elysian: mythology

archaeology

According to Herodotus, Solon the Athenian, who was renowned for his wisdom, came to the court of the king of ancient Lydia, Croesus. Solon stayed at the palace as a guest and the king showed him his enormous wealth. As he was pretty secure in his own wealth and happiness, he asked Solon the following question: “Stranger of Athens, we have heard much of your wisdom and travels. I am very curious and I want to ask you - Who, of all the people you have encountered, do you consider the happiest?”

Of course Croesus thought Solon would answer that he, Croesus, was the happiest man he had ever met, because of his wealth. Instead, Solon gave Croesus three names. The first was Tellus, the second and third the brothers Cleobis and Biton. The king was confused as to why he was not considered to be one of the happiest of men. In response, Solon shared first the tale of Tellus and then the tale of Cleobis and Biton.

Cleobis and Biton, as recounted by Herodotus, were the sons of Cydippe (the priestess of Hera). During an Argive festival honouring Hera, Cydippe absolutely had to be conveyed to the temple by a team of oxen.[..] But their oxen had not come back from the fields in time, so the youths took the yoke upon their own shoulders under constraint of time. They drew the wagon, with their mother riding atop it, traveling five miles until they arrived at the temple [..]. Everybody congratulated them on their strength. Furthermore, they congratulated their mother for having borne such children. Cydippe begged the goddess to grant them, as a reward for their piety, whatever was best for mortal men. After the feast, the brothers went to sleep and never rose again. The goddess granted them a peaceful death in their sleep.

When you visit the archaeological museum of Delphi, you may admire the statues of Cleobis and Biton that the Argives made to honour the ‘’best of men’’. In the middle of the room 3, two identical, life-size statues (height: 1,97m) catch immediately the eye of the visitor. They are among the best known examples of the Greek kouros and one of the earliest examples of large scale archaic sculpture. They stand side-by-side both naked with one leg forward, their arms are slightly bent and their fists tightly closed. Their faces bear the typical Archaic smile. From the time of their discovery, they have been identified as Cleobis and Biton of Argos, although other archaeologists who have studied the statues, see in them the twin sons of Zeus, the Dioscouri. According to the inscription, these kouroi were made by the sculptor (Poly)medes of Argos and were dedicated to Apollo by the people of Argos.

elysian

OLYMPUS: THE HOME OF THE GODS

12:30:00

Mount Olympus is the highest mountain in Greece and one of the highest peaks in Europe. Between the regions of Macedonia and Thessaly, Mount Olympus was declared a National Park in 1938 due to its deeply rich flora, natural beauty and of course its mythological connection. It was considered to be the residence of the 12 Greek Gods. In Homers’ Iliad, the home of the gods is described as an ancient acropolis below the peaks of Olympus. The three Horae guarded the golden gates. Inside there was the palace of Zeus, other palaces for the rest of the Gods and stables for the immortal horses.

The origin of the name Όλυμπος (Olympus) is unknown and usually considered to be "pre-Greek". There are mentions of Olympus in Homer, Herodotus and many ancient writers. Its highest peak, Mytikas (meaning nose) rising to 2,918 meters, considered to be the meeting place of the Gods. Furthermore, M. Olympus has also an important historical significance since it served as a hiding place of the armatoloi, who were fighting against Ottoman occupation and later as a gathering centre for the Greek resistance against German occupation (1941-1944).

Mount Olympus has 52 peaks, gorges, forests and alpine fields. For seven months of the year it is covered in snow (from November to May) while the temperature varies in the winter from -10 °C to 10 °C and in the summer from 0 °C to 20 °C. Its fauna and flora are really impressive. In antiquity (according to Pausanias) there were lions and until 16^th century bears. Now the traveler may come across various species of birds (as the golden eagle, the lanner falcon, etc), reptiles (snakes, lizards) and other animals as the wild boar, the wildcat and roe deer. Its flora is even more impressive with about 1700 species and subspieces. 23 of them are local endemic plants (they can be found only in Olympus).

The first recorded ascent took place in 1913 by the local goat hunter C.Kakkalos together with the alpinists F.Boissonas and D.Baud-Bovy. Today is one of the most popular destinations with more than 150000 visitors per year. There are various activities (hiking, trekking, canyoning, etc) satisfying every adventurer. The Greek Gods chose Mount Olympus as their home. Ascending it, is a once in a lifetime experience and who knows...maybe you can catch a glimpse of Zeus upon his throne!!

archaeology

GOD DIONYSUS AND THE PIRATES

18:16:00

archaeology

COLOSSUS OF RHODES: AN ANCIENT WANDER

00:30:00

archaeology

LA ESFINGE GRIEGA

22:00:00

archaeology

WHEN ARROGANCE GENERATES BEAUTY...

15:38:00

Passing by Amalias avenue it's impossible not to notice the huge Columns of the Olympian Zeus! Located south- east of Athens' acropolis, near the river Ilissos, the Temple of Olympian Zeus, also known as the Olympieion would become the largest temple the city had ever seen…

The building of the temple actually began in the 6th century by the tyrant Peisistratus, but the project has never been completed. The Greeks of the classical period left it unfinished because they believed it was too big and symbolized the arrogance of people who believed they were equal to the Gods. Aristotle in his “Politics” cited the temple as an example of how tyrannies engaged the populace in great works for the state and left them no time, energy or means to rebel.

However, the temple was not finished until the emperor Hadrian, the great philhellene, finally brought to completion one of the biggest ever ancient temples in 131 AD, 638 years after the project had begun! Hadrian dedicated the colossal marble temple to Zeus after he associated himself with the father of the gods and adopted the title of “Olympios”. So he erected a giant gold and ivory status of Zeus inside the temple with an equally large one of himself next to it. Nothing remains of the interior of the temple. Nearby the columns stands the Arch of Hadrian which was erected in 132 AD as a gate between the ancient city and the Roman city of Athens.

In the centuries after the fall of the Roman Empire, the temple was extensively quarried for building materials to supply building projects elsewhere in the city. Today only 15 of the 104 temple’s Corinthian columns (17 meters high) are still standing. One of the columns actually blew down in a storm in 1852 and it is still lying where it fell.

In the early 1800s, a “stylite” (the word comes from the Greek “stylos” for column and refers to the group of ascetics who spent long periods standing on the top of columns) built his dwelling on top of one of the columns of the temple. This unusual incident can be seen in early paintings and drawings.