Marathon to Athens Challenge: Tower of the Winds

The ancient Athenians gave us philosophy, democracy, and theatre; but not a lot of people know that they also gave us meteorological stations.

This octagonal tower, built from marble and with friezes depicting the eight gods of the wind, functioned as a sundial, water clock, and wind vane.

It is thought that the wind vane was used by merchants in the nearby Agora to help calculate prevailing winds and so better estimate when their merchandise would arrive from overseas.