Athens History
History of Athens is long, impressive and fascinating; inextricably woven with mythology, it makes it hard to disentangle facts from fiction.
Athens was founded in the Neolithic Era, by early settlers who were attracted by the abundant springs on the hill of what later became the Acropolis. Balancing between the war-oriented times and the love of gods, Athens benefited from its ideal location and started growing to a large and independent city, becoming the cultural and political hub of the known world. Democracy was born here; philosophy and arts skyrocketed in this blessed region.
The Academy of Athens
The Golden Era came a few centuries later; after finally repulsing the persistent Persians, Athenian power knew no bounds. In the 460s BC Pericles, the leader of the Athenian Democracy decided to transform the state creating an ideal and unprecedented city eternally admired. And he did.
The pinnacle of the classic era was the starting point of a tremendous change for Athens. Most of the monuments of the city date from this Era. Literature and theatre were born and flourished, while architecture and sciences took off.
Athens boasts a vast array of influential men and women, known for their glorious minds and undisputable abilities; the historian Herodotus and Thucydides, Xenophon and Pausanias were born here. Same with Sophocles, Aeschylus and Euripides, whose tragedies are being played all over the world till the present.
Athens knew a downfall during the Byzantine Era, when the center of attention was strategically moved to Constantinople, as the new religion was about to be born. The city knew long occupations ever since; 400 years of Turks, a long and successful Revolution against them, Wars and occupation again by Germans.
Despite the frantic periods of time of doom saying, wars, conflicts and poverty, Athens never lost its glory or charm. It managed to surprise everyone pulling off the most successful Olympic Games in 2004, reminding everyone that the Games were actually born in this country; therefore Greeks still know how to do the job.
The development and beautification of the city and its suburbs has changed a lot, to the best. Athens became a more attractive, green and efficient capital, competing with the richest capitals in the world.