearly person and three-quarters sized.
And then we looked at the Laurium silver mine opening and a theater. From there we went to Sounion, which is on the coast, and looked at the temple to Poseidon which is perched up on the peak. We also took a look at a sanctuary to Athena which was located below that. And then we went swimming, which was fabulous. The temple to Poseidon: It's like asking to be made into a postcard, with the white marble and the blue sky and all that. So pretty!
I'll see if I can get the pictures up tonight, but if not I shall come back and add them later. (And look, I did it finally! ^^) Love you all!
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