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| Theoldest
inhabited city in the world, the cradle of democracy and Western civiliza-tion
as we know it today, was begun as a small fortified village built on top
of the Acropolis rock as far back as 3.000 years B.C.
Itsfirst name was Kekropia deriving from its mythical founder and first King Kekrops until such time as the competition between the god Poseidon andthe goddess Athena, as to who would become protector of the young and risingcity, was won by Athena, who offered the gift of the olive tree and gavethe city her name. Thecity of Athens grew from a small fortified habitation on top of the Acropolis rock into one of the most powerful city -states of the ancient world andproduced some of the most famous philoso-phers, artists and writers, theirnames world famous through the history of the human race. There are fewwho dont knowthe names of Socrates, Plato, Sophocles, Euripides, Aristophanes,Phidiasand many, many more. Through the ce-nturies, Athens absorbed thenear-by smallertowns, finally dominat-ing the whole of Attica, creatingone of the most powerful alliances in ancient Greece. In time, Athens abolishedroyalty and becamethe first democracy in the world, a fact that helpedit to grow even more,becoming so powerful that was able to fight off for-eigninvaders like theancient Persians and with the assis-tance of other Greekcities, to win famousbattles suchas those of Marathon and Salamis, apreamble to the final conquestof Persiaby one of the world's greatestsoldiers and statesmen, Alexanderthe Great. |
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Asis
natural, Athens is full of museums and archaeological sites of the utmost
interest, as more or less, is all of Greece, and one can almost followthe
glory that Athens was through a visit to the Acropolis museum, theNational
Archaeological museum, the museum of Keramikos and natu-rallythe ancientAcropolis
where one of the architectural wonders of the world,the Parthenon,the temple
devoted to the goddess Athena, can be seen andadmired.
Afterthe conquest of Greece by the Romans, the importance of Athens started to wane and by the time the 1,100 year Byzantine Empire fell to be succeeded by 400 years of Turkish rule, Athens became little more than a village.As an example, the population of Athens in 1834, when it was declared capital of the newly liberated state of Greece, was about 12.000. From then on,Athens grew steadily to the very large city that it is today boasting apopulation for the whole area of around 4 million. ModernAthens, as you will see in the pages that follow, is a cos-mopolitan citywhich offers the foreign visitor unlimited possibili-ties for excursions, sightseeing, night life - you name it, Athens has it. Literallythousands of traditional eating places, tavernas, with or without musicbut always good, inexpensive food can be found in the city and its suburbs, along with hundreds of restaurants of every style and nationality. Numerous nightclubs vie for the visitor's attention with the uniquely. Atheniantype of open-air cinemas and theatres. All types of shop-ping is avail-able,from the famous Athens flea market, Monastiraki, to the most sophisticatedboutiques. Thousands of bars, pubs, and snack - type eating places, includ-ingthe famous souvlaki stands, are to be found, ready to service the needsof a great variety of customers. Today'sAthens, is a modern city, but it still has its aura of ancient glory whichbecomes evi-dent when one takes an evening stroll in the old city. Athensis
a place to see and experience. It may not be what it once was, but itstill
has a lot of unique experiences to offer, espe-cially to those ready, willing
, and able to understand and appreciate its unalterable beauty.
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