Introduction
The city of Athens is the capital of Greece. In ancient times it was the most important of the Greek city-states. Named for Athena, the goddess of wisdom, the city is often considered to be the birthplace of Western civilization.
Geography
Athens is located in the southern part of the Greek mainland, on a peninsula that stretches southeastward into the Aegean Sea. It lies 5 miles (8 kilometers) from the Bay of Phaleron, where its port, Piraeus, is situated. The city is surrounded by the Plain of Attica, which in turn is surrounded on three sides by mountains.
The core of the ancient city consists of a flat-topped rock known as the Acropolis. It stands 512 feet (156 meters) high. Close to this is a lower rock, the Areopagus. Northeast of the Acropolis the pointed summit of Mount Lycabettus rises to a height of more than 1,100 feet (330 meters). There are several other smaller hills. The Kifisós River flows through the western half of the city. The Ilisós River, which is often dry, drains the eastern half.
Places of interest
Video:Athens and the Acropolis, including the Parthenon and the Erechtheum.
* Athens and the Acropolis, including the Parthenon and the Erechtheum.
Athens has been inhabited for thousands of years. The buildings and sites of the city reflect many different periods of its development.
Ancient Athens
Ancient Athens is visible in the buildings of the Acropolis, which were built in the 5th century BC. Only parts of the classical structures on the Acropolis survive. These include the ruins of the Parthenon, a temple to Athena that dominated the ancient city. The building is now missing its roof and its statue of Athena, but the basic structure remains intact. Some of the buildings on the Acropolis have been restored. The Erechtheum, known for the caryatids, or female figures, supporting its roof, has been partly restored, and the Temple of Athena Nike has been wholly rebuilt. In 1987 the Acropolis was designated a World Heritage Site. The Agora, located near the Areopagus, was a marketplace and meeting place. Its temple, which is older than the Parthenon, is one of the best preserved in the city.
Some of the city's classical structures have survived and remain in use. One example is the 5,000-seat Odeum, built in AD 161 by the Romans. The seats, which were cut out of the rock, ran two-thirds of the way around the center. Although it is now without a roof, the theater is used in the summer for performances of music and drama. An aqueduct built by the Roman emperor Hadrian still serves the city.
The modern city
In the early 19th century Athens was a small town of Turkish-style houses clustered at the foot of the Acropolis. This district is now known as Pláka. It has picturesque streets and small squares with tavernas, or cafés, celebrated for their simple fare, folk music, and dancing. The modern city developed around this area. One of the centers of modern Athens is the area around Síntagma (Constitution) Square. There are found the Old Royal Palace and its gardens, the city's largest public park. The palace now houses the Greek parliament. In front of the palace is the Monument of the Unknown Soldier, guarded by evzones, members of a select Greek infantry unit. The University of Athens, the Greek Academy, and the National Library are located nearby. The 70,000-seat Panathenaic (Athens) Stadium was completed for the revival of the Olympic Games in 1896.
People and culture
Most of the people of Athens are ethnic Greeks. People from the Middle East, especially Lebanon, have migrated to the city, however. Almost all Greeks adhere to the Eastern Orthodox faith.
The Athenians enjoy a typically Mediterranean way of life. Because of the predominantly warm and sunny weather, sidewalk cafés are particularly popular. The city has many cultural attractions, including concerts by symphony orchestras as well as ballets, operas, and theatrical performances.
Economy
Along with Piraeus, Athens produces most of the country's manufactured products. Industries include textiles, shipbuilding, food processing, metallurgy, engineering, oil refining, and chemicals. Publishing and tourism have also become major industries. In the 20th century the city tried to address the problem of pollution caused by the many factories.
Transportation
Athens is the commercial and transportation center of Greece. It is the center of the Greek railroad network and is linked by major highways with other parts of the country. Piraeus accounts for about half of the country's sea trade. The Athens airport handles international traffic. The heavy automobile traffic in the city and surrounding area add to the air pollution. Public transportation in the city is by rail, trolley, and bus.
History
The site of Athens has been inhabited since at least 3000 BC. The earliest surviving buildings date from about 1200 BC, when the Acropolis was a fortress. Sometime after that Athens developed into one of the most powerful of the many city-states that made up ancient Greece. The 6th century BC in particular was a period of great growth in Athens. It was also during this time that the Acropolis became a sanctuary, or place of worship, rather than a fortress. In 480 BC the city was captured and destroyed by the Persians. When the Athenians returned the next year, they began to rebuild the city.
The city reached its peak as the center of civilization under the leadership of the statesman Pericles beginning in about 458 BC. He opened Athenian democracy to the ordinary citizen, he built the magnificent temples and statues on the Acropolis, and he created the Athenian empire. The Theater of Dionysus, also built during this time at the base of the Acropolis, became the city's center of drama. The greatest Greek dramatists presented their plays there during this period.
Athens was also one of the two major military powers of the period. During the last years of Pericles' rule, Athens tried to extend its empire. This led to the Peloponnesian War with Sparta, the other military power.
After Athens lost the war in 404 BC, it began a slow decline that lasted until the Romans finally took control three centuries later. Although Athens remained an important cultural center during this period, the center of power in the Greek world eventually shifted to Constantinople (now Istanbul), which became the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire in the 4th century AD.
The Turkish Ottoman Empire occupied Athens in 1456 and began a rule that lasted almost 400 years. They turned the Parthenon into a mosque and occupied other classical buildings. In the 17th century the Parthenon was severely damaged in an explosion and was then further damaged in fighting between the Turks and Venetians. Additional damage occurred during a Greek uprising in 1821. The Turks remained in power until 1833, when Athens became the capital of the new kingdom of Greece.
Athens was occupied by German troops during World War II, but the city was not bombed. After the war the city expanded rapidly. By the end of the 20th century about one third of the population of Greece was concentrated in the Athens area. Population, city (1991 census), 772,072; metropolitan area, 3,523,407.
