Dennis Hollingsworth

Something's Happening

Valencia, the train station plaza and Santiago Calatrava's extravaganza.

I'm in Spain, visiting my gallery in Barcelona, Miguel Marcos, Ana Serratosa in Valencia, and our place + friends in Tossa de Mar.

I've heard this said in Valencia in reference to the Calatrava and the massive amount of money the city spent on their legacy: "We've spent a lot of money, but at least we have something to show for it.", which is much, much more than other cities around the world can say. Didn't the parthenon also bankrupt Athens?

The Parthenon construction cost the Athenian treasury 469 silver talents. While it is almost impossible to create a modern equivalent for this amount of money, it might be useful to look at some facts. One talent was the cost to build one trireme, the most advanced warship of the era. (http://www.brown.edu/Departments/Classics/CL56/CL56_LN11.html), and

"...one talent was the cost for paying the crew of a warship for a month" (D. Kagan, The Peloponnesian War, 61). According to Kagan, Athens at the beginning of the Peloponnesian war had 200 triremes in service, while the annual gross income of the city of Athens at the time of Perikles was 1000 talents, with another 6000 in reserve at its treasury.

Posted by Dennis at July 25, 2013 6:04 PM