The most complete
information guide about Athens Greece
History
of Athens Birthplace of
democracy
Athens
was built in the plains of Attika between the Parnitha, Penteli
and Hymettos mountains and close to the Saronic Gulf. For ages
its important geographic location and its mild climate were
de main reasons why people chose to live here. During her very
long history, Athens produced a brilliant civilization as well
as a contribution of inestimable value to the world's heritage.
Today
Athens, with its five million inhabitants, has all characteristics
of a modern metropolis but it has kept its very unique ancient
atmosphere, an atmosphere that reflects in the Athenians and
their way of living. Athens follows the changes of the 21e century
and it has made its rhythm faster but it has always made certain
that the memories of its valuable past are kept.
First
time visitors to Athens are torn between the remnants of the old
and those of the new world, between the gods and the shops of
Plaka, between the ancient art and the green covered terraces.
Returning visitors enjoy all of both worlds, as do the Athenians
themselves. Athens has a lot to offer and even more to enjoy.
The birthplace of the concept of democracy
It
is hard to imagine that the concept of democracy was born 2.500
years ago at the foot of the Acropolis in Athens. This first kind
of democracy has evolved into present democracy as we know it
now. It is even harder to imagine that the Ancient agora at that
time had a parliament, a town hall, a courthouse, a prison, temples,
restaurants, meeting rooms, schools, places to do business, laws,
festivals, sport events etc.
Take
your time to visit the Ancient agora, to walk on the Panathenaic
road lined with statues. Visit the completely renovated Stoa of
Attallos and its museum. It holds a remarkable collection you
will want to see. Find the altar of Zeus Phratrios and the statue
of Hadrian and while you are doing so, remember that you are standing
in the birthplace of the concept of democracy.
At the foot of the Acropolis. Entrance: Adrianou street.
Walking with history
Say
"Athens" and people will say "The Acropolis".
Yes,
of course, you should not leave Athens without having visited
the Acropolis with its splendid Parthenon, Erechteion, Temple
of Athena etc. However, Athens has much more to offer. The Ancient
and the Roman Agora, Plaka, the romantic Anafiotika area, the
Panathenaic Stadium, Lykavittos and Philopappou Hill, the tens
of museums, Psirri, Syntagma, Monastiraki etc. There is a lot
to see in Athens and it is worth while seeing it.
With
every corner you turn, Athens will surprise you with its history
and its special atmosphere. Athens is a smile for you to enjoy.
Origin and setting
The
history of Athens is the longest of any city in Europe: Athens
has been continuously inhabited for at least 3.000 years. It became
the leading city of Ancient Greece in the first millennium BC.
Its cultural achievements during the 5th century BC laid the foundations
of western civilization. During the Middle Ages, Athens experienced
decline and then a recovery under the Byzantine Empire. Athens
was relatively prosperous during the Crusades, benefiting from
Italian trade. After a long period of decline under the rule of
the Ottoman Empire, Athens re-emerged in the 19th century as the
capital of the independent Greek state.
The
name of Athens in Ancient Greek was Athenai (pronounced roughly
At-he-na). This is a plural form: the city was called (in what
would translate into English as) "The Athenses" since
it was originally a group of villages which coalesced into a city.
The name has no definite etymology in Greek. The Greeks believed
the city was named for its protectress, the goddess Athena, but
it is equally possible that the goddess took her name from the
city.
The
start of the history of Athens is lost in time and legends. It
is assumed it began its history as a Neolithic hill-fort
on top of the Acropolis ("high city"), some time in
the third millennium BC. The Acropolis is a natural defensive
position which commands the surrounding plains. The settlement
was about 8 kilometres inland from the Saronic Gulf, in the centre
of the Cephisian Plain, a fertile plain surrounded by hills.
Athens
is protected by a ring of mountains: Hymittos, Aegaleo, Penteli
and Parnitha. In ancient times, the River Cephisus flowed through
the city. Ancient Athens occupied a very small area compared to
the sprawling metropolis of modern Athens. The walled ancient
city encompassed an area measuring about 2 kilometres from east
to west and slightly less than that from north to south, although
at its peak the city had suburbs extending well beyond these walls.
The
Acropolis was just south of the centre of this walled area. The
Agora, the commercial and social centre of the city, was about
400 meters north of the Acropolis, in what is now the Monastiraki
district. The hill of the Pnyx, where the Athenian Assembly met,
lay at the western end of the city.
One
of the most important religious sites in Athens was the Temple
of Athena, known as the Parthenon, which stood atop the Acropolis.
Two other major religious sites, the Temple of Hephaestus (which
is still largely intact) and the Temple of Olympian Zeus or Olympeion
(once the largest temple in Greece but now in ruins) also lay
within the city walls.
However,
the most important religious site was the Erechteion, named after
a legendary Athenian king. It was considered the most important,
religious-wise, as it housed many sacred shrines. Next to it is
the legendary olive tree which Athene planted herself to win the
devotation of the Athenian people.
At
its peak in the 5th and 4th centuries BC, Athens and its suburbs
probably had approximately 300.000 inhabitants. Of these a large
number were slaves or foreign residents (known as metoikoi or
metrics), who had no political rights and paid for the right to
reside in Athens. Perhaps only 10 or 20% of the population were
adult male citizens, eligible to meet and vote in the Assembly
and be elected to office. After the conquests of Alexander the
Great in the 4th century BC the city began to lose its population
as Greeks migrated to the newly-conquered Hellenistic empire in
the east.
Read
more on the long and interesting history of Athens through the
ages using the left links on this page.