That's what we're hoping to try and understand with our scans. What were all of these different spaces inside? Looking over at the Parthenon, that's one kind of structure, and then this, it's like totally different.Ĭlassical clarity, over there, and then this confusing little structure without really a clear front or a clear entranceway. ♪♪ Our 3D scanners are gonna try to make sense of this quirky little temple. Now, if we look at the individual architectural components, they are beautiful and refined as the Parthenon, but overall, for its design, it just doesn't make any sense. ♪♪ This is a structure known for housing the votive statue of Athena, and many other shrines, but when we look at the architecture it's like a mishmash of design.Įven the ancient commentators were confused. The Parthenon is famous for its symmetry, but across the way, the Erechtheion, it's contemporary, but it looks totally different. It might be small, but it's by no means insignificant.Īnd we're going to find out why it's one of the most important buildings of ancient Athens. ♪♪ And right next door is one of the most intriguing buildings in the world. ♪♪ Its orderly columns and perfect symmetry became the classical blueprint for architecture that shapes the world to this day. It's been at the heart of what it means to be Athenian for over two-and-a-half-thousand years. ♪♪ The Parthenon was built to honor the goddess Athena. ♪♪ I'm walking through the propylaea, the monumental entry hall that leads you forward into the Acropolis.Īnd it's designed to be theatrical and leave you with the sense of expectation of something greater that lies ahead, that brings you forward to this exact spot that gives you the most perfect view of one of the most famous buildings in the world. In the golden era that followed, this remarkable society built the beautiful monuments that still stand here today. They started to create the world's first democracy. When the people of Athens overthrew a tyrant besieged on this hillside, and did something extraordinary. Today, it is famous for a series of events that started here in 510 B.C. ♪♪ 5,000 years ago, its cliffs offered protection to Bronze Age settlers.Īnd in the centuries that followed, the city grew up around it. ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ -The Acropolis, a sacred hill in the center of Athens. The ancients called this place the City of the Gods. to explore this amazing place in a whole new way.Īthens is a city with layer after layer of history and mythology. I'll be investigating this city's hidden sites to find out how the ancient Athenians created an idea that has endured for over two-and-a-half-thousand years - democracy. It's an intoxicating mixture of ancient and contemporary all together. Here's a place that ancient monuments and sites sit side by side with modern architecture and urban renewal. The city has exploded with new life in the past century.

♪♪ Today Greater Athens is home to almost 4 million people. and, now, Athens, the birthplace of democracy. Istanbul, the crossroads between Europe and Asia. ♪♪ -I'm Darius Arya, an archaeologist going in search of the ancient world in three of the most exciting cities on Earth - Cairo, the gateway to ancient Egypt.

Pbs ancient invisible cities