latin or ancient greek? iliad or odyssey? rome or athens? ivory or scarlet? history or mythology? sea or mountains? apollo or dionysus? gold or pearl? flute or lyre? glory or wisdom?
Athena, the virgin goddess of wisdom, war, strategy, defense, city state building and crafts like pottery, and patron goddess of Athens. In my Illustration she towers above Athens, as the city’s patron and eternal defender.
She was born from Zues' head fully armed, and upon her chest plate armor she wears her AEGIS, with medusa’s head, which is used as a protective amulet and was said to let out a terrible roar in battle. Upon her shield is a horse and rider wearing a bridle, which Athena invented for mortals to ride and control horses (along with chariots and wagons).
Upon her arm is her sacred animal, the owl, with it’s night vision, having the ability to see things that others cannot, hence it being a symbol of wisdom. The snake at her feet represents the early Athenian ruler, “Erichthonius”. (*wikipedia; The snake is his symbol, and he is represented in the statue of Athena in the Parthenon as the snake hidden behind her shield. The most sacred building on the Acropolis of Athens, the Erechtheum, is dedicated to Erichthonius.)
The organization in charge of an ambitious plan to overhaul the Greek capital’s image as an archaeological destination has offered its expertise to help promote the archaeological site of Knossos on Crete.
The Unification of the Archaeological Sites of Athens said on Friday that it will be coordinating an international competition for zoning proposals on how best to open up the entire site of the Bronze Age center of the Minoan civilization to visitors, who are currently restricted mainly to the palace complex and are unable to see other antiquities on the site.
“The archaeological site of Knossos is the second most visited site in Greece” with an average of 1 million visitors a year, said UASA president Dora Galani. “It is extremely rich in findings and is spread over a large expanse, characteristics that have not been fully maximized as tourists only visit the palace complex. At a short distance from the palace though, there are a lot of interesting monuments, which most people are ignorant of.” Read more.
directionally challenged athens is the only city her feet knows, she wanders down alleyways undiscovered but familiar and sits beneath an orange tree. she takes one plump sunset shaded fruit, peels back thick skin, juice gushes down her arm. yet she smells cypress trees, olive oil offerings, and cinnamon. she whispers prayer, nimble fingers pressing a golden owl.
