Athens and Attica Week 9: Piraeus, Agora Museum

We focused on the differences and interactions between inscribed and literary epigrams in class on Monday. We also talked about the evolution of literary epigrams and epigram collections.

Our Tuesday Athens outing to the city walls was postponed because of a general strike which would have prevented us from seeing some of the most important parts.

There were no strikes affecting us on Wednesday so we were able to take our day trip to Piraeus, Athens' port.

The yacht harbor

We first had a look at the Cononian walls and gate with the round blocks which would fend against catapult blows.

Our next stop was the Piraeus museum at which point my camera batteries died so I had to take pictures with my iPod.

Bronze prow from a ship

Stone with standard measurements (can you make out the foot, arm, and hand?)

The light in the room with bronze statues was not very conducive to iPod picture taking, but the statues were breath-takingly beautiful. Bronze statues are rarer than marble because they were often melted down so the metal could be reused. Most of the ones we have were found in shipwrecks.

Her inlaid eyes are still there!

Hers too!

We then walked over to the arsenal where Andrew gave his report.

The part of this massive building that's been excavated and is still uncovered is between some apartment buildings.

On our walk over to the Zea Harbor, we stopped in some basements to have a look at remains of shipsheds. The basements were very, very moldy.

At the harbor, Rachel began her report on ships, ship sheds, and shipping at Piraeus.

Then it was on to the Eetioneian Gate.

After lunch we walked the circuit of the ancient walls, some of which have been incorporated into modern terraces.

Part of the walk took us along the harbor where I say this amusingly-named boat.

We stopped to see the reconstruction of this rather pouty-faced lion, the original of which the Venetians took in the 1600s.

Then we went to see the Olympias, the modern construction of an ancient Greek trireme. The ship is sea-worthy and its building allowed for learning a lot about ancient ships.

On Thursday morning, the epigram class took a field trip to the Stoa of Attalas where the Agora museum is located. We went down to the basement where the inscribed blocks of stone are kept. Molly Richardson showed us different techniques for reading and analyzing sometimes difficult to read inscriptions on stone. Then, we separated into groups and tackled a stone of our own. Kyle, Jonathan and I were assigned this little one. Can't even make out the letters, can you?

But! If you shine a light on it at an angle (called raking light), some of the letters become visible.

We measured letter spaces in order to determine was was missing or what a letter might be which had lost some of its strokes. It was really fun! After each group presented their findings, it was back upstairs inside the museum to have a look at some very famous inscriptions. 

Likely part of the base of the famous Tyrannicides statue

Parts of a monument commemorating the Persian Wars

Because of another strike, our Friday visit to the Kerameikos was postponed until March.