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Kerameikos, The Pnyx, Areopagus in Athens

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Updated: Jun 19, 2020

These three places are located in Athens, Greece. Kerameikos was an ancient cemetery with the sacred and Dipylon gate. The Pnyx was a hill place for the Athenians to host their popular democratic assembly as early as 507 BC. Areopagus was a center of temple, cultural facilitites, and high court.

  1. Kerameikos was named after Keramos, son of Dionysio and Ariadne, hero of potters. Kerameikos was located in downtown Athens and was used for burials for a thousand years. Kerameikos was a sacred place with the Dipylon gate for strong security and protection of the tombs. It was structured with a sacred gate and a sacred river running below it to bring water to the Athenians in the city. Pompeion building was located in between the sacred and Dipylon gate with an entrance and some rooms. The altar of Zeus was also located in front of the Pompeion to honor him. Behind these sacred entrance stood the tombs of the dead Athenians. There were sculptures and grave stele that represented the 'after life' meaning. For example, there was a tomb with a depiction of a dead baby greeted by his dead grandma in the after life.

These images show the locations of gates and tombs at the Kerameikos Cemetery in downtown Athens.


Another famous monument was the Dexileos Monument. This monument represented the Corinthian war and victory of Dexileos who died in the war against Sparta. The grave stele of Dexileos on the right shows his superiority on the horse over his brave enemy below. This stele demonstrated social nobility and military service to Athens.









2. The Pnyx on the uphill was used as early as 507 BCE for the Athenians to gather and host the largest democratic assembly. It was one of the earliest and most important place for the creation of democracy in Athens. It was located on the west end of the Acropolis. To reach the Acropolis, people could go down the hill at the Pnyx and pass through the Agora to reach the Acropolis. A speaker would stand on the Orator's Bema and face the Acropolis to talk to a huge assembly of people.

The left image shows the uphill of the assembly with the Orator's Bema facing the Acropolis at the Pnyx.

The right image shows the Orator talking to an assembly of people.

Athenian Democracy started at the Pnyx:

  • There were ten demes (10 neighborhoods). Each deme had three locations: city, hill, and sea. The demes were named after heroes.

  • Citizenship was important at a democracy place.

  • Their elections were determined by lot.

  • Boule was a council with over 500 members and they met daily to discuss city affairs; 50 members were from each deme.

  • Cleisthenes was a father of the Athenian democracy and an ancient Athenian lawgiver who was known for reforming the constitution of ancient Athens.

  • Ecclesia was a popular assembly of the democracy of ancient Athens. It was open to all male citizens as soon as they qualified for citizenship. In 594 BC, Solon allowed all Athenian citizens to participate, regardless of class.

  • Prytaneis were the executives of the boules of ancient Athens. Order of the demes was determined by lot to see which deme went first with its own things to do. President only served one day in a year. There was also impeachment and ostracism (a temporary exclusion) that occurred in the assembly.

3. Areopagus was located east of the Pnyx in Athens and was a prominent rock outcropping. It was called 'Hill of Ares'. In a myth, Ares was supposed to have been tried there by the gods for the murder of Poseidon's son. In ancient times, Areopagus was functioned as a court for capital crimes like murder, poisoning, arson, and damaging a sacred olive tree (most serious crime). Olive trees have been considered very important and sacred to the Athenians and the Greeks in the ancient and modern times.

These images show the location of the Areopagus in Athens.


The trial of Orestes took place at the Areopagus, even though the murder happened at Argos. Orestes, son of Agamemnon, avenged his father by killing Aegisthus and Clytemnestra. At the end of trial, Athena determined that Orestes would not be killed.

This below image shows the trial at Areopagus in Athens.


National Archeological Museum's object:




This was the marble grave stele of Hegeso in Kerameikos in Athens. The grave stele was found in 1870 in the Kerameikos cemetery. The stele featured a noble Athenian lady sitting in a chair and looking at a jewelry piece on her hand. Across from her stood a sorrowful standing servant holding an open jewelry box.


This grave stele reminds me of the ‘afterlife’ meaning in the grave steles in Kerameikos. As I looked at this stele, I think of how the deceased lady was depicted as noble and feminine. I found it interesting of how women were more appreciated in their civic importance and in their grave. I like how the lady was depicted as calming in this stele, portraying her peacefulness of death in her grave stele. I wonder if Hegeso’s purpose of the afterlife was to pass her jewelry down to the next generation from this jewelry box, representing the passing of nobility.


Reflection:

I really like the sacred gate with the river running through it at Kerameikos! It is interesting to me how the river ran under the wall into the city to provide water for the Athenians. I found this way to be versatile. I like how this sacred place was built with the Dipylon Gate to protect Kerameikos and the tombs behind it, too. I also noticed that the altar of Zeus was in front of the gates. It seemed to me that Zeus was an important god to the Athenians and the Greeks, so his altar was placed there to honor him in a special way. I am also fond of the 'after life' idea presented at the cemetery sculptures. It inspired me that death in Athens was not a disconnection from the world, but it was a reconnection of soul and spirit with the loved ones in the after life. It is engaging to connect Kerameikos with the Agora and the Acropolis on the way around Athens.


At the Pnyx, I found that the Orator's Bema looked cool! It is fascinating to me how the speaker spoke to the Athenians and faced the Acropolis at the same time. I think that the Orator's Bema was thoughtfully set up this way on the uphills so it looked like the speaker was talking to everyone and the Athens city itself, showing the support and love for the city. I like how the Athenians valued their city and especially the olive tree, as damaging the olive tree was considered a serious crime at Areopagus. I love how the olive tree was used to represent peace and it was a sacred tree to goddess Athena and Athens itself. I love how the Athenians honored their values and embraced them from any harm. I would definitely want to learn more about the significance of the olive tree to the Greeks in the present day!

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