Horologion of Andronicos

Description

On the Roman agora, overlooked by the Acropolis and the Parthenon stands the octagonal marble edifice of the Horologion of Andronicos, which was erected by the Macedonian astronomer Andronicos around 50 BCE. This Tower of the Winds was built with pentelic marble and stands over 12 meters high, originally topped by a revolving bronze weather vane depicting Triton. Pentelic marble is quarried from the Penteli mountains just north of Athens and has a mesmerizing white crystalline surface. It looks delicate as glass but continues to stand the test of time and was used by the great sculptors of ancient Greece, including Phidias and Praxiteles. Moreover, pentelic marble was used to make the Elgin marbles.

A pointed wand in Triton’s hand indicated the direction from which the wind was blowing. To the ancients, the winds had divine powers and on the frieze of each side below the conical rooftop there is a sculpted figure of the wind deity ruling the compass point to which it faces.

The term Horologion also acknowledges the other features of the tower that Andronicos incorporated: sundials and a complicated internal water clock with a supply from the Acropolis above.

In the early Christian period, the Tower of the Winds was converted into a church. Later on, it became covered with the earth and debris that had accumulated over the centuries, but was excavated by the Greek Archaeological Society around 1837-1845. Modern restorations took place during 1916-19 by A. Orlandos and again n 1976 by the 1st Ephorate of the Antiquities.

Published by: RBC Publications