Lying to the west of the Agora, along Ermou Street, is the ancient cemetery Keramikos. Off the beaten tourist track, you can explore the extensive ruins and sculpted tombs in relative peace.
This was the burial site of important Athenians, and the collection of rich jewellery, gold, glass and ceramics found in their graves, dating back to the 7th century BC, indicates their statues.
These items are on display in the cemetery’s small museum, which with its strikingly beautiful painted vessels and unusual offering channels and figurines is a real gem for pottery lovers.
Rev. | User | Date |
---|
Use the all modes of transport search engine to get you there.
Want a widget like this on your own website to help people get to you?
We currently don't have any accommodation in the local area tagged by our community. Please see the list of hotels below, or if you want to help out and earn Reputation Score then search for your favourite places to stay with the 'destinations' search on the top of every page, and then contribute details about that place e.g. room details, location facilities, and why you like it.
Looking for something to do or a place to go see near Keramikos Archaeological Site? Here is our list of options.
Looking for important things or something to do or a place to go see near Keramikos Archaeological Site? Here is our list of options.
Filter By Tags:
Wander around the sprawling ruins of the ancient marketplace, where democracy and philosophy had their beginnings.
The museum within holds a large collection of pots, coins, household objects and pottery fragments (ostraka), on which the Athenians wrote names of prominent men they wanted to vote into exile. Also here are a huge bronze shield taken from the Spartans during the Peloponnesian War and a klirotirion, and unusual device for relegating public duties by lot – and important feature of ancient Athenian democracy.
This terraced hillside is the location of the Acropolis Sound and Light performances. The Pnyx – meaning ‘tightly packed space’ – is where the free citizens of 5th-century BC Athens met in democratic assembly.
At that time, the rocky platform here was the site of the Stone of Vima, an ancient Speaker’s Corner, where people gathered to hear the likes of Pericles, Themistocles and Demosthenes hold forth.
Built by the astronomer Andronikos in the 1st century BC. It once contained an elaborate water clock that was fed by a spring on the Acropolis. Sculptures on each of the eight sides of the octagonal marble tower represent the eight points of the compass and the corresponding wind.
You’ll spot Notos, the south end, pouring water from an urn, while Zephyros, the west wind, scatters spring flowers.
Spread out below the tower are the remains of the Roman Forum (Romaiki Agora). On the far side, the four Doric columns were part of the Gate of Athena Archegetis, which marked the main entrance to the market area. One door support, protected by a rusty iron grille, is inscribed with Emperor Hadrian’s edict taxing olive oil.
This enchanting temple, with a graceful Ionic portio, perches high on a terrace off to the right (southwest) of the Propylaea, and has a glorious panorama of the sea and distant mountains.
Built between 427 and 424 BC by the architect Callicrates, during a respite from the Peloponnesian War, it was devoted to Athena as the goddess of peace and victory.
The temple housed a statue of her which became known as the Wingless Victory herself was always shown with wings. The temple was torn down by the Turks in 1687 to make way for an artillery position; the one which is now standing was later painstakingly reassembled from the rubble by archaeologists during the 19th and 20th centuries.
Passing through the Propylaea, you come out into the great sloping plateau of the Acropolis. Try to imagine the scene 2,400 years ago, when these masterworks of architecture and sculpture were going up. Scores of stone cutters; carpenters, founders and braziers, goldsmiths, ivory workers, painters, dyers, and even embroiderers swarmed over this ground. For the most part they were freemen, not slaves, practitioners of nearly every art and craft then known.
Dominating the immediate foreground was an enormous bronze statue of Athena under another guise – Athena Promachos, the Defender. This statue of the goddess holding shield and spear was created by Phipias to honour the visitor at Marathon.
It’s said that sailors could spot the tip of her helmet as their ships sailed around the gulf from Sounion. That statue stood here for 1,000 years, until it was carted off to Constantinople in the 6th century AD.
Exchange rate fluctuations can have a considerable impact on your trip budget. If your home currency has appreciated in value in the recent term over the currency of your destination you are likely to find the place inexpensive.
Select your home currency from the drop down to compare it to the currency in use in Greece.
Currencies fluctuate all the time, to keep updated of rapidly devaluing currencies follow us on Twitter or Facebook , or if you have somewhere special in mind sign up for an account and plan a trip. We will then keep an eye on their currency rates, and send you an alert if their currency goes down in comparison to yours.
Do you know of anything else about the enviroment that makes you happy to come to Keramikos Archaeological Site? If it's a city or neighbourhood are there any climatic, or microclimatic features that you could tell others about. If the location is a building or place, then can you describe it maybe as "sun-lit", or "cold in the mornings". We'd love you to contribute - why not let us know in the drop box below
Graphic showing average weather in Keramikos Archaeological Site in Celcius and Centimeters (Change to Farenheit and Inches)
Month | Temp °C | Rainfall Cm | Temp °F | Rainfall Inches |
---|---|---|---|---|
Jan | 10.6 | 61.2 | 51.1 | 24.1 |
Feb | 11.1 | 46.3 | 52 | 18.2 |
Mar | 12.7 | 37.9 | 54.9 | 14.9 |
Apr | 16.3 | 22.8 | 61.3 | 9 |
May | 20.7 | 20.7 | 69.3 | 8.1 |
Jun | 25.1 | 12.1 | 77.2 | 4.8 |
Jul | 28.2 | 4 | 82.8 | 1.6 |
Aug | 28.1 | 7.8 | 82.6 | 3.1 |
Sep | 24.7 | 15.4 | 76.5 | 6.1 |
Oct | 20.5 | 51.9 | 68.9 | 20.4 |
Nov | 16 | 66.8 | 60.8 | 26.3 |
Dec | 12.6 | 75.7 | 54.7 | 29.8 |
Latest news from Keramikos Archaeological Site
Do you have an event that you want to shout about? Email contact@redplanet.travel and we'll tell you how to get into this list for free!
Let us know what is happening by tweeting @redplanetters - Use this link which will make sure you #hashtag where you are!
Here are some reviews of Keramikos Archaeological Site - don't forget to let us know how you got on by using the drop box at the bottom of the page, or joining our community and making a review.
We don't have any reviews of Keramikos Archaeological Site at this time. If you've been recently please make a submission using the drop box at the bottom of the page, or better yet, join our community, participate and then write some reviews according to your Capacities and Reputation Score.
Been to Keramikos Archaeological Site recently, or maybe you know something about the history of this place? We want you to tell the Red Planetter community about this place.
You don't need an account or have to sign up or anything!
You can earn Reputation score by joining our community and also enrol on the TravelTip$ program and get paid for good advice by other travellers.
Please just use the drop box for "facts" only. If you want to give your opinion (qualified by your Capacities) then please write a review (once you have enough Reputation score).
Find E-Mail easier? Send your comments about the place, or advise us if you see something that needs correcting on this page. You can attach pictures to your e-mail too (but try to keep the image size down, and no more than 16mb total).
If you are not logged in, or choose to make the drop box anonymously you can tell the community honestly what you seen without any concern. Please send images or other evidence to support your claims.
Topic Tags are what bind the Red Planet Travel site together, and are very important.
This place has been tagged:
If you think those tags are not perfect, then please let the person responsible for this page know by dropping a note in the anonymous drop box below, or better yet sign up or login and join our community, once you've got enough reputation score you can edit them yourself!
Ask any travel related question or help others with your experience
Before you apply read about the Roles on Red Planet Travel
We are looking to grow the information on this site, if you have something to contribute to any page then we'd like to hear from you.
What's more you can now earn money (paid direct via Paypal) for writing descriptions about places you know.
You will need to tell other members about yourself and your relevant knowledge and experience about what you want to contribute about.
Look below for some example page types, and types of people whose views on a place might be useful to know.
Page Type: Hotel
Tell us your job, knowledge, experience..
My Experience: Doctor
If you are the owner/manager of any place, then you can, of course, take control of your page and add relevant information other visitors might want to know
Webmasters & YouTubers - to add a video to this section just link to this page in the YouTube description on your video
Do you have any recent pictures? Please use the drop box at the bottom of the page to send them to us.
Can you help with answering any of these questions? Help other travellers with your experience and earn reputation score on this site.
Important information posted by Red Planetters that might be useful to know.