Tower of the Winds in the context of Clock tower


Tower of the Winds in the context of Clock tower

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⭐ Core Definition: Tower of the Winds

The Tower of the Winds, known as the Ωρολόγιο του Κυρρήστου in Greek, and by other names, is an octagonal Pentelic marble tower in the Roman Agora in Athens, named after the eight large reliefs of wind gods (in the form of young winged men and old men) around its top. Its date is uncertain, but was completed by about 50 BC, at the latest, as it was mentioned by Varro in his De re Rustica of about 37 BC. 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.

Formerly topped by a wind vane, it is the only surviving horologium or clock tower from classical antiquity. It also housed a large water clock and incorporated sundials 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".

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Tower of the Winds in the context of North wind

A north or northerly wind is one that rises in the north and blows southwards, bringing with it wintery weather. The wind has had historical and literary significance in many cultures, since it often signals seasonal change. Over the centuries it has figured in myth, art, folksong and nursery rhyme.

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Tower of the Winds in the context of Classical compass winds

In the ancient Mediterranean world, the classical compass winds were names for the points of geographic direction and orientation, in association with the winds as conceived of by the ancient Greeks and Romans. Ancient wind roses typically had twelve winds and thus twelve points of orientation, sometimes reduced to eight or increased to twenty-four.

Originally conceived as a branch of meteorology, the classical wind rose had only a tentative relationship with actual navigation. The Classical 12-point wind rose was eventually displaced by the modern compass rose (8-point, 16-point and 32-point), adopted by seafarers during the Middle Ages.

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Tower of the Winds in the context of Green Templeton College, Oxford

Green Templeton College (GTC) is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. The college is located on the former Green College site on Woodstock Road next to the Radcliffe Observatory Quarter in North Oxford and is centred on the architecturally important Radcliffe Observatory, an 18th-century building, modelled on the ancient Tower of the Winds in Athens. The Radcliffe Observatory, completed in 1773, was among the earliest purpose-built observatories in Britain and remains a prominent example of Georgian scientific architecture. It is the university's second newest graduate college, after Reuben College, having been founded by the historic merger of Green College and Templeton College in 2008.

The college has a distinctive academic profile, specialising in subjects relating to human welfare and social, economic, and environmental well-being, including medical and health sciences, management and business, and most social sciences. The college is a registered charity. As of 31 July 2024, the College reported total assets of about £103.5 million and total funds of £101.8 million, including an endowment of approximately £1.39 million.

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