Predicting Weather – An Ancient Skill

Weather and winds have long since provoked tales; some quite mysterious and others founded in truths.  Homer tells us that Odysseus (a mere 300nm from his home on Ithica) was blown off course near Cape Maleas for more than ten years.  Athenian General Themistocles used the force of strong north winds to gain victory over 400 Persian ships at Salamis in 480 BC.  Not to mention Octavian’s (Augustus Caesar) victory in 31 BC against Cleopatra & Mark Antony right here in our very own neighbourhood of Aktio (formerly Actium).  Even today, winds in Tarifa, Spain (think Pillars of Hercules) are considered very good for windsurfing or very bad, triggering dramatically high suicide rates, or so we heard.

So, with an hour to spare after a rather too enjoyable breakfast at the Athens Centre Square Hotel, we decided that it was worth a walk to see if the Tower of the Winds had been unveiled following 2 years of extensive restoration works.  Although sited in the Roman Agora precinct, the marble tower dates back to the 1^st c BC, and is thought to have been built by a Macedonian astronomer from Kyrrhos as a horologion or time piece.  Think how useful that is in sailing terms, especially for sailors who, in the not so distant past, used sextants!  This amazing octagonal construction stands over 12m tall with an 8m girth.  It was once bedecked with a bronze wind vane, Triton with a metal rod in his hand of course, and had a spring-fed water clock attached.  Its decorated faces afforded use as a compass**, sundial and  informant of seasonal weather predictions.  The ancients had a great respect for predictions….

The tower’s relief carvings, eight grumpy Ai Areides (or Windy Ones), is quite something.  We had hoped to meet Mr Meltemi in order to lodge our various complaints.  Instead we met Boreas, known for a violent temper and cold north winds that bring on winter.  Boreas blows rather too heartily into a conch shell (does this mean a gusting wind?) and as he is sometimes depicted with snakes for feet, we decided to leave well enough alone. 

Vaguely wondering if Mediterranean Wind Gods are ever truly appeased, we left before our not-so-pious thoughts were noted and we became singled out as future fodder for Mt Olympus’s Gusty Games.  We’ll just take it on the nose, like Odysseus.  Catch you in ten years!!

This is Kaikais - a dark NE wind with hailstones in his shield

** A true compass was not heard of until more than 1000 years later.