Date: 21 May 2007
Partners for the day: Mike Holmes (text) Ray Di Ciaccio (images)
Site(s): Cemetery in Parikia, around Parikia, Koukounaries, beach at Kolimvythres
Museum(s): None
Principal Buildings/Monuments: Venetian Kastro, Temple of Demeter, Panagia Ekatontapyliani
Time Spent on Each Site: from ca.8:45 to ca. 5:00 [8 hours]
Weather: Very annoyingly partially cloudy.
Murphy’s Law: Whatever can go wrong, will go wrong.
While sitting on the beach at Kolimvythres today, it occurred to me how relevant Murphy’s Law has been to the past few days of the program. I was in a state of rather chilly relaxation, waiting for a single cloud to pass and give our stretch of sand the little bit of sun it needed to become a perfect paradise of the Cyclades. Two hours later, the cove was still shrouded in shadow and my patience was wearing thin. Some group reasoning followed, and with the same power of collective intelligence which both Athenian democracy and desperate Who Wants to Be a Millionaire contestants relied upon, we determined that the cloud was forming directly over the northern section of Paros, being carried by wind currents towards the north, and immediately dissipating no more than a kilometer or two out to see. The end result was a frustrating little umbrella of water vapor, locked into the perfect position to shield the best beaches of Paros from glorious sunlight and allow the rest of the island to bask in warmth and happiness. Of course, the cloud dissipated as soon as we made our departure for the small town of Naoussa, which I might add, was delayed an hour due to a little boat stranding us by leaving ten minutes earlier than scheduled. Since when is public transit ever early? I guess it all just goes along with the trend of getting poured on in Santorini, having a delayed ferry due to a mysterious “accident,” ATMs which don’t dispense cash, and the plague which has been constantly ravaging the group and today took Liz, Kyle, and Johann out of action.
Bad luck aside, Paros is certainly a nice island with a number of interesting sites and an illustrious history. For millennia it had been famed for its esteemed white marble, out of which were fashioned such great works as the sculpture on the Temple of Zeus at Olympia and Napoleon’s tomb. It was the export of this excellent stone which ensured Paros’ prosperity from the Early Cycladic period onwards. Although we did not have the time to visit the ancient quarries, evidence of the material’s abundance is everywhere. One perfect example is provided by the kastro of Parikia, which was built by the Venetians in 1260 A.D. Its wall of gleaming marble blocks, many of which were robbed from the nearby Temple of Demeter, makes a striking appearance. Even if much of the wall is composed of spolia, the use of marble as a fortification building material is evidence that there is no shortage of it on the island.
The two other sites we visited in our walk around Parikia were also rather impressive. The first was an ancient cemetery, which has been monumentalized by its excavator with high walls and a rather elaborate fence. Sadly, that fence is getting a bit rusty and the once notable signage is rapidly becoming unreadable. However, this does not detract from the great finds discovered within, which we will see tomorrow in the archaeological museum. Originally excavated due to threatened development, the site was found to yield remains ranging from the 7th century B.C. to late Roman times.
What the cemetery lacked in terms of visual stimulus was completely made up for by Panagia Ekatontapyliani, a magnificent cathedral dating to 326 A.D. The name literally translates as Our Lady of the Hundred Gates. Although such a number may be a bit exaggerated, the multiple-building complex and its surrounding portico certainly do not fail to impress. Once again local Parian marble showed up in construction, most notably in the columns of Agios Nikolaos, the central church. Unfortunately, our bad luck continued to follow us, and we choose to visit on what may very well be the only Monday of the month with mid-morning services. We were thus unable to get a close look at the interior of Agios Nikolaos, and had to content ourselves with the imposing Baptistery and courtyard instead.
The final and most dramatic academic site of the day was to be found at Koukounaries, a rocky acropolis near the town of Naoussa. Getting there was rather an adventure, involving a very crowded bus ride across the island, a short hop on a boat across Plastira Bay, and a fun scramble up a boulder field to the beautiful viewpoint at the top of the hill. Koukounaries is notable for its continuity in settlement from Mycenaean to Geometric times, the transition between which would have been a very bad period indeed to be alive. The combination of a massive systemic collapse and Dorian invaders brought about population declines of up to 90 percent in some places. The settlement is thus identified as a refuge, a place where people could have lived without fear of being suddenly overrun by wandering bands of warriors. Although the hill is low enough to make a practical location for a town, it would certainly be easy enough for a relatively small number of defenders to dispatch with a group of thugs struggling up the slope under the heavy weight of armor and weaponry. Perhaps its inhabitant managed to avoid the bad luck which has lately failed to release its icy grasp on the heels of the FSP. Let us hope that Mr. Murphy chooses to relax with the rest of the group on the warm, enticing, and oh so liberal sands of infamous Mykonos tomorrow. Until than…
The group welcomed the sunny weather early this morning – a nice change from the weather we experienced on Santorini. Krisitina came well-prepared for either sun or rain today.
After several days of “vacation” on Santorini, the group is struck by a wave of exhaustion early in the day. Now is this due to the sun, the time or the return to an archaeological site?
On our way through the city of Parikia, we saw a worker cutting some marble for the curb. Something tells me the ancient Greeks didn’t do it this way.
Gahl does his best impression of Mike as he scales a spolia-filled Frankish defense wall.
I think this must be where they got the colors for the Greek flag: the whitewashed city and the blue sea. Liz tells me that I’m wrong, but I don’t believe her.
Even our resident “guy who always knows where he’s going and never ever gets lost” (Josh) can become confused in the labyrinthine streets of the Cycladic cities.
One of the largest churches in the Cycladic Islands is here in Parikia. It is known as the Ekatondapyliani or “The One Hundred Gated.” There is an interesting legend associated with the building: the church was designed by Isidore of Miletus but was built by his student Ignatius. It was such a beautiful building that Isidore became extremely jealous and fought with Ignatius on the roof, from which both of them fell to their deaths.
Liz and Kelsey stand in the upper balcony of the Ekatondapyliani looking down on the service taking place below. Today was the Feast Day of Constantine and Helen, so there were services being held in both churches that we visited today.
After our tour through Parikia, the group headed off to the city of Naoussa by means of a very crowded bus. The trip was justified by a visit to a Mycenaean site but the real destination was the beach.
All around Paros we noticed that many of the stray dogs were exceptionally fat. As you can see from Kelsey’s expression, this dog was not only fat but also incredibly ugly.
From Naoussa we took a boat to get to the Mycenaean site (and beach!). Caleb was very excited about this trip to say the least.
I was also pretty excited to be heading off to the Mycenaean acropolis of Koukounaries. It had been a while since we saw a Mycenaean site; some of us were experiencing withdrawal symptoms.
Kristina, Gahl, Kelsey and Kinsey hike, climb, and scramble up the rocks to the Mycenaean acropolis. It was probably the most climbing we’ve done yet – as opposed to simply hiking up a hillside. We almost lost Chris on several occasions.
Sadly the clouds rolled in soon after we arrived at Koukounaries. (Murphy’s Law of the FSP #1: If there’s a day at the beach, it will be cold and cloudy.) “If you stare at the clouds, your eyes will shoot photons at them, and they’ll move.” Or so claimed Pete.
Here the group (or what remained of it by this point) stands at the Mycenaean acropolis with our next destination (the beach) far below in the background.
The group lounged around for much of our time at the beach because of the clouds – Pete wasn’t doing a very good job of moving the clouds around. A few people still attempted to catch some sun, though.
Apparently Gahl didn’t do so well in high school physics – and he must not have spent much time around see-saws either. Getting off the chair while Kristina sat on the end was (according to Kristina) “the dumbest thing Gahl’s done… today.”
The sun peaked out for a minute or two every once in a while – a few members of the group dared the water (and it actually wasn’t too bad).
Murphy’s Law of the FSP #2: Once we leave the beach, the sun will come out. Nick, Ben and Pete hang out on some medieval fortifications, taking in the sun.
Kyle and Ben show off a piece of Parian marble that Kyle and Johann picked up when they visited the quarry.
FINAL COMMENTS:
Today was a day of fragmentation. We lost Lizz at the start of the day – she was feeling sick and stayed behind at the hotel. As the group headed off to Koukounaries and the beach, we lost Kyle and Johann because Kyle was also feeling sick. Kyle ended up making a speedy recovery, and they rented an ATV. While the group relaxed at the beach, they cruised around the area visiting a Hellenistic tower, the Parian marble quarry, a prison, a landfill, a shanty town and a monastery. Gahl and Kristina splintered off from the group after we left the beach. They rented a moped and rode around for about four hours. We also lost Caleb at the beach somehow… We began the day with 18 FSPers, and we finished with 12 on the bus ride back to our hotel. Now we’re all back safely and the ATVers and moped-ers are taking a group of us to dinner on the outskirts of Parikia.
