The monument of Philopappos is a funerary monument
located at the top of the Hill of the Muses, on the
north west side of the Acropolis.
It was constructed during the Roman occupation (2nd c. A.D.), in
honour of Gaius Antiochus Philopappos - benefactor of the city of Athens.
The monument, made of marble and stone, bears a relief
at the upper part which depicts scenes from the life
of Gaius Philopappos.
The monument was adopted by pupils from the
9th Kallithea High School, who immediately formed 4 committees and
5 groups, in order to study better different aspects of the monument.
The committees were responsible for bibliographical research,
gathering press releases, and collecting photos, paintings
and engravings depicting the monument.
discussion about the monument
The architecture group dealt with the plan of the monument,
its material and building technique, studied the typology,
examined the topography of Athens in Roman times and commented
on the location of the monument in relation to the city's walls and
other public and private buildings.
the sculpture group
The sculpture group treated the subject of
the sculptural adornment of the monument.
The depiction of Philopappos and his father
inspired the creation of a family tree.
The inscriptions group studied the surviving carvings
in Latin and Greek and gained an understanding of the
importance of written testimonies for historical research.
The task of the environmental group was to discuss issues
of landscape architecture.
It also noticed the negative effects of weeds and
consulted special scientists.
at the monument of Philopappos
The conservation group surveyed the damage done
by human and natural factors and investigated
techniques for the preservation and conservation of stone.
The Mass-Media committee published 5 articles
and gave interviews denouncing not only the abuse of the
pavement by buses and cars, but also the lack of lighting
and guards at the site.
collage made by the students
An exhibition entitled
«Lets meet a familiar and yet unknown monument of Athens: the monument of Philopappos»
was organised at the school premises.
Visitors, first, filled in a questionnaire about the monument and
were, then, given a guided tour.
Exhibition and guided tour at the monument
They were also offered an informative leaflet and
a bookmark designed by the pupils.
At the end of the final year of the project, pupils
also organised guided tours at the monument itself.
As they declared, «the Adoption Project was a
fascinating adventure of knowledge.
From now on our visit on the Philopappos Hill will never be the same...»
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