Athens 2004 Olympic 'Klepsydra'

With the London Olympics less than a month away, here's a look back at the opening ceremony of Athens 2004. The 'klepsydra', named after the water clock used to time speeches in the ancient Athenian court, displayed the highlights of Greek civilisation from the Minoan age to the modern.

A-Level Classical Civilisation students studying Art and Architecture in the Greek World should recognise one or two famous works.


Minoans

See here: Minoan Art

Myceneans

See here: Greek Armour

Geometric art

See here: Geometric Art

Korai and Kouroi

See here: Korai

See here: Kouroi

Athenian Theatre

See here: Athenian Theatre

Myths

See here: Oedipus

See here: Bacchae

See here: Herakles/Hercules

The Acropolis of Athens

See here: Athena

See here: Parthenon Frieze

See here: Karyatids

Bronze Scuplture

See here: Delphic Charioteer

Ancient Olympics

See here: Nike

See here: Ancient Olympics

See here: The Diskobolos/The Discus Thrower

Alexander the Great

See here: Alexander Mosaic

Hellenistic Period: Eros (Cupid)

See here: Eros

The Klepsydra Video

Pronouncing Latin

Here are some useful online guides for pronouncing Classical Latin:


1. Phonetica Latinae (features clickable audio clips)

2. Wheelock's Latin (features clickable audio clips)

3. Latin Pronunciation Demystified (scroll down for the chart)

4. Latin Central (a straightforward chart)



Vowels

Consonants

Reading of John I, Latin Vulgate (with the Classical pronunciation)

Temple of Apollo at Bassae: Frieze

Classical Continuous Frieze from Bassae (British Museum)

c. 420-400 BCE

Centauromachy and Amazonomachy

High Relief

Greek Architecture of the British Museum

Exterior Ionic Order 

The swirling decorative features of the column capitals are called volutes, a hallmark of the Ionic order. Note how on the corner, where two meet, they protrude.

Compare to the Erechtheum on the Acropolis of Athens: Erechtheum Porch.

Note how this arrangement makes the volutes in the Temple of Apollo at Bassae unusual: Temple of Apollo at Bassae (i.e. all the volutes protrude).

Ionic Frontage


The building has an octostyle (8 column) frontage (like the Parthenon, although its cigar-shaped columns belong to the Doric order).

An explanation for the meaning of the pediment can be found here: http://www.britishmuseum.org/about_us/the_museums_story/architecture/south_pediment.aspx

Pan Painter

A2 Classical Civilisation: Art and Architecture in the Greek World.
Pan Painter, Perseus and Medusa

Meidias Painter

A2 Classical Civilisation: Art and Architecture in the Greek World.
Meidias Painter: Herakles/ Dioskouroi hydria

Erechtheum

A2 Classical Civilisation: Art and Architecture in the Greek World.
Erechtheion Caryatid

Erechtheum Column

Townley Caryatid (Roman copy)