TEMPLE OF ATHENA APHAIA AEGINA

ABDUL JABBAR BIN MOHAMAD TAHAHASAN BASRI BIN OTHMAN

YEAR 2 SEM 1

One the most delightful doric temple of Greece, the Temple of Aphaia is

located a top the pine-clad Mesagro hill on the northeast end of the

island and it is encircled by excellent views of the saronic gulf and the

surrounding area.

It was built in 480 BC and 25 of the original 32 Doric columns still stand due to the skill of the restorers

It is situated in a Sanctuary complex in Aegina about 13 Km east of the main port

The temple was built over the ruins of an earlier temple built around 570 BC that existed at the very site but was later destroyed in the fire in 510 BC

The remains of this old temple were filled to get a larger flat terrace on which to build a new temple

This led to the ruins of the old temple to be well preserved many painted remnants are still found

The possibility of another temple built in the 7th century being located at this site is seen but all agree that this temple was very small and simple in terms of both plan and size

Many figurines belonging to the late Bronze Age have been excavated from this site especially female figurines showing that cult activity existed at this site from 14th century BC connected to a Minoan civilization

The last temple has an unusual plan and is noted for their beautiful sculpture that shows a remarkable progress from Archaic to Early Classical techniques

Historical evidences point to the fact the people of Aegina by the second millennium was already worshipping a deity at this site

By the end of second millennium the Dorians colonized Aegina and they continued the worship of the goddess

The legend has it that Aphaea escaped the clutches of sailors near the coast of Aegina and was seen going up till she vanished and hence the name Aphaea meaning “vanish”

Aphaea is said to be a mountain and a hunting goddess who protects shipping and Aegina was an important shipping area of the region

The maritime prosperity of Aegina during the sixth and fifth century is the reason for the beautifully built Temple of Aphaia at Aegina

The temple of Aphaia is built on the Doric peripteral style with32 columns twelve on each side and six at the front and back

The temple of Aphaia was built in the late 6th or in the early 5th century BCE and it is considered one of the most beautiful late archaic temples of Greece.

The temple of Aphaia was built of local limestone and was covered with stucco and vivid colors. Most of the stucco and pigments have eroded, but traces can still be seen on the floor of the pronaos and the cella. The wide ramp pictured here connects the temple with the altar.

The Doric order was the predominant type of temple on the Greek Mainland and among the Western Greeks of Sicily and southern Italy

The essential elements of this rather severe style had been put into place by the middle of the sixth century BC

The fluted columns had no bases and only very simple capitals. They supported an entablature which consisted of the architrave (stone cross beams) and the frieze, which was essentially a decorative element composed of alternating mentopes (stone panels) and triglyphs (carved, upright bars in groups of three)

Doric temples the columns almost invariably stood directly on the floor, tapering upwards towards the roof

The work was obviously done after the column went up since it would be awfully difficult to get the grooves and arises (the sharp division between the grooves) right beforehand

The last temple has an unusual plan and is noted for their beautiful sculpture that shows a remarkable progress from Archaic to Early Classical techniques.

Historical evidences point to the fact the people of Aegina by the second millennium was already worshipping a deity at this site. By the end of second millennium the Dorians colonized Aegina and they continued the worship of the goddess.

Not much information is found on the various sculptures that were mounted in the buildings flanking the sacrificial alter. Set up on the east side of the temple are two groups of sculptures, a few statues simply called the “warrior groups” and sculpted most probably by the west pediment master sculptor.

Dying warrior from the west pediment of the temple of Aphaia Aegina

Dying warrior from east pediment of the temple of Aphaia of Aegina

PlanPlan of the temple of Aphaia and the surrounding area. Such documentation help the visitors gain some understanding of the ancient site

Administrative buildings, storage rooms and residencies for the priests are found at the east end of the acropolis

The periegetic writer Puasanias briefly mentions the site in his writings of the 2nd century CE, but does not describe the sanctuary in detail as he does for many others. The temple was made known in Western Europe by the publication of the Antiquities of Ionia (London, 1797). In 1811, the young English architect Charles Robbert Cockerell, finishing his education on his academic Grand Tour, and Baron Otto Magnus Von Stackelberg removed the fallen fragmentary pediment sculptures. On the recommendation of Baron Carl Haller Von Hallerstein, who was also an architect and, moreover, a protégé of the art patron Crown Prince Ludwig of Bavaria, the marbles were shipped abroad and sold the following year to the Crown Prince, soon to be King Ludwig I of Bavaria. Minor excavations of the east Peribolos wall were carried out in 1894 during reconstruction of the last temple

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