Rare Photos From the 19th Century Show the Depth of the Foundations of the Parthenon at the Acropolis of Athens

These rare photographs of Parthenon’s foundations, revealed in an unbelievable depth. Although the temple that stands on them is now known as Parthenon III, yet these foundations of the Acropolis of Athens were built approx 50 years earlier to keep Parthenon II on them, a temple that was never completed due to the Persian invasion in Athens in 480 BC. The foundations depth is 1.5 times the height of this very heavy building.

In the late 19th century (specifically 1885-1890), the Parthenon’s foundations were extensively excavated by archaeologists Panagiotis Kavvadias and Georg Kawerau, who worked under the supervision of Wilhelm Dörpfeld. This crucial excavation uncovered the foundations of an earlier temple, the Older Parthenon (or Parthenon I), revealing that the existing structure (Parthenon III) was built atop the substantial, though unfinished, foundations of a preceding building (Parthenon II) that was destroyed by the Persian invasion of 480 BCE. The findings, including architectural elements and artifacts like archaic marble Kores, provided essential insights into the history of the Acropolis and its construction sequence.

The excavations revealed that the Parthenon's foundation is a true engineering marvel. It is a massive platform, or stylobate, made up of hundreds of carefully carved limestone blocks. These blocks were laid side-by-side in interlocking layers, stacked up to 22 layers deep, creating an incredibly dense and cohesive mass. This construction method, combined with the materials used, is believed to have given the Parthenon a natural seismic buffer, protecting it from significant earthquake damage for millennia.

The Parthenon’s foundations are also part of the temple's subtle optical refinements. It was discovered that the floor of the Parthenon bulges slightly upward in the middle. This subtle curvature, which also exists in the entablature above the columns and even in the buried foundations, was a deliberate design choice to counteract the optical illusion of sagging that would occur with a perfectly straight line.

The excavation of the Parthenon’s foundations was a pivotal moment in Greek archaeology, not only for what it revealed about the temple itself but also for establishing a deeper understanding of the history of the Acropolis and ancient Greek civilization.

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35 Amazing Black and White Photos of Athens in the 1970s

Athens is a major coastal urban area in the Mediterranean and it is both the capital and the largest city of Greece, and also the eighth largest urban area in the European Union. Athens dominates and is the capital of the Attica region and is one of the world’s oldest cities, with its recorded history spanning over 3,400 years, and its earliest human presence beginning somewhere between the 11th and 7th millennia BCE. The city was named after a Greek war goddess.

Classical Athens was a powerful city-state. It was a centre for the arts, learning and philosophy, and the home of Plato's Academy and Aristotle's Lyceum. It is widely referred to as the cradle of Western civilization and the birthplace of democracy, largely because of its cultural and political influence on the European continent—particularly Ancient Rome.

In modern times, Athens is a large cosmopolitan metropolis and central to economic, financial, industrial, maritime, political and cultural life in Greece. It is one of the biggest economic centers in Southeastern Europe. It also has a large financial sector, and its port Piraeus is both the 3rd busiest passenger port in Europe, and the 26th largest container port in the world. Athens is also the southernmost capital on the European mainland.

These amazing black and white photos were taken by John Winder that show Athens from 1972 to 1974.

Gate to the Roman Forum and two cool dudes in bell bottoms, Plaka, Athens, summer 1972

Acropolis seen from Philoppapou Hill, Athens, summer 1972

Dome of Church of the Pantanassa, Athens, September 1972

Kaisariani monastery, Athens, October 1972

Man and pigeons, in front of the Parliament building, Athens, summer 1972

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Photographs of Summer Tourists on the Acropolis in Athens in the Early 1980s

In 1983–84, American photographer Tod Papageorge spent a month each summer on the Acropolis in Athens, capturing the people who followed the same path, finding their way up to the ancient building to see what all the fuss was about and take photographs to prove they’d been there. His resulting body of work seems lost in time, fusing the ancient with the modern.

“I wanted to capture the high, white light of the Acropolis and the bright stone of its schist and monuments,” said Papageorge. “I stayed at a nice hotel, the Zafolia, five minutes from the Acropolis, where every surface in my room was marble, and where I did laps in the pool everyevening, driving the hotel staff crazy.”

“I took the photographs in the summers of 1983 and 1984, during intense sunshine and heat. Since we are at the far end of the tonal scale, postures and gestures become very clearly differentiated. They looked to me like a pair of figures on a Greek vase, arranged in a symmetrical fashion.”

“Athena’s mythical home set me buzzing every time I visited, thrilled to be approaching the glorious place. Who could have known, in 1984, how the haircuts and clothes of the day would, 35 years later, appear both timeless and current? That’s a gift of photography. A dance-like moment on the exterior wall of the Acropolis, above a row of lights used to illuminate the Parthenon at night. Many of my pictures echo the dramas of Greek myth –always physical and often verging on violence – even as they capture the routines and rhythms of visitors.”

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Fascinating Photos Capture Street Scenes of Athens in the 1960s

Athens is the capital and largest city of Greece. It dominates the Attica region and is one of the world’s oldest cities, with its recorded history spanning over 3,400 years and its earliest human presence started somewhere between the 11th and 7th millennium BC.

Athens is a large cosmopolitan metropolis and central to economic, financial, industrial, maritime, political and cultural life in Greece. It is a global city and one of the biggest economic centers in southeastern Europe. It has a large financial sector, and its port Piraeus is both the largest passenger port in Europe, and the second largest in the world.

Athens is home to two UNESCO World Heritage Sites, the Acropolis of Athens and the medieval Daphni Monastery. It is also home to several museums and cultural institutions, such as the National Archeological Museum, featuring the world's largest collection of ancient Greek antiquities, the Acropolis Museum, the Museum of Cycladic Art, the Benaki Museum and the Byzantine and Christian Museum.

These fascinating photos from Nikos Vatopoulos that captured street scenes of Athens in the 1960s.

Syntagma Square, Athens

Acharnon Street, Athens

Athens from above

Athens from Hilton towards Syntagma

Brazilian, Athens

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22 Fascinating Black and White Photos Capture Street Scenes of Athens in the 1970s

Athens is the capital and largest city in Greece. It dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, with its recorded history spanning over 3,400 years and its earliest human presence started somewhere between the 11th and 7th millennium BC.

Athens in 1973 and 1974 taken by Eddie Girdner

Athens is a large cosmopolitan metropolis and central to economic, financial, industrial, maritime, political and cultural life in Greece. It is a global city and one of the biggest economic centers in southeastern Europe.

Athens also has a large financial sector, and its port Piraeus is both the largest passenger port in Europe, and the second largest in the world.

These fascinating black and white photos were taken by Eddie Girdner that show street scenes of Athens in 1973 and 1974.

Athens, Greece, 1973

Flea Market, Athens, Greece, 1973

Greek Orthodox Church, Athens, Greece, 1973

Icons in Flea Market, Athens, Greece, 1973

Old Church, Athens, Greece, 1973

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Fascinating Color Photos That Capture Everyday Life of Athens From the 1950s

Athens is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, with its recorded history spanning over 3,400 years and its earliest human presence starting somewhere between the 11th and 7th millennium BCE.

A centre for the arts, learning and philosophy, home of Plato's Academy and Aristotle's Lyceum, Athens is widely referred to as the cradle of Western civilization and the birthplace of democracy, largely because of its cultural and political impact on the European continent, and in particular the Romans. In modern times, Athens is a large cosmopolitan metropolis and central to economic, financial, industrial, maritime, political and cultural life in Greece.

Athens is a global city and one of the biggest economic centres in southeastern Europe. It has a large financial sector, and its port Piraeus is both the largest passenger port in Europe, and the second largest in the world.

The heritage of the classical era is still evident in the city, represented by ancient monuments and works of art, the most famous of all being the Parthenon, considered a key landmark of early Western civilization. The city also retains Roman and Byzantine monuments, as well as a smaller number of Ottoman monuments.

Here is a fascinating collection of color photos that shows everyday life of Athens from the 1950s.

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35 Color Photographs Capture Everyday Life in Athens during the 1960s

Vintage Athens– the city that is now, only available in memories and images. So much has changed in the Greek capital since these images were taken. The people dress differently, the neighborhoods have changed and cars are smaller now.

Check out these cool images from Athens in the 1960 by Nicholas Econopouly.

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Fascinating Vintage Color Photographs Capture Street Scenes of Athens in 1966

Athens of the 1960s is a city in transition. Change is happening at an unprecedented pace in keeping with the exponential growth rate of the country.

From 1955 to 1965, Athens has revamped a large percentage of its infrastructure, admitted thousands of internal migrants and sprawled to previously unbuilt areas of Attica. Mass construction creates and maintains jobs, provides housing for the new populations and alters the historic traits of the capital, but at the same time it contributes to the modernization of everyday life and the consolidation of Athens as a metropolis.

Here are 38 fascinating vintage color photographs capture street scenes of Athens in 1966:

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Pictures of Acropolis of Athens, Greece in 1961

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