Bryant added his favorites to my post about Athens. Here are some photos from our tour with Johanna, which he described in the previous post.
The Odeon theater 
Caryatids of the Erechtheion 
Athena’s Olive tree gift
Attica became Athens
Johanna the guide and The Greeter at the Acropolis gallery/ gate 
The Odeon, still in use though lost roof in 267 AD invasion
Theater of Dionysus, in use from around 496 BC 
artifacts representing ancient greek theater
ruins of the temple of asklepios/ hospital 
walking path near the healing temple 
Asklepios and daughter Hygieia 
Temple of Asklepios- god of medicine
One of the most interesting aspects for me was revisiting the connections to mythology in history and science, as with the ancient Greek roots of modern medicine. The healing temples revealed genuine medical artifacts along with records of healing practices that were used. The scene above depicts Asklepios and his daughter Hygieia, goddess of cleanliness and health, receiving gifts from grateful patrons. The “hospital” a series of small rooms where patients had to sleep in contact with the ground in order to be healed by snakes, served as a combination medical and religious treatment center. Today we still use the Star of Life symbol, the Hippocratic oath, the benefits of Hygiene, etc.
Hadrian’s Arch 
Temple Olympian Zeus from our balcony 
The acropolis from the Temple site
Our room overlooked the Temple of Zeus, which is still being restored from damage caused by earthquakes and by barbarian invasion in 267 AD and, currently, pollution. It had been completed by Roman Emperor Hadrian only a century earlier. Just one section of pillars still remained and have been restored. The grass covered platform above right is where the other part of the temple would have stood.
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