Journey to Athens, Greece!

THE THEATERS AND THE SOUTHERN SLOPE

THE ODEON OF PERICLES

The Odeon has been completely destroyed since its construction in 435 BC. Pericles had it built to host events in the Panathenaic Games, and it was also used for important concerts and music events. One thing interesting about the Odeon to me is that it was built so close to the Theater of Dionysus. Even more interesting, the Theater if Dionysus was built first. It seems to me that either the Theater was built with a gap in the side (with the Odeon in mind), or part of the Theater was removed during the construction of the Odeon. Either way, it makes me wonder, were the architects running out of space? Or was it close to the Theater for other reasons?

​

THE SANCTUARY OF ASKLEPIOS

The Sanctuary of Asklepios, or Asklepion, was founded in 420 BC by a citizen named Telemachos, was sent from Epidauros to Athens to found the Sanctuary. The Sanctuary of Asklepios was dedicated to Asklepios, the Greek god of medicine, as well as Hygeia, the Greek god of health. People visited the Asklepion if they needed healing. The patients would spend the night in the Sanctuary, and during the night, a god would supposedly cure the patient or make known to them what course of therapy that they should follow. After that, the patients would receive instructions from doctors on what else to do to heal. I think spending the night in the Sanctuary would take a lot of trust. First, you would have to trust spending the night in a new place, with new people, rather than the comfort of your home. You would also have to trust that the gods and the doctors will tell you h

​

THE STOA OF EUMENES II

The Stoa of the southern slope was gifted to Athens around 160 BC by Eumenes II, the king of Pergamon. The Stoa was used to house theater materials and served as shelter in case of rain in the theater. It also housed shops, and theatergoers could buy snacks and souvenirs. I would like to know more about what people did in the Stoa. The Stoa of Eumenes II was one of the largest stoas ever built, so there must have been lots of room for activities. Did they only sell goods and house materials in the Stoa, or were other parts of it used for other things? Also, could it really house all of the theatergoers in the case of bad weather? If not, who got priority? Did some citizens have to stay out in the rain or go home? Could the people inside the Stoa shop while they were waiting out the storm?

​

THE ODEON OF HEROD ATTICUS

Not to be confused with the Odeon of Pericles, the Odeon of Herod Atticus still stands today and seats up to 6,000 people! It was originally built in 161 AD by Herodes Atticus in memory of his wife, and it was renovated in 1950. It has walls 100-feet high, and it was described by Roman travelers as "the finest building if its type." This Herodeon was built during the Roman period of Greek history, from 146 BC to 324 AD. It is interesting to me the difference in Greek and Roman culture even when Rome was in control of Greece. Herodes Atticus was a Greek man, and his wife was a Roman woman, though wouldn't they both be "Roman" citizens since they were both from places under the control of Rome? Roman travelers commented that the Herodeon was "the finest building of its type," and even though Greece was under Roman control, was it still different enough from Rome that the visitors are called "travelers" rather than "fellow citizens?" I feel that this division is present in America today, though I don't believe it is a bad thing. We are a "melting pot" of so many people with so many different backgrounds and cultures, yet we are still united in one nation. Was this how the Greeks were seen when under Roman control? Were they seen as Roman citizens that have a Greek background? Or were they still seen as foreign citizens?