TheTower of the Winds, known as theΩρολόγιο του Κυρρήστου in Greek, and byother names, is an octagonalPentelicmarble tower in theRoman Agora inAthens, named after the eight largereliefs of wind gods (in the form of young winged men and old men)[1] around its top. Its date is uncertain, but was completed by about 50 BC, at the latest, as it was mentioned byVarro in hisDe re Rustica of about 37 BC.[2] It is "one of the very small number of buildings from classical antiquity that still stands virtually intact", as it has been continuously occupied for a series of different functions.[3]
Formerly topped by awind vane, it is the only surviving horologium orclock tower from classical antiquity.[4] It also housed a largewater clock and incorporatedsundials placed prominently on its exterior faces; "citizens were thus able by using this building to orient themselves in space and time. Architecture, sculpture and the new science were perfectly integrated".[5] It was considered a marvel of technology.[1]
According toA. W. Lawrence, "the originality of this building is exceptional, and of a character out of keeping withHellenistic architecture as we know it ... the design is obviously Greek, both in the severity of decorative treatment and in the antiquated method of roofing. The contrast with work of the Roman Empire is extraordinary, considering the date", which is long after theRoman conquest of Greece.[4]
TheEnglish nameTower of the Winds—personified on the building as theAnemoi—is ultimately acalque of theancient Greek namePýrgos tōn Anémōn (Πύργος των Ανέμων).It has also been known asAndronikos' Clock[1], theHorologium inLatin, the term used by Varro, orHorologion (Ancient Greek:Ὡρολόγιον,Hōrológion), fromhṓra (ὥρα, "time period,hour")lógos (λόγος, "writing,recording") +-ion (-ιον), together usually meaning asundial,clepsydra, or othertimekeeping device but here used to describe the location housing them.
It is now known inGreek as the "Blowing Winds" (Greek:Αέρηδες,Aérides) and as the "Clock of Cyrrestes" (Greek:Ωρολόγιο του Κυρρήστου,Orológio tou Kyrrístou).
Raised on three steps, the Tower of the Winds is 12 metres (39 ft) tall and has adiameter of about 8 metres (26 ft). In antiquity, Vitruvius tells us it was topped by a bronze statue of aTriton, holding a rod that acted as aweather vane indicating thewind direction; this has completely disappeared.[6][4] Thefrieze has reliefs, rather over life-size, of the eight wind deities—Boreas (N),Kaikias (NE),Apeliotes (E),Eurus (SE),Notus (S),Livas (SW),Zephyrus (W), andSkiron (NW)—there are eightsundials.[7] Acornice above is decorated withlions' heads in relief, functioning as water spouts.
Inside, there is a single large room. From ancient mentions by Varro and Vitruvius, it seems that time was measured by awater clock, driven by water coming down from theAcropolis. There are holes and channels in the floor relating to this, but the mechanism, presumably of metal and wood, has gone. Research has shown that the considerable height of the tower was motivated by the intention to place the sundials and the wind-vane at a height visible from the Agora, effectively making it an early example of aclocktower.[8]
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It had two porches withpediments, supported by two Corinthian columns at the front, now disassembled, though the lower parts of three columns remain in place. At least as they are now, they have no bases, unusual in the Corinthian. There also seem to be the earliest use of small versions of formal columns for porches, later a very common feature.[9] The roofs of the porches probably used wood, the only parts of the building to do so, and eventually collapsed. Parts of the stone pediment of one may be seen set up beside the tower.[10]
These columns hadcapitals of a design now sometimes known as "Tower of the Winds Corinthian", a "late variant form" lacking thevolutes ordinarily found inCorinthian capitals.[4] The capital on the roof, which supported the Triton weather-vane, used the same form; the broken lower part of this remains in place. None of these have survived complete, but there are enough fragments to make a confident reconstruction. There is a single row ofacanthus leaves at the bottom of the capital, with a row of "tall, narrow leaves" behind.[4] These cling tightly to the swelling shaft, and are sometimes described as "lotus" leaves, as well as the vague "water-leaves" and palm leaves; their similarity to leaf forms on many ancient Egyptian capitals has been remarked on.[11] The form is found in smaller columns, both ancient and modern. The porch of theRoyal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, Queen Street,Edinburgh, has four examples, but conventional Corinthian capitals are used elsewhere in the building.
To the rear a "turret" held the water for the clock; only part of this has survived. The main roof is essentially original (exceptionally rare in an ancient building), with 24 trapezoidal stone slabs, kept in place by a circular keystone[1], and carved on the outside to look like tiles;[4] here rows of modern standard rounded roof tiles now cover the joins. Inside eight very small columns, less than four feet high but with richly carved shafts, stand at each corner of the octagon, on a circular cornice, running up to a circulararchitrave.[4]
Andronicus of Cyrrhus, the designer, seems to have written a book on the winds. A passage inVitruvius's chapter ontown planning in hisOn Architecture (De architectura) seems to be based on this missing book. The emphasis is on planning street orientations to maximize the benefits, and minimize the harms, from the various winds.[12]
The London Vitruvius, the oldest surviving manuscript of Vitruvius’De architectura, includes only one of the original illustrations, a rather crudely drawn octagonalwind rose in the margin. This was written in Germany in about 800 to 825, probably at the abbey ofSaint Pantaleon, Cologne.[13]
Although often described as a clocktower, it is not clear if, or how, the readings on the water clock inside could be communicated to people outside the building; it may have been necessary to go inside. The sundials on each face are individually customised to allow for the very differing times of the day that they were in direct sunlight. There was a further sundial on the turret at the back; the further parts of the lines can still be seen.[14]
The bronzegnomons (shadow-creating rods) had disappeared, but the holes for them remained, and modern replacements have been fitted. The straight lines engraved in the stone, from which the hours were taken, were originally painted and would have stood out more clearly. The ancient Greeks divided the day, when it was light, into twelve equal "hours" regardless of the time of year. The east and west faces only have four lines each, for the hours that face was in sunlight, whereas the south facing one has eight.[15]
The turret at the back was a water tank, fed from the Clepsydra spring[1] on theAthens acropolis above. A valve mechanism allowed water to flow into the clock mechanism via a channel cut in the floor; it may also have branched into two other channels to the side. The central mechanism was surrounded by circular railings, fitted into depressions in the floor that remain. It was apparently possible to walk around the clock and see it from all angles. There have been various attempts to reconstruct on paper how the clock worked, but this remains uncertain.[16]
It may have been anastronomical clock, showing a calendar, and the movements of the major star groups. TheAntikythera mechanism, the only ancient Greek clock mechanism to partially survive, found in a shipwreck, is of this type. The roof has traces of blue paint, and may have depicted the sky in some way, even been some form ofplanetarium; there were no windows in the original building, it is carved differently from the outside, to give a smooth shallow dome.[17]
Later, the water supply was converted from underground pipes to a smallaqueduct, the last section of which partially remains next to the tower. The large, slightly curving, channel in the floor leading from the turret tank to the central hole may also have been added at this point.[18]
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The Greeks had long had various theories on the number ofclassical compass winds, but eight was by this period the usual number. Theanemoi were named and regarded as minor deities. The large reliefs characterize each wind in terms of the things they carry, and often spill out from containers, the warmth of their clothing, and to some extent their physiques and expressions. All have large wings and are male, but of differing ages.[19] These representations of the winds are the largest known from antiquity.[20]
They were originally painted, and had various extra elements in other materials, probably bronze.[21] Their names are carved above them; these are now hard to read from the ground, with the modern metal restraining cable passing through them.
In the table the prints are illustrations from the first volume ofThe Antiquities of Athens (London, 1762), and the start of the descriptions of the winds are given. The tower was one of only five ancient Greek buildings given a full treatment in this work. It had been surveyed and drawn byJames "Athenian" Stuart andNicholas Revett on an expedition in 1751–54, and theengravings were byJames Basire (later the master ofWilliam Blake) back in London. These clearly tidy up the worn reliefs, but were also recorded when they had over 250 years less exposure to weather than today.
| Relief | Wind | Stuart and Revett, 1762 | Description, 1762 | Direction (from) | Attribute |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Notus |  | Notus, the south wind; is sultry and very wet... | South | Upturnedamphora symbolizing rain. |
_(32891627184).jpg) | Libs |  | Libs, the south-west wind; blows directly across the Saronic Gulf... | South-west | Barefoot, with ship's stern or rudder, representing shipwrecks, or "promising a good sailing wind".[22][23] |
_(32891633814).jpg) | Zephyrus |  | Zephyrus, the west wind; in the summer brings very sultry weather, but in the spring is pleasant, warm, and favourable... | West | Barefoot, with cloak full of blossoming flowers. |
 | Sciron |  | Sciron, the north-west wind; the dryest which blows in Athens... | North-west | Upturned bronze pot full of hot ashes and charcoal, perhaps representing forest fires.[24][25] |
 | Boreas |  | Boreas, the north wind; is cold, fierce and stormy... | North | Warm winter clothes and seashell, possibly to represent his howling.[26] |
 | Kaikias |  | Kaikias or Caecias, the north-east wind, is cloudy, wet and cold; snow, and at some seasons hail... | North-east | Shield containing hail.[27] |
 | Apeliotes |  | Apeliotes, the east wind; brings a gradual gentle rain, and is a great friend to vegetation. | East | Cloak full of fruits and cereal crops. |
 | Eurus |  | Eurus, the south east wind; which at Athens is sultry and gloomy, and brings much rain... | South-east | Wears a large cloak. |
According toVitruvius andVarro, theastronomerAndronicus ofCyrrhus designed the Tower of the Winds.[28] But very little is known about his life, not even whether he came from theCyrrhus inMacedonia or the largerSeleucid city (named after it) on theEuphrates.[4][29] From the style of the sculptures the tower is usually dated around 50 BC,[30] not long before Varro and Vitruvius mention it. An alternative possibility is that it was part of the generosity ofAttalus III ofPergamon (d. 131 BC) who built theStoa of Attalus in the city. This would place it earlier than the rest of theRoman forum,[31] and explain how such an expensive build was financed.
If the usual dating is correct, it formed part of the reconstruction of Athens after it was mostly levelled by theRomanlegions underSulla in86 BC following theSiege of Athens and Piraeus during theFirst Mithridatic War.[32]
From a cross on an inside wall, and traces of paintings, the building was probably used as amartyrium for an apostle,[33] church orbaptistry inlate antiquity.[34] By the time of Ottoman rule it was buried up to half its height, and traces of this can be observed in the interior, where Turkish inscriptions may be found on the walls. It was fully excavated in the 19th century by theArchaeological Society of Athens.[citation needed] The idea that there was an Athens Mevlevi Convent or its ritual hall in the Tower and that the other buildings belonging to the Convent were located around it is incorrect. The Tower, which was converted into aQadirî tekke sometime between 1749 and 1751, was used by Qadirîdervishes to perform their religious rituals for 70 years between 1751 and 1821, and was evacuated after the Greek revolt of 1821.[35]
The building became better known outside Greece from 1762, when a description and several careful measured engraved illustrations were published in London in the first volume ofThe Antiquities of Athens. The tower was one of only five ancient Greek buildings given a full treatment in this important work. It had been surveyed byJames "Athenian" Stuart andNicholas Revett on an expedition in 1751–54. When it was seen by them the dervishes operated on a wooden floor built above the rubble of the ancient floor level, which Stuart and Revett were allowed to remove temporarily. They had cut out amihrab in the wall, which starts just above the lower cornice,[36] slightly above the level of their wooden floor.
By this point depictions and early photographs show that the surrounding ground level had risen by several feet, and entry was by a sort of trench around part of the building. In the later 19th and 20th centuries the surrounding area was cleared of modern buildings and excavated, restoring the original ground level around most of the building.
The Athens Ephorate of Antiquities performed restoration work, cleaning and conserving the structure, between 2014 and 2016.[37]
By far the most famous ancient octagonal building was thePharos of Alexandria, one of theSeven Wonders of the Ancient World, which partly survived long enough to be described by Islamic writers. This began with a square plan, but had an octagonal middle section below a final circular one. The octagonal middle would have been considerably larger than the Athens tower, and the tower must have suggested the Pharos to ancient visitors.[38] The Pharos was also decorated with statues of Tritons, usually shown at the top of the octagonal section on coins, and perhaps one on each of the eight sides, but it is not known whether it showed interest in the winds, or had sundials, a weather-vane or a clock.
The Pharos dates to the 3rd century BC, perhaps around 270 BC,[4] as does a much smallermausoleum further along the coast atAbusir, which seems to be a scaled down version, as it also rises through square, octagonal and round sections, though with very different proportions between the heights of the sections.
Several buildings are based, often very loosely, on the design of the Towers of the Winds, including:
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