The Erechtheion, built 421-405 B.C.E., sits on the northside of the Acropolis adjacent to the Parthenon. It gathers its name from King Erechtheus, the mythical Athenian demi-god, yet it also holds the nickname Athena Polias, as the protector goddess over Athens. The ionic infrastructure of the temple highlights a more elegant look with slender columns with more decoration. In its initial state, the decoration included glass and gold inlaid into the columns at the base. The purpose of the building was to mainly house the olive wood statue of Athena. It also houses a section that is in dedication to Zeus, as he played a major role in the mythological aspect of the Erechtheion. Even though the Erechtheion is not in its original state, it's still preserved as much as possible, with only a few missing pieces. Because of its location on the hillside, many are able to see such an important piece of history from all over Athens, including our hotel rooftop at the Candia.
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The Erechtheion can be considered a unique piece of Greek architecture in one sense due to its lack of symmetry in creation. Because it's built on the hillside that continues to drop down, there's a change in the layout with columns and entrance ways that ruin the symmetry we see in lots of other ancient Greek buildings. It was built on this hillside due to the tight squeeze next to the old temple to Athena, so the back colonnade was moved to the side of the building. The second unique facet to the Erechtheion is the inclusion of the Caryatids, which are statues of women built into the ionic columns. Each Caryatid is unique in its woman, with differing hairstyles and drapery on the backs. Unfortunately, the faces today have been ruined because of erosion, so they lack a lot of the features they used to have. Three of the statues are using their right foot to lean forward while the other three are using their left foot in some sort of architectural symmetry. In the modern age, they have used special tools and preservation techniques to clean these Caryatids and allow them to be placed in the Archaeological Museum of the Acropolis in Athens for people to come and observe. This allows many tourists in the present to imagine the past as best as they can. |
The Erechtheion holds major significance in terms of Athena gaining the power of ruling and protecting the entire city of Athens. The building was used for Zeus to be the divine judge between Athena and Poseidon in who would rule the city. The earthly judge was the aforementioned demi-god King Erechtheus. Athena brought her goddess attributes and the gift of an olive tree that still lives outside of the building today. The olive tree is representative of peace and fertility. Poseidon brought his god-like attributes and trident, which he struck into a rock to bring saltwater atop the hillside. This crack in the flooring is also still present today in the Erechtheion. There is also a hole in the ceiling of the porch where it is said that Zeus struck and killed King Erechtheus with a lightning bolt.
We see this mythological presence still today with the olive tree and Athena's presence in the city of Athens. Souvenir stores are lined with products make from olive trees, along with olive branch head pieces and goddess-like clothing. The specific preservation of the Erechtheion and its facets shows the importance of containing Greek culture and history for many tourists to come and see for themselves. |