[...]... galloping with their cloaks flying out behind them The background to the frieze was originally painted, probably a bright blue The horses used to have bridles of bronze 17 Power and politics in Athens Ancient Greece was made up of a number of Solon Solon was an aristocrat and law-giver who lived in Athens between 640 and 558 b.c At that time many Athenian farmers were very poor and were sold into slavery... of influence Demeter and Mount Olympus is the highest Persephone were responsible for the mountain in Greece and was believed to be the home of the grain growing, Artemis was the goddess The king of the gods gods It is in the north of Zeus was the king of the of hunting, Apollo could foretell the Greece, on the borders of gods He usually appears Thessaly and Macedonia future, and Aphrodite was the... Garlanded bulls’ heads were the inspiration for some of the decorative patterns on temples Something old, something new The huge columns of a Greek temple at ancient Poseidonia (Paestum) in southern Italy frame a bride and groom posing for their wedding photos Ancient ruins like these are believed to bring good luck to a new marriage Centre of the world Delphi was thought to be the centre of the world, at the... are copper, and the headband is patterned with silver The charioteer is still holding the reins of his horses even though they have long disappeared This is perhaps one of the bestknown statues of ancient Greece Temple of apollo Delphi was the home of the main shrine of Apollo It lies on the steep slopes of Mount Parnassus, the favourite haunt of Apollo and also of the Muses who looked after arts and... high promontory south of Athens It was a landmark for sailors returning home to Athens The English romantic poet Lord Byron (1788–1824) was very moved by its beauty surprising that the temples of ancient Greece were the biggest and most beautiful buildings They also had a political purpose as they were often built to celebrate civic power and pride, or to offer thanksgiving to the patron deity of a... Doric style is rather sturdy and its top (the capital), is plain This style was used in mainland Greece and the colonies in southern Italy and Sicily Lion’s mouth Ionic The Ionic style is thinner and more elegant Its capital is decorated with a scroll­ like design (a volute) This style was found in eastern Greece and the islands Corinthian The Corinthian style is seldom used in the Greek world, but often... This one is made of wood, but bronze and bone examples also exist At one end is a weight, known as a spindle whorl The spindle twirls around and spins the wool fibre into thread The lives of women in ancient Greece were Greek Woman by British artist Sir Lawrence AlmaTadema (1836–1912) restricted They were very much under the control of their husbands, fathers, or brothers, and rarely took part in politics... Caskets, combs, and perfume bottles have also been found in large numbers Growing up in Greece T Potty training A Greek vase shows a scene of a little boy sitting in a potty, which also seems to double as a highchair A potty like this was found in excavations of the market place (agora) in Athens Modern baby sitting on an ancient potty he future of a baby rested entirely in the hands of its father When a... and 1450 b.c Its wealth was due to its Decorating with dolphins The walls of the Minoan palaces were richly thriving trade with other Bronze Age towns in decorated with painted scenes known as frescoes, Greece, the Mediterranean, and in Egypt and made by applying paint to wet plaster Many we see today are modern reconstructions based on Syria Prosperity also came from the rich Cretan fragments of painted... sanctuary It stands in a prominent position beside the Sacred Way which winds up to the temple This Treasury is a vivid illustration of the close links which existed between religion and politics in the ancient Greek world Exile of themistokles This coin shows an Athenian leader, Themistokles, whose main achievement was the creation of the fleet which enabled the Greeks to destroy the Persians at the .