The octagonal tower (3.20 m. long on each side), built of white Pentelic marble, has a conical roof, a cylindrical annex on the south side, and two Corinthian porches, one on the NE and one on the NW side. At the top of each of the eight sides there is a relief representation of a wind, symbolized by a male figure with the appropriate attributes and its name inscribed on the stone. There were sundials on the external walls and an elaborate waterclock in the interior. The tower was built in the first half of the 1st century B.C. by the astronomer Andronicos, from Kyrrhos in Macedonia.
|
Wind Direction |
Wind Deity |
Sculpted Character |
|
North |
Boreas |
Man wearing a heavy cloak, blowing through a twisted shell |
|
North East |
Kaikias |
Man carrying & emptying a shield of small round objects |
|
East |
Apeliotes |
Young man holding a cloak full of fruit and grain |
|
South East |
Euros |
Old man wrapped tightly in a cloak against the elements |
|
South |
Notos |
Man emptying an urn and producing a shower of water |
|
South West |
Lips |
Boy pushing the stern of a ship, promising a good sailing wind |
|
West |
Zephyros |
Youth carrying flowers into the air |
|
North West |
Skiron |
Bearded man with a bronze pot full of hot ashes and charcoal |
More
information:
www.mlahanas.de/Greeks/TowerWinds.htm