Blog

There is nothing quite as bittersweet as beginning to walk back down the Acropolis, turning your back to the Parthenon. But the sadness is soothed somewhat as you stare out across the city, or study the intricate marble laid out on all sides. Everywhere I looked, there was something that made me pause. But as I traced the metal steps down the North Slope, I soon felt only excitement. That is because there was another site of mythological importance that I had been longing to

Numerous attempts to restore the Pentelic marble back to its native land have been fruitless, and it is a discussion that continues to this day. Yet as I walked across the Acropolis, toward the Erechtheion, this time it wasn't the striking Ionic columns that caught my eye, but six female statuette columns holding up the south porch. These sisters, 'The Caryatids', are as much of a fixture of the Acropolis as the Parthenon itself.

There are few landscapes as instantly recognisable as the city of Athens. Its iconic structures perch upon ancient rock formations, staring out over the modern day city.

The word "Marathon" is known in perhaps billions of households around the world. Most commonly, it invokes the 26.2-mile journey between an athlete and an Olympic medal. History enthusiasts may also associate it with the Battle of Marathon in 490 BCE against the Persian Empire. Yet despite the importance of both events, the region also plays an important role both in Mythology and in wider history.