Tower of Winds description and photos - Greece: Athens (Topic)

Tower of Winds description and photos - Greece: Athens. Detailed information about the attraction. Description, photographs and a map showing the nearest significant objects. The title in English is Tower of Winds.

Photo and description

Among the huge number of architectural monuments of ancient Greece, the famous Tower of the Winds located on the territory of the Roman agora in Athens, or the Clock Tower of Andronicus of Cyrus (the Athenians often call the tower simply "aeridis ", Which means" wind "in Greek). Traditionally, it is believed that the tower was built in the middle of the 1st century BC. the famous Greek astronomer Andronicus of Kirr, although scientists still do not exclude that the structure was erected somewhat earlier, possibly in the 2nd century BC

The Tower of the Winds is an impressive octagonal structure made of Pentelikon marble high about 12 m and a diameter of about 8 m. In ancient times, the tower was crowned with a weather vane in the shape of a Triton indicating the direction of the wind. Unfortunately, the weather vane has not survived to this day, but on the frieze encircling the upper part of the tower you can still see images of the eight divine winds of the ancient Greek mythology - Boreas, Kekia, Apeliot, Evra, Nota, Lips, Zephyr and Skiron. Under the figures of the deities there was a sundial, and inside the tower there was a water clock or the so-called clepsydra, to which water was supplied from the Acropolis.

In the early Christian period, the Tower of the Winds was used as a church bell tower, and during Turkish rule as a tekke "- the abode of dervishes. By the 19th century, when the Athenian Archaeological Society began to study this ancient monument, the tower was almost half covered with earth.

Among the most famous structures, erected in the image and likeness of the famous Athenian tower,

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Topic: Tower of Winds description and photos - Greece: Athens.