GREECE! ANCIENT! AMAZING!

Know the alphabets? this pitcher is from 4th Century BC

Did you say it's all Greek to me? Inadvertently, you have actually stated a fact. There are a lot of Greek words that we use everyday. The alphabets that we use in English, came from Greek. All those Science/maths terminology like, Ω Omega,Φ Phi, Σ Sigma, Π Pi, Δ Delta are all Greek alphabets!

 So many words have actually originated from Greek, that without knowing it we are often talking in Greek!

Having said that let me tell you that Greece was the place where almost everything began. Democracy, theatre, drama, athletic contests, medicine, architectural styles, aqueducts, are a few things that I name here.

TNN at starting point at Olympia Stadium.Note the grooves please.

 The Olympic games started in 776 BC in Olympia. They were held every 4 years. These Games honored the ancient Greek God Zeus. During the games all wars were halted and it was made convenient for people to go to Olympia and participate or watch the Games. The participants had to arrive a month in advance. The elimination process started from day one. 

The wreath of olive leaves

The winner was presented with a wreath of Olive leaves.  It was highly prestigious to win at the Games as the winner was then treated like a demi God. In fact a portion of the City wall was broken to welcome the winner back. It was symbolic to show that the winner would protect the City State like the wall!

Olympics were not the only games in ancient Greece. There were three other Games organised in different places, all at 4 yearly intervals. The one at Delphi was called the Pythian Games, the prize awarded was a Laurel Wreath, these games honored Apollo. Nemean Games were held at Nemea, the prize awarded was a Wreath of wild celery, and it honored Zeus, the Isthmian Games were held at Corinth and the prize awarded was a wreath of Pine leaves, and it honored Poseidon. The old saying "Don't rest on your laurels" originated at Delphi.

The ancient strip at Olympia

The Stadium at Olympia is just a strip where the races were held. The starting and finishing lines are made of marble. The starting line has got grooves in which the runner would have to keep his feet. There were no seats for the spectators. It was a stadium with slopes. On one side of the stadium were seats for the judges and opposite them was a place for the High Priestess, the only woman who could watch the games.

Arched entrance at Olympia

There was an arched entrance for going into the Stadium. The word stadium also is derived from the Greek Stadia.  The Ancient Games featured running events, a pentathlon (consisting of a jumping event, discus and javelin throws, a foot race, and wrestling), boxing, wrestling, pankration, and equestrian event.

The statue of Zeus would have been like this

Near the Stadium there was a temple of Zeus with a seated statue of the god which was 40' high. It was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. The basic statue was made in wood and arms and legs were made of Ivory. Robes were made of gold. He held a 6' statue of Nike(pronounced Nikke), the Godess of Victory, in his hand. This gigantic statue of Zeus is said to have burned down. I think perhaps it may have been plundered to get the precious metal! The workshop where this statue was made also exists opposite the temple of Zeus.

The athletes participated in the nude. They first applied Olive oil to their bodies and then covered themselves with sea salt. The word Gymnast comes from the Greek word gymnos which means naked.

Women also had games, which were played to honour Godess Hera the wife of Zeus. The race for women was shorter than the one for men. They had a separate starting line.

The Olympic games were discontinued by the Roman Emperor Theodosius in 393 AD, as he wanted to stop the pursuit of traditional religious practices of Ancient Greek gods which were considered pagan cults.The Christian era had arrived. 

The Olympic stadium at Athens

There is a stadium in Athens which was built in honor of Goddess Athena. In 329 BC this ancient Stadium with wooden seating was rebuilt and marble seating was provided. The remnants of this ancient structure were excavated refurbished and the first Modern Olympic games were held in 1896 in this stadium. 

Theater of Dionysis at Athens behind Acropolis

Athens is where western theatre originated.Theatre  was part of  performances that included religious festivities, rituals, athletics and gymnastics, music, poetry, social activities like weddings, funerals, and symposia. Participation in the many festivals, and attendance at the City Dionysia , as an audience member or  as a participant in the theatrical productions was an important part of citizenship. The Greeks also developed the concepts of dramatic criticism, acting as a career, and theatre architecture.

Theater of Dionysis at Athens another view.

Tragedy, Comedy and Satyr were the different genres of plays in Greece. The words Theatre, Scene, thespian, are of Greek origin. Greek tragedy plays were enacted around 532 BC. An actor Thespis was the oldest recorded tragedy actor. We get the word Thespian from him.

Theater at Delphi

The origins of theatre in ancient Greece, according to Aristotle (384–322BC), the first theoretician of theatre, are to be found in the festivals that honoured Dionysus, the God of wine and fertility. The performances were given in the open, usually at the foot of a hill.The slope of the hill would provide a good "watching place" for the audience and this place was called theatron( watching place). 

Lime stone seats at Epidaurus

The theaters were built to accommodate almost 20,000 people. The seating was in a semi circular arrangement on  the slopes, later seats were cut out on the slopes and then marble seats were provided. Later on the word Theatre included the Theatre( seating for audience), the Orchestra(The performance space which was circular, where the actors danced and sang. The orchestra,  had an average diameter of 78 feet) and the Skene (around  465 BC, the playwrights began using a backdrop or scenic wall, which hung or stood behind the orchestra, which also served as an area where actors could change their costumes. It was known as the skene (from which the word "scene" is derived). The actors (always men) wore masks appropriate to the characters they represented, and each actor played several roles.     

Theater at Epidaurus

In plays the words were the most important part, therefore good acoustics and clear delivery were paramount. The Greek theaters are actually marvels of acoustics. Mathematics played a role in the construction of theatres as the designers had to be able to create acoustics in such a way that the voice of the actors could be heard clearly throughout the theatre. 

The Orchestra at Epidaurus!

I personally could experience this wonder.There is a theater at Epidaurus designed in the 4th century BC.There are 55 rows of seating and the capacity is of 15,000 people. The theatre has exceptional acoustics, which allows words to reach all the audience irrespective of where they sit. The rows of lime stone seats filters out low frequency sounds and amplifies high frequency sound from the stage. This theatre is still being used for performances!  I sang at this ancient theatre. People sitting right at the top of the theatre in the last row could hear me clearly. The resonance that I felt while singing was an unbelievable experience. I will never forget this experience. Standing at the center of the stage which is marked by a marble stone and singing at an ancient theatre was absolutely magical. For me that moment of time simply froze!

THE ODEON-The Musical programmes were held here in Athens

Music or mausiki is also another word which originated in Greece. It comes from Muses, the patron goddesses of creative and intellectual endeavours and  the daughters of Zeus. There is a lot of depiction of music being performed on the ceramic vases of ancient Greece.There is a theatre for music at the Acropolis in Athens. This was called Odeon. Music was also closely linked with healing. A theatre and a hospital were often found close together. It was thought that music soothed and provided relief to the patients.

Asclepius with his staff

That brings us to modern medicine. Asclepius was the healer God. he had temples which functioned as centers of medical advice,prognosis and healing. Hygeia his daughter was the Godess of good health! Hygeine is derived from this word.  Her sister was Panakeia or "all cure". There... we have the word Panacea! A rod entwined with a serpent is a common symbol in Hospitals. This was the rod of Asclepius. We all know of Hippocrates(460-370 BC) Hippocrates invented the Hippocratic Oath for physicians, which is still relevant and in use today.

Amazing! what do you say??
I'll soon be back with a lot more on Greece! Meanwhile do remember  that all this and more happened over 2500 years ago.