The Enigma of the Tholoi
Tuesday, October 16th, 2018 - On my last day in Delphi I had only one obligation: inspecting two hotels in the city center, and of course during lunch time... but the morning was free for me to visit the Athena Pronaia archaeological site thoroughly. It was a lovely, sunny day and it being mid-October I was enchanted by the mystical low, yellowish early morning sunlight; a magical atmosphere enhanced by the fact that there was hardly anyone there - no groups, no crowd. Only when I left to get back to the town center, a school class from England arrived; I wonder if they realized how lucky they were to go on a school outing to Greece!
Among the ruins of the archaeological site stands the most famous tholos of Greece. There is something special about these enigmatic circular temples; something even historians and archaeologists cannot explain what exactly they were used for. Most of them are from the 4th and 3rd centuries BCE, but it is commonly agreed that they are based on older temples; mysterious domes that are not much more than a number of pillars and a center to support a circular roof, but there are no outer walls. It reminded me of a carousel (a merry-go-round). I wonder if it has anything to do with a prayer wheel or the Maypole in western Europe. Some say these circular temples of the ancient world - especially in Greece and western Asia - are based on ancient Buddhist temples; those which had a stupa in the center, surrounded by a colonnade.
Now, I may jump too far here but I cannot help thinking that Stonehenge may have been a 20th century BCE tholos. What do you think?
But there is more to the archaeological site of Athena Pronaia than just the tholos. Excavations have discovered that the site was used in earlier times, probably as a sanctuary site for Gaia. The second temple may have been dedicated to Artemis instead of Athena. Davide Mauro has made a beautiful reconstruction of the site of Athena Pronaia.
1 Temple of Athena Pronaia; 2 Doric Treasury; 3 Treasury of Massilians; 4 Newer temple of Athena or Artemis; 5 Tholos.
I took a few photos of the remains of the Treasury of the Massilians (Marseille, France). It was lovely to see this link to southern France. ;-) There isn't much left of the other temples, but the site itself is very special. I sat there by myself for a while, just taking it all in.
When I could finally cut myself loose from the site's magnetism, I went to the Ydra restaurant (the one with the view over the Chrissa Plain and the Corinthian Gulf) for a coffee. Afterwards I met the manager of two hotels for the inspection and I actually enjoyed seeing how lovely some of the hotels in town were, but oh those tiny bathrooms! As soon as I finished the visits I loitered a bit in the direction of my restaurant, but for some reason I was mysteriously pulled into a shop called Meandros that I passed on the way, and no matter how hungry I was at that moment, I simply had to walk into that shop. Immediately, a t-shirt caught my eye, saying: "It's all Greek to me", followed by a list of Greek expressions and its English translations. I loved it so much that I bought one.
Suddenly I saw another t-shirt with the Delphi Maxims. The owner of the shop was very enthusiastic about them. "I designed and produced these myself", he said, and told me the story of how he had worked at the museum in Delphi earlier in his life. I could see how he was still captivated by the history and the knowledge of the ancient philosophers. Then he produced a rare print showing a reconstruction of the archaeological site, and printed on its back were - again - the Maxims. I decided to buy the print, as it was educative. Also these prints were made only by him. I felt so lucky to meet them! It was definitely not a coincidence that I walked into this shop - initially following my gut-feeling - but I had to leave, following my stomach. I was so hungry that I had become very dizzy. Had I been there on a different time and with a full stomach, I'd have probably stayed a lot longer, talking to him and his wife and exchanging our stories. Here they both are, holding the print. I am very grateful for meetings like this; again: the right people at the right time... :) I ended up with several gifts and one surprise when I got back to the hotel; a tiny 'all-seeing eye'. ♥
After a quick lunch I returned to my hotel to rest and pack, for the next morning I had to get back to Athens to do some work, but late that afternoon I walked down the old footpath behind the hotel - only a little bit - just to be alone in this ancient place on this sacred path and enjoy the sunset.
The next morning I opened the windows of my room for the last time and enjoyed the spectacular views.
Of course, Spyros was there - right on time again - to drive me back to Athens and to the tour agency's office. We drove almost two hours before we took a coffee stop in a delish bakery, where - due to my gluten and sugar allergies - I couldn't eat anything, no matter how hungry I was. After the visit to the office we inspected another hotel which is interesting (probably for another time) and I was pleasantly surprised by an unexpected short stop at a spectacular viewpoint and a lovely late lunch treat at the Acropolis Museum restaurant!
And so, I ended my journey where I started it. Of course I was exhausted, but very pleased with all the information I had gathered over the week, all the places I have seen, the people I had met and the new itinerary I had made. Many thanks go to Denise and Spyros for all the help, their valued friendships and for making everything possible! :) ♥
And so, on October 18th, I boarded Aegean Airlines, destination Toulouse. It really feel as if Greece is indeed Occitania's twin, and I have plenty of material and inspiration for my new book. ;-)
There are still a few seats left on the 'Greece Experience' group tour (17th to 27th May, 2019). The direct link: https://greeceexperiencetours.blogspot.com/2018/09/the-greece-experience-2nd-half-of-may.html. I hope you can join me on this magnificent adventure, where you not only see the highlights of the mainland, but also Meteora, Crete and Santorini. E-mail me when you are interested: anneke@barinca.fr.
Next time I will take you back in time to the ancient myths and legends of Greece. So keep on watching this space! :)
Have a wonderful festive month and a fabulous New Year 2019 everyone! Warmest of hugs from Cathar Country!
Among the ruins of the archaeological site stands the most famous tholos of Greece. There is something special about these enigmatic circular temples; something even historians and archaeologists cannot explain what exactly they were used for. Most of them are from the 4th and 3rd centuries BCE, but it is commonly agreed that they are based on older temples; mysterious domes that are not much more than a number of pillars and a center to support a circular roof, but there are no outer walls. It reminded me of a carousel (a merry-go-round). I wonder if it has anything to do with a prayer wheel or the Maypole in western Europe. Some say these circular temples of the ancient world - especially in Greece and western Asia - are based on ancient Buddhist temples; those which had a stupa in the center, surrounded by a colonnade.
Now, I may jump too far here but I cannot help thinking that Stonehenge may have been a 20th century BCE tholos. What do you think?
Copyright of the above two photographs of Stonehenge and its reproduction: © 1994 Simon Cassidy
But there is more to the archaeological site of Athena Pronaia than just the tholos. Excavations have discovered that the site was used in earlier times, probably as a sanctuary site for Gaia. The second temple may have been dedicated to Artemis instead of Athena. Davide Mauro has made a beautiful reconstruction of the site of Athena Pronaia.
1 Temple of Athena Pronaia; 2 Doric Treasury; 3 Treasury of Massilians; 4 Newer temple of Athena or Artemis; 5 Tholos.
I took a few photos of the remains of the Treasury of the Massilians (Marseille, France). It was lovely to see this link to southern France. ;-) There isn't much left of the other temples, but the site itself is very special. I sat there by myself for a while, just taking it all in.
Suddenly I saw another t-shirt with the Delphi Maxims. The owner of the shop was very enthusiastic about them. "I designed and produced these myself", he said, and told me the story of how he had worked at the museum in Delphi earlier in his life. I could see how he was still captivated by the history and the knowledge of the ancient philosophers. Then he produced a rare print showing a reconstruction of the archaeological site, and printed on its back were - again - the Maxims. I decided to buy the print, as it was educative. Also these prints were made only by him. I felt so lucky to meet them! It was definitely not a coincidence that I walked into this shop - initially following my gut-feeling - but I had to leave, following my stomach. I was so hungry that I had become very dizzy. Had I been there on a different time and with a full stomach, I'd have probably stayed a lot longer, talking to him and his wife and exchanging our stories. Here they both are, holding the print. I am very grateful for meetings like this; again: the right people at the right time... :) I ended up with several gifts and one surprise when I got back to the hotel; a tiny 'all-seeing eye'. ♥
After a quick lunch I returned to my hotel to rest and pack, for the next morning I had to get back to Athens to do some work, but late that afternoon I walked down the old footpath behind the hotel - only a little bit - just to be alone in this ancient place on this sacred path and enjoy the sunset.
The next morning I opened the windows of my room for the last time and enjoyed the spectacular views.
Of course, Spyros was there - right on time again - to drive me back to Athens and to the tour agency's office. We drove almost two hours before we took a coffee stop in a delish bakery, where - due to my gluten and sugar allergies - I couldn't eat anything, no matter how hungry I was. After the visit to the office we inspected another hotel which is interesting (probably for another time) and I was pleasantly surprised by an unexpected short stop at a spectacular viewpoint and a lovely late lunch treat at the Acropolis Museum restaurant!
And so, I ended my journey where I started it. Of course I was exhausted, but very pleased with all the information I had gathered over the week, all the places I have seen, the people I had met and the new itinerary I had made. Many thanks go to Denise and Spyros for all the help, their valued friendships and for making everything possible! :) ♥
And so, on October 18th, I boarded Aegean Airlines, destination Toulouse. It really feel as if Greece is indeed Occitania's twin, and I have plenty of material and inspiration for my new book. ;-)
There are still a few seats left on the 'Greece Experience' group tour (17th to 27th May, 2019). The direct link: https://greeceexperiencetours.blogspot.com/2018/09/the-greece-experience-2nd-half-of-may.html. I hope you can join me on this magnificent adventure, where you not only see the highlights of the mainland, but also Meteora, Crete and Santorini. E-mail me when you are interested: anneke@barinca.fr.
Next time I will take you back in time to the ancient myths and legends of Greece. So keep on watching this space! :)
Have a wonderful festive month and a fabulous New Year 2019 everyone! Warmest of hugs from Cathar Country!
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