Most visitors to the Acropolis in Athens pause to wonder how the large marble pieces were hauled up the sacred mount. In fact, even with today's far more advanced construction equipment, it would be impossible to match the precision with which the ancient builders built the imposing structures of the Parthenon in just eight years! The Stones of the Parthenon is a riveting investigation of the technological achievements of the ancient Greeks. This highly readable account explains how an 11-ton Doric column capital was quarried and transported to Athens. The author's intricate line drawings clearly illustrate the methods and tools employed in the accomplishment of this feat of ancient craftsmanship.

The Stones of the Parthenon

History

Korres, Manolis

Ancient Civilizations

Oxford University Press

This book comprises two parts: the first presents, in the form of 22 full-page drawings, the story of a doric column capital (weighing some 12 tonnes) and of the men who hewed it from the quarry and transported it to the Acropolis. The second part discusses the ancient Pentelic marble quarries, their function and the stages of their development.

From Pentelicon to the Parthenon: The Ancient Quarries and the Story of a Half-Worked Column Capital of the First Marble Parthenon

Melissa Publishing House

This publication focuses on the historical topography of Attica and in particular its ancient roads. This work contains fourteen articles by authors, whose research covers the largest and most important of the ancient roads of Attica. Texts, drawings and photographs make up a handy section and provide the reader, apart from scientific evidence, with a vivid picture of the road network in the natural and historical context, which largely combined with that of ancient residential setting. Issues such as the natural partition of Attica, the types of soils, economic activities, land public transport, shipping and means to control access or the strategic value of natural features are examined and discussed to the extent that they once influenced the road network, the axes of remain largely unchanged.

Attikis Odoi: Archaioi Dromoi tis Attikis (Greek Edition)

Perhaps not one of the innumerable visitors to the familiar monument of the Herodeion has heard or even considered that it was the tallest building in the country until the era of the Hilton and Athens Tower, or that it must, even today, hold the world record for the largest span of a roof (50 m) made from natural timbers without intermediate supports.  Despite the literary references to a roof, most archaeologists and architectural historians assert that spanning the enormous distance separating the walls of the Herodeion was simply impossible. And yet, even in its current ruined state, the building preserves structural details that show without doubt that a roof once existed, and at the same time indicate the basic arrangement of its trusses. The reconstruction proposed here by the author is based on all the surviving evidence from the building itself, and takes into consideration what is known about the great achievements of the Romans in this particular area, including bridge-making, the achievements of wooden construction in general prior to the industrial age, and what is known about the scientific knowledge of the ancients.  The first part, in the form of a story, sets the historical framework and the protagonists of the project, the second contains the scientific documentation of the construction of the building and its roof, while the third part presents historic wooden bridges and roofs, a knowledge of which, apart for its intrinsic value, is invaluable for understanding the roof of the Herodeion.

The Odeion Roof of Herodes Atticus and other Giant Spans

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Korres, Manolis. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Korres, Manolis

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Korres, Manolis. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

The Stones of the Parthenon

From Pentelicon to the Parthenon: The Ancient Quarries and the Story of a Half-Worked Column Capital of the First Marble Parthenon

Attikis Odoi: Archaioi Dromoi tis Attikis (Greek Edition)

The Odeion Roof of Herodes Atticus and other Giant Spans