Tower of the Winds

According to Vitruvius and Varro, the astronomer Andronicus of Cyrrhus designed the Tower of the Winds. But very little is known about his life, not even whether he came from the Cyrrhus in Macedonia or the larger Seleucid city (named after it) on the Euphrates. From the style of the sculptures the tower is usually dated around 50 BC, not long before Varro and Vitruvius mention it. An alternative possibility is that it was part of the generosity of Attalus III of Pergamon (d. 131 BC) who built the Stoa of Attalus in the city. This would place it earlier than the rest of the Roman forum, and explain how such an expensive build was financed. If the usual dating is correct, it formed part of…

and Skiron; three of the sundials are in the sun]] Raised on three steps, the Tower of the Winds is 12 m tall and has a diameter of about 8 m. In antiquity, Vitruvius tells us it was topped by a bronze statue of a Triton, holding a rod that acted as a weather vane indicating the wind direction; this has completely disappeared. The frieze 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), and Skiron (NW) there are eight sundials. A cornice above is decorated with lions' heads in relief, functioning as water spouts. Inside, there is a single large room. From ancient mentions by Varro and…

The Greeks had long had various theories on the number of classical compass winds, but eight was by this period the usual number. The anemoi 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. These representations of the winds are the largest known from antiquity. They were originally painted, and had various extra elements in other materials, probably bronze. Their names are carved above them; these are now hard to read from the ground, with the…