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Gia sas everyone!
Found out today that the museum in Thebes is closed for renovation, which of course was not mentioned on the website when I looked before I came. That’s a major bummer because I was depending on my visit there to get an idea of the artifacts which are common to Viotia and Chania. I’m hoping I can find a catalog for the museum at least in a local bookshop.
So, rather than going to the museum, I went to Gla. For those of you who don't know, Gla was a Mycenaean fortress located in the middle of the Kopais Basin between Thebes and Orchomenos. The purpose of the citadel is still unknown. Most do not believe that it was a seat of power, as it's palace structure is not typical of most Mycenaean cities. Rather than being a sprawling complex with a central megara and hearth, the "palace" at Gla is composed of two wings meeting at a right angle, with two megara at either end. Some believe that it was simply a regional fortress and that the palace was a barracks which housed officers of some kind at either end. Spyros Iakovides, the main authority on
Gla for the past 40 years, suggests that the palace and its inhabitants may have played a role in keeping the lake surrounding the citadel drained so that crops could be cultivated.
So armed with this information, I set out. But let me tell you, nothing could have prepared me for the challenge that awaited me. As I clambered up over the rocks to the southeast gate, I spied a number of animal vertebrae on the ground (at least I hope they were animal). All I could think was “Uh-oh, afti den ine kala" (This isn’t good). I spent about 4.5 hours walking across the limestone mound and scaling its walls, contending with 95 degree heat, bees, hunks of limestone rubble on the ground. The worst thing was the five foot tall thorny weeds which grew so thick I couldn't see the ground two feet in front of me, which is a problem when you're looking for building remains less than a meter high. Also annoying, at every step they tore at my clothing and my flesh.
I took to scaling the rubble remains of the 3km limestone wall that circles the mound, rather than trying to wade through the
weeds. You're probably not supposed to do that, but it did give me a better vantage point to see what was on the ground. Of course with the rocks, I had to be careful not to hit a loose one as just a few feet away there was a sheer drop off about 50 feet down onto the rocks at the foot of the hill. I wasn’t in any real danger, I kept well away from the edge.
I started at the southeast corner of the citadel and worked my way around to the northwest corner where the “palace” structure is. The constant exertion of clambering uphill over the rocks, barreling through the thick weeds was enough to take my breath away a number of times, but combined with the humid heat, it was brutal. The really cruel thing was that, although the mound was flush with weeds and low bushes, there was nothing to offer any shade or relief from the intense heat. I have to say though, the whole thing was rather exhilerating, like charting a lost frontier. Except it wasn't lost and I had a perfectly good map of it in my hand. It also occurred to
me that, should anything happen, I was 12 miles away from the nearest hospital, and Labros, my cabbie, and the only person nearby whose number I had, was at best 20 minutes away. At that point, this stopped being a sightseeing mission and became a quest.
By the time I was about 2/3 of the way to the palace, I was a little dizzy. I wondered if I oughtn’t call Labros and tell him to come get me. But I soldiered on until I reached the megaron of the west wing of the palace. By the time I got there, the heat and exertion were getting to me, even though I was well hydrated and had plenty of water on hand. I was nauseous, and would have thrown up had I eaten anything since the night before. I decided it was time to leave before I passed out and died of dehydration. Or eaten by foxes, of which I believe there were several about. I never saw one, but I kept hearing strange animal noises and rustling in the bushes. It may have been auditory hallucinations from the heat, but I think it was real.
So, having found the megaron,
I clambered back down the hill and called Labros. I saw what I most needed to see, which was on the east side of the mound. I found a few very interesting things that weren’t on the map, nor were mentioned in Iakovides’ article. So all-in-all, a very productive learning experience.
Enjoy the pics. Most of it’s dirt (for my arch. homeys) but there are some other cool shots there too.
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Robyn
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All that sweating for rocks and weed?
You are an impressive little sightseerer. I think ... for me I would have had a latte with the priest and found two books. Just kidding ... NOT... I knew your mom and dad shouldn't have taken you to all those forts on your vacations. I love reading of your traveling days. Keep up the good work for us and I love having the pictures too. Be careful and keep lots of water ... bet you could use a Jesus bandaid for those sticker cuts. Love you Libba . Happy 4th, probably the 5th for you now ... of July. I await more stories. Love you. Aunt Robyn