Ancient Messini in 2012

I just could not miss "portes" of Mavromati in my last visit to the area. A pleasant ascent in green and quietness, that every time I drive through I find it even more beautiful than the last time, or I have more and more the need to get lost in the green embrace of nature…

Things have not changed so much since the last excavations, they have in fact focused in a different place now,  but the route  made that day seem different.  Arriving at the "doors" I realized that I had never strolled along the wall in the upper part of the gate and I pulled over to walk on foot with my camera towards the mountain.  

The Arcadic Gate and the towers in distance. December 2012

The Arcadic Gate and the towers in distance. December 2012

As soon as I approached and took my first photos, I immediately admired the details on the rocks of the wall and the structure in the Arcadic Gate.  Light was shed beautifully on them and gave them a depth that pronounced even the smallest detail on every rock and I couldn't help wondering what kind of technique they used to build it with the smallest detail, how did they carve the big rocks, from where and how long did it finally take them, to finish it, how many did they work for it etc.

The Arcadic Gate, details. December 2012

Behind the Arcadic Gate.

As I was thinking all these, I reached at the tower before the last, which has been rebuilt in it's whole and stands really impressive. I was thinking how beautiful it would be if someone could also reconstruct other ancient ruins  of Greece, what feeling could cause a reconstructed Parthenon  and what effect that would have to modern Greeks, and to the whole world.  I brought Nashville's Parthenon  in my mind and I felt jealous that other people can admire in actual dimensions the reconstructed past.  I felt that they are closer to how history looked like, the buildings and the feeling of living in that era. What if the original buildings are here and not there, if you just pass by the Parthenon of Nashville or stand next to the reconstructed statue of Virgin Athena will make you feel awe and admiration.

Arcadic Gate, detail.

Part of the wall next to Arcadic Gate.

What is pleasant at the  archaeological site of Ancient Messini is that it is free to explore, you can walk among the ancient ruins, have immediate connection with history itself, touch it, process it, you can sit at the vouleftirion, enter the Asklipieion Area, sit at the same stadium our ancient ancestors used to sit and for me this is most important than all the Nashvilles in the world.

The fully reconstructed tower

Part of the wall of Ancient Messini