Egaleo Metro Station

What I can see

The architecture of the station manages to highlight the archaeological wealth of the place, combining it harmoniously with modern times and art, through which passengers are “forced” to come in contact with history. At the level of the central platform, the mosaic decoration of the roof and tunnels and works by Opy Zouni (2008), “Columns- Shadows” and “Four portals in space” dominate. On the middle level, a total of 15 showcases are presented with ancient artefacts from the Sacred Way, funerary steles, small stone coffins of children (5th c. BC), loutrophoros and other objects of burial customs. Moreover, other topics are also displayed, such as “People and Agriculture”, “Ancient Wells”, “Water Supply and Water Resources”, “Industrial Activity outside the Walls”, “Land Use in Eleonas”, the “Horse in Ancient Athens”, “Natural Environment, Floods and Bridges”, “Reading and Writing” and “Panathenaic amphoras”. Finally, the first level is naturally lit, and the work “Column” (Opy Zouni, 2007) stands out.

What I can't see

In one of the displays, the skeleton of a horse is represented, as it was discovered during excavations. As shown by the position of the horse, it drowned in a flood of the Kifissos River and was desperately trying to survive. Moreover, the display about writing and reading shows a considerable amount of stone inscriptions, which were originally used for public affairs and banned for individuals. This fact always sparks a debate about illiteracy in ancient Athens. It is, however, noteworthy that the Athenian democracy was based more on spoken language (the skills of persuasion and rhetoric) and oral culture than written language.

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