Getting from Parthenon to the old Agora on foot?

We plan to visit Greece and the islands in a couple of years. For the
Athens leg of the trip, I consider the Parthenon a must-see,
obviously. But as an old philosopher who cut his teeth on the Apology
back in school, I want to wander the Agora, see the building where
Socrates pled his case, see the (purported) site of "Socrates' Cell",
etc. The two sites look close geographically, but I can't see how one
gets down off the top of the Acropolis and over to where the Agora is
located. Any info is greatly appreciated.

"Steve G" wrote in message
ups.com...
We plan to visit Greece and the islands in a couple of years. For the
Athens leg of the trip, I consider the Parthenon a must-see,
obviously. But as an old philosopher who cut his teeth on the Apology
back in school, I want to wander the Agora, see the building where
Socrates pled his case, see the (purported) site of "Socrates' Cell",
etc. The two sites look close geographically, but I can't see how one
gets down off the top of the Acropolis and over to where the Agora is
located. Any info is greatly appreciated.

If you're up to it, there's a footpath from the Acropolis to the Agora.
When I was there some years back, it was narrow, steep and rocky. Just be
careful you don't step on a rolling rock and sprain your ankle as I did!

GG

Magda wrote:

On 13 Apr 2007 09:07:13 -0700, in rec.travel.europe, "Steve G"

arranged some electrons, so they looked like this:

... We plan to visit Greece and the islands in a couple of years. For the
... Athens leg of the trip, I consider the Parthenon a must-see,
... obviously. But as an old philosopher who cut his teeth on the Apology
... back in school, I want to wander the Agora, see the building where
... Socrates pled his case, see the (purported) site of "Socrates' Cell",
... etc. The two sites look close geographically, but I can't see how one
... gets down off the top of the Acropolis and over to where the Agora is
... located. Any info is greatly appreciated.

Leave the Acropolis (downstairs) and turn right. A few metres past the
Aeropagus, to your
left, you'll see a path that goes down to the Old Agora, through the
Panathenaic Way.
Great spot to take pictures.


But is Athens really worth *all* that trouble...???

--
Best
Greg

On Apr 13, 6:43 pm, Magda magda@eu wrote:

Leave the Acropolis (downstairs) and turn right. A few metres past the Aeropagus, to your
left, you'll see a path that goes down to the Old Agora, through the Panathenaic Way.
Great spot to take pictures.

Funny you should mention it - I did exactly that on Monday :-)

B;

"Magda" magda@eu wrote in message
...
On Fri, 13 Apr 2007 17:13:42 GMT, in rec.travel.europe, "Gregory Morrow"
arranged some electrons, so they looked
like this:

... Leave the Acropolis (downstairs) and turn right. A few metres past
the
... Aeropagus, to your
... left, you'll see a path that goes down to the Old Agora, through the
... Panathenaic Way.
... Great spot to take pictures.
...
... But is Athens really worth *all* that trouble...???

Don't take my word (after all, I have only been there 9-10 times so far) -
go there and
see for yourself.

Yes, Athens is worth all that trouble and more. The walk down from the
Parthenon to the Agora is brilliant. However, when walking around the Agora,
if you feel tired, don't sit on anything except a park bench. You may find,
like I did, that you're sitting on some sort of endangered ancient monument,
which riles the guards.

Cheers,
George W Russell
Bangalore

On Apr 13, 7:53 pm, Magda magda@eu wrote:
On 13 Apr 2007 10:50:49 -0700, in rec.travel.europe, arranged some
electrons, so they looked like this:

... On Apr 13, 6:43 pm, Magda magda@eu wrote:
...
... Leave the Acropolis (downstairs) and turn right. A few metres past the Aeropagus, to your
... left, you'll see a path that goes down to the Old Agora, through the Panathenaic Way.
... Great spot to take pictures.
...
... Funny you should mention it - I did exactly that on Monday :-)

Let us see the pictures!!

Your wish is my command.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jeremyrh/457970411/

B;

On Apr 13, 12:53 pm, Magda magda@eu wrote:
On 13 Apr 2007 10:50:49 -0700, in rec.travel.europe, arranged some
electrons, so they looked like this:

... On Apr 13, 6:43 pm, Magda magda@eu wrote:
...
... Leave the Acropolis (downstairs) and turn right. A few metres past the Aeropagus, to your
... left, you'll see a path that goes down to the Old Agora, through the Panathenaic Way.
... Great spot to take pictures.
...
... Funny you should mention it - I did exactly that on Monday :-)

Let us see the pictures!!


http://travel.webshots.com/album/554...SebKc?start=19

Steve G wrote:
...see the (purported) site of "Socrates'
Cell"...

My directions are from 2000 but I've read that the Prison is now
signposted.
Regards, Walter

SOCRATES' PRISON AND CELL

This Athens' Agora site is unmarked, often overlooked and alittle off
the beaten track.
But it's very likely the location of the prison and the famous cell
where Socrates committed his state-ordered suicide by drinking Hemlock.

*Three travel guidebooks that have info on this site are the 'Blue
Guide Athens', 'Oxford Archaeological Guides-Greece' and 'The Traveler's
Key To Ancient Greece' by Richard G. Geldard.

***There is also a tourist fake prison/cell that's listed on maps
(Streetwise Athens) and in some guidebooks.
**This site was probably just a legend/myth passed down over the
years and definitely not Socrates' Prison Cell. It's located between the
Acropolis and Monument of Filopappou.

**So if you'd like to (IMO) stand in the exact spot where Socrates
was imprisoned and died 2400yrs ago, I wrote a trip report on its
location.

**For modern photos of the sites (Tholos, Prison, etc) listed below
go to this website http://home.arcor.de/atheneus/photo11.html


[AGORA MAP] Go to http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~loxias/agora.htm

**The 'Yellow Box' in the bottom left corner is the Prison.

**The 'Yellow Arrow' next to it is the Ditch/Drain and actually the
Prison should be more to the left 'directly alongside' the Ditch and the
'White Path' just above the Prison going right-to-left is the path you
cross-over in the directions.

Click-on the Prison then click-on 'See Plan'. It's a blueprint of the
Prison.
**Notice on the left there are 5 square areas, one above the other.
Those are prison cells and each cell has an opening (doorway) on the
right except the 5th (top) one which only opens into the 4th cell.
Across the hallway from the bottom 3 cells are 3 more cells and above
those was a small 4 room building.
*
*But this website is alot better with photos and diagrams
http://www.wesleyan.edu/~mkatz/grk20...01.Prison.html
**The 'Inner Room' was a bathing facility which connected to a
single prison cell.
**So what you have in this prison are 6 individual cells and 1
double roomed cell.
**I wonder, was this double cell for VIPs only? Or possibly for
anyone ordered to commit suicide?


Go back to the Agora map: *Now follow the 'Great Drain/Ditch' up to
the 'Yellow Triangle' and click-on it, that is 'Simon the Cobbler's
Shop'.

Also click-on the 'Small Yellow Dot' at the top corner of the triangle,
that is the 'Boundary Stone'.

**And the 'Yellow Circle' above the triangle is the Tholos where my
directions begin.

**The Hephaisteion (click-on the square in the green area) is the
Temple on a hill that overlooks the Agora, you can't miss it so I'm
using it as a landmark.
**At the base of this hill is the Tholos.


[ON-SITE DIRECTIONS]
**The Tholos (70M SE of the Hephaisteion and marked) is just a
circular foundation (photo in above website under 'The Prytanelon').

**Now with your back to the Tholos looking East to the Agora Museum
there is a small ditch called the 'Great Drain' 15M in front of you
[North is left & South is right of you here].

This 'Great Drain'/ditch runs N-S, now look towards the Acropolis (45deg
to the right) and you'll see the Ditch turns 45deg and heads SW, walk
over to *this* spot and stand in the Ditch looking SW.

**In front of you in the Ditch is a 'Boundary Stone' (signposted)
and the Wall that it is against (left side) belongs to a row of
houses/shops and 1 of them belonged to 'Simon the Cobbler' (his
inscribed cup & hobnails were found there***).
**This cobbler shop was a well known hang-out of Socrates.

**Now follow this Ditch SW (walk along the left side) for 120M and
you will come to a small path which crosses the Ditch (you will have to
climb up ~1m to the path so you´ll know when you get to it.

**Now in front (5m) of you is the Prison (it´s on the left side
{like you} of the Ditch and its right wall runs *right* alongside the
Ditch).

Just *past* it you´ll see marble fragments that have been recently
stacked up in a large *neat* rectangle (excellent landmark but possibly
only temporary) this was the courtyard of the prison.

**The Prison is just foundation stones but you´ll see the corridor
thru the center.

**On the left the 1st room is a quad, this was the prison
administration (possibly was 2 stories high) followed by 3 cells.

**Now on the right (alongside the Ditch) there are 5 cells, you´ll
notice that the 1st cell unlike all the others has no access from the
corridor and can only be entered by the 2nd cell which has a corridor
entrance.

**This fits the historical account of Socrates´ cell having 2
rooms.
**So with the 1st cell a bathing area, the 2nd cell would be his
actual prison cell where he slept, talked with his friends, drank his
poison and laid down on his bed to die.

**Small flasks*** were found around the prison which some claim
could have been used for State ordered poisonings? **

*****In the Agora Museum check-out Case #20 which contains
'Simon´s Cup' and cobbler's hopnails.
**Also in this case; The small flasks and a plate found around the
prison.
And a photo of the prison excavation area.



...And Paradise Was Lost...like teardrops in the rain...

Martin wrote:

On Fri, 13 Apr 2007 23:10:51 +0200, Magda magda@eu wrote:

On Fri, 13 Apr 2007 23:02:14 +0200, in rec.travel.europe, Martin

arranged some electrons, so they looked like this:

... On Fri, 13 Apr 2007 21:22:41 +0200, Magda magda@eu wrote:
...
... On 13 Apr 2007 12:16:30 -0700, in rec.travel.europe,
arranged some
... electrons, so they looked like this:
...
... ... On Apr 13, 7:53 pm, Magda magda@eu wrote:
... ... On 13 Apr 2007 10:50:49 -0700, in rec.travel.europe,
arranged some
... ... electrons, so they looked like this:
... ...
... ... ... On Apr 13, 6:43 pm, Magda magda@eu wrote:
... ... ...
... ... ... Leave the Acropolis (downstairs) and turn right. A
few metres past the Aeropagus, to your
... ... ... left, you'll see a path that goes down to the Old
Agora, through the Panathenaic Way.
... ... ... Great spot to take pictures.
... ... ...
... ... ... Funny you should mention it - I did exactly that on
Monday :-)
... ...
... ... Let us see the pictures!!
... ...
... ... Your wish is my command.
... ... http://www.flickr.com/photos/jeremyrh/457970411/
...
... Pinging Martin... Long-legged girls in sight!
...
... Are you surprised? They are the only thing Jeremy likes about the
Netherlands.

I'm not surprised. And he likes elderly ladies in folkloric dresses, too.

Dirndls?


Habits...???

--
Best
Greg

On Apr 14, 11:59 am, "Gregory Morrow"
wrote:
Martin wrote:
On Fri, 13 Apr 2007 23:10:51 +0200, Magda magda@eu wrote:

On Fri, 13 Apr 2007 23:02:14 +0200, in rec.travel.europe, Martin

arranged some electrons, so they looked like this:

... On Fri, 13 Apr 2007 21:22:41 +0200, Magda magda@eu wrote:
...
... On 13 Apr 2007 12:16:30 -0700, in rec.travel.europe,

arranged some ... electrons, so they looked like this:
...
... ... On Apr 13, 7:53 pm, Magda magda@eu wrote:
... ... On 13 Apr 2007 10:50:49 -0700, in rec.travel.europe,

arranged some ... ... electrons, so they looked like this:
... ...
... ... ... On Apr 13, 6:43 pm, Magda magda@eu wrote:
... ... ...
... ... ... Leave the Acropolis (downstairs) and turn right. A

few metres past the Aeropagus, to your ... ... ... left, you'll see a path that goes down to the Old

Agora, through the Panathenaic Way.



... ... ... Great spot to take pictures.
... ... ...
... ... ... Funny you should mention it - I did exactly that on
Monday :-)
... ...
... ... Let us see the pictures!!
... ...
... ... Your wish is my command.
... ...http://www.flickr.com/photos/jeremyrh/457970411/
...
... Pinging Martin... Long-legged girls in sight!
...
... Are you surprised? They are the only thing Jeremy likes about the
Netherlands.

I'm not surprised. And he likes elderly ladies in folkloric dresses, too.

Dirndls?

Habits...???

--
Best
Greg

Thanks, all. If I can't find my way with all this, then I'm just
plain too dumb to be
going on vacation abroad.