Listed 1 sub titles with search on: Archaeological sites for wider area of: "VOULIAGMENI Suburb of Athens ATTIKI" .
LEMOS (City quarter) VOULIAGMENI
It is a significant historical symbol for the city, and is situated
in the hotel ASTIR area. The ticket you pay at the entrance, allows you also to
use the swimming pool. The temple's base is still standing, together with sections
of the peristyle and the altar which is dedicated to Leto and her twins, Artemis
and Apollo.
The discovery of the first archaelogical findings in 1952 started
when the children of the Vouliagmeni orphanage, while playing at the beach over
the ancient temple that was buried in the sand, found a piece of polished marble
with an inscription on it.
Detailed description of the temple:
The temple of Apollo Zostir is a temple of simple structure and moderate
size. The 'nave', i.e. the main section of the temple has dimensions of 10,8 m
X 6 m, and its entrance faces to the East.
In later years the temple aquired a 'peristasis', i.e. a kind of roofed
area around it, with the roof based on pillars. The 'peristasis', which is dated
at the second half of the 4th century bC, is comprised of 4 pillars at its two
narrow sides and 6 pillars at its wider ones. Today, only the bases of these pillars
are still remaining.
The floor of the temple is paved with perfectly aligned and fitted
together plates of titanolith.
Only the north side of the walls stil remains, at a height that is
less than 1 m. It is considered as the best existing specimen of the Archaic period,
and is constructed with the polygonic system, i.e. the stones are fitted together
only with the help of perfect hewing, rectangulation and setting, and without
any use of clay or lime. The archaeologists believe that the whole height of walls
of the temple were constructed in this way, in spite of the fact that during this
period, mud-bricks were used over a certain height.
During the Christian era the temple was converted into a small monastery,
which according to some researchers was dedicated to St. George, while others
believe that it was dedicated to Virgin Mary.
At the north-east side of the temple and at a distance of 6,5 m one
can see the base of the altar, constructed from big, othrogonized titanoliths
with dimensions of 4,25 X 2,55.
In the middle of the nave and aligned parallel to the entrance, three
bases of statues have been discovered. On the right and on the left were the statues
of Leto and Artemis, while in the middle stood the statue of Apollo. In front
of it there stood a solid, monolithic marble table of 1,10 X 0,62 and 0,63 high,
ending in two lion feet, of a rather sloppy craftmanship.
The fragments that were discovered in the temple lead the archaeologists
to believe that such tables, but of a smaller size, must have been present in
front of the other two staues, used as altars where the pious could lay down their
offerings.
The two pilasters of the entrance are also still standing, and the
two holes on the marble threshold seem to prove that the wooden gate of the temple
had two leafs.
This text is cited June 2005 from the Municipality of Vouliagmeni URL below
Receive our daily Newsletter with all the latest updates on the Greek Travel industry.
Subscribe now!