Athens in 1821

In Greece, the philhellenes of the 19th century explored the ruins of ancient temples and cities, foremost among them the Acropolis in Athens depicted above. However, the modern Greek population was very diverse and seemed to many European travellers to be far removed from their ideals of the ancient Greeks. For example, the caption of the image at the bottom showing the bazar in Athens states: "Greeks, Turks and Albanians are seen mingled together; and while the variegated diversity of their costumes gratifies the eye of the beholder, the irreconcilable dissonance of their manners supplies ample materials for reflective remark and philosophical contemplation."

Above: Edward Dodwell (1767–1832), West Front of the Parthenon, 1821; source: Views in Greece, London 1821, vol. 1, p. 321, digitalised image: Universitätsbibliothek Heidelberg, http://digi.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/diglit/dodwell1821/0035.

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Below: Edward Dodwell (1767–1832), Bazar of Athens, 1821; source: Views in Greece, London 1821, vol. 1, p. 377, digitalised image: Universitätsbibliothek Heidelberg, http://digi.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/diglit/dodwell1821/0051.

Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Germany.