Dion, Greece.

Yesterday, the weather was terrible with all-day rain and the temperature dropping to 54😱.

 

We even had to light the fireplace!

All was not lost though as we stuffed ourselves with delicious Greek food (rain or shine, they deliver,) watched movies and bonded even more.

The next day, the weather was great, so it was off to see the ruins at Dion and climb Mt. Olympus.

(Joan, my views: Magnificent Mt. Olympus (joan-myviews.blogspot.com)

They are still excavating the site!

The ruins of  ancient city of Dion are located at the foot of Mount Olympus in the north of Greece, once known as Macedon.

Houses in modern Dion are close to the museum

Legend has it that Dion was the burial place of Orpheus, the famous Greek prophet and musician.

However, the site was most important under Macedonian rulers, notably Philip II and his son, Alexander the Great as both kings celebrated victories there, and it was at this sanctuary that Alexander conducted sacrifices before his campaigns into Asia.

These marble mosaics were the actual floor of their famous baths.

 It shows the affluence of the period.

Dion is now an UNESCO heritage site, as in the 5^th Century AD, it was an important Holy Place for the emerging Christian philosophy and worship.

In Greece it is the second largest site of ruins after Acropolis and even today when we were there, we saw people still excavating ruins.

Remnants of the solid city wall that once protected Dion.

The stadium is still fairly intact. They held Olympic games here. They lasted 9 days.

Another view of the stadium.

Dion was first made internationally famous through the writings of the Greek poet Homer. It was destroyed by an earthquake in the 7th Century.  

Despite its importance to Greek history and mythology, serious excavation did not begin there until in the 1950’s.

The museum

The museum is only five minutes away and it has a comprehensive collection of artifacts from the period.

If you love Greek history, it's a must.

The mosaics from the baths are well preserved.

The female figures are clad and the males nude.

Busts of Greek philosophers.

A new town has sprung up around the museum. The ruins in the yard and the new homes and businesses in the area, make an interesting contrast.

I thought this was a vineyard but it's a Kiwi orchard

An aged horse gets a morning walk

new homes are right beside the ruins in the museum yard.

We owe the Greeks!

In front of Archeological Museum in Athens

The Archeological Museum in Athens sell off. Omg. 

For $12 euros, there is so much to learn!

The Greek artistic Renaissance dates back to the 7 th century BC, but because their sculptures were mainly carved from bronze and marble, the damage over the centuries have been minimal. 

These bronze statues from shipwrecks are now displayed in the sculpture garden. They were found in deep under the sea.

Of course they have worked a great deal to restore them, but considering some were found up to 50 meters (around 160 feet) under water, and restored.

Absolutely amazing.

Others were found in graves, on grave stones of the wealthy and in regular digs.

The Greeks surely created art and  carved statues for everything! 

The gold displays from the Mycenaean Age were especially magnificent.

 They used pure gold strips to make utensils, vases clothes, jewelry, even cover the buttons on the clothes of the wealthy. I was especially overwhelmed by their death masks carved from gold too.

Ancient Greek artists celebrated the male human body with all its flaws, claiming it was more beautiful than the female form. So,

while most male statues were of nudes,  the women were clad.

Posing with Aphrodite, daughter of Zeus and the goddess of love and beauty.

 Did you notice that the men are usually nude, but the women well clad?

This sculpture was lost in a shipwreck and found deep underwater centuries later.

In the Sculpture Garden.

There is controversy as to whether this is a statue of Zeus or Poseidon. It was found underwater.

The women were never displayed naked.

 Of special interests to me, is the fact that the hair of both men and women seem to be in either neat locks or braids?

Very Curious!

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I am happy they restored so much their art over the centuries, as it adds a great deal to the history and culture of the world.