Culture of Athens

Poetry
Homer featured people trying to live up to standards of courage and honor. Pindar wrote poems that honoured sports heroes. Sappho wrote of friendship and love.

Drama
Poems evolved to songs and finally to drama when Thespis broke away and spoke lines on his own. Plays were a big deal to the Athenians. On opening day even prisoners were let out to attend.

Tragedies
The Greek tragedies were plays that showed dignity in the face of trouble. They showed how noble people could be. The Universe was governed by fate or destiny in these plays. People who were too stubborn or proud would be punished by destiny. Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides wrote some of the great tragedies.

Comedies
The comedies of Aristophanes and others were satires of politics and current events. History The Athenians were the first to examine history with a critical eye. Herodotus and Thucydides were some of the historians of the day. Artists and Architects Paintings and sculptures showed the ideal person. The Athenians tried to make structures fit with natural surroundings. E.G: the Parthenon seems to grow up out of the rocks.

Parthenon

Philosophy
Philosophy is the love of wisdom. The Greek philosophers started with deep-seeded questions such as: "Why are humans here?" and "How far is the universe?" Greeks looked for rational ways to explain the natural world. They believed in natural laws, many of which were wrong.

Pythagorus
Pythagorus believed the universe was arranged according to natural laws. He discovered the Pythagorean Theorem, the relationship between the sides of a right triangle.

Hypocrites
Hypocrites started a medical school and taught people to find the reason for illnesses. He separated medicine from magic.

Socrates 469-399 BC
Socrates never wrote anything down. He believed that it was more important to gain knowledge of human beings than to investigate nature. He thought that one should get knowledge from reason, not emotions. "The unexamined life is not worth living." He taught by having discussions in which the truth of every statement was questioned. Socrates was killed for his ideas.

Plato 427 - 347 BC
Plato was a student of Socrates. He believed that laws must serve the best interests of everyone. He blamed democracy for the troubles in Greece because too few had the brains to govern wisely. Plato wanted philosopher kings.

Aristotle 384 - 322 BC
Aristotle studied everything (plants, animals, and astronomy). He was the founder of science and biology. Aristotle analyzed speech to see what made for effective speeches.

Thermopylae
"These men have come to fight us for the possession of the pass, and for that struggle they are preparing. It is the common practice of the Spartans to pay careful attention to their hair when they are about to risk their lives. But I assure you that if you can defeat these men and the rest of the Spartans, there is no other people in the world who will dare to stand firm or lift a hand against you. You have now to deal with the finest kingdom in Greece, and with the bravest men."

"The Persians had in their army many men, but few soldiers."

There are many interesting culture difference as its very artist and creative in Athens and it’s a great atmosphere. It’s a highlight to be able to walk around and feel the creativeness of artists etc flowing J

Treatment Of Women

All women in Athens had a kyrios - a guardian – who was usually her husband or, if she was unmarried, her closest male relative. The kyrios had a huge amount of control over the woman.

Everyday Life

Rich, respectable women were expected to spend nearly all of their time in the house, leaving it only for special occasions such as funerals and festivals. However, poor women, whose husbands could not afford slaves, had to work beside their husbands, go shopping for food and collect water. Some were forced to work for a living; as midwives, for example. In one way, you could say they were the lucky ones – at least they weren't cooped up in a house.

This is not to say, of course, that women did not enjoy their lives or did nothing of value. However, the information we have today from Athenians of the time is overwhelmingly from a male perspective and portraying men, so we get only a generalised view.

One of Xenophon's works, Oikonomikos, has a man telling his wife her duties, which included supervising and ordering servants, allocating funds, having clothes made, keeping dried grain fit to eat and making sure that ill servants received treatment. Poor women, by contrast, would have to look after the house, bring up children, cook, clean, make clothes, and perhaps help their husbands to work.

Marriage and Sexual Relations

Women had fewer legal rights than men. They often had no say in to whom they were betrothed and the betrothal might take place when the girl was as young as five. The betrothal itself was a ceremony conducted in front of witnesses who would attest to the virginity of the girl and the size of her dowry¹. The dowry was a very important part of the marriage as most people married for property, not love.

Marriage was not formalised in law. It was based on living together and the couple were considered married from the moment the woman or girl entered her husband's house, which normally took place when the girl was 14. The man was usually in his late twenties or early thirties.

The woman did not own her dowry. It was the property of her father, who provided it, and the husband who had control over spending it. However, in the event of a divorce, the dowry was returned. Attaining a divorce was easier for men than women but both sexes could initiate proceedings.

Women also had fewer rights in the area of adultery. Men were permitted to take mistresses, concubines and to see prostitutes, whereas a woman was not allowed to have sexual relations with anyone other than her husband.

Property

Athenians were determined to keep property within the family. The normal state of affairs was for property to be passed on by will and divided equally among the sons. Women were not normally allowed to inherit. If a woman had no surviving brothers, she could inherit property. She would then marry a close male relative who would take charge of the property. If she was already married, she might be forced to divorce her husband in order to do so. This kept property within the family.

Women were not allowed to enter into contracts, buy anything expensive or own property. They could own jewellery, clothes and a personal slave, but that was it.

Male Attitudes To Women

Athenian men saw women as weaker than them in all spheres of life – physically, morally, socially and intellectually. They did not give women rights and considered them corruptible, cunning and untrustworthy. Women were not allowed in the Athenian democratic assembly. It was not entirely negative, though. On a more positive note, they also thought of women as the givers of life, which was obviously a very valued and important role.

 

I find this surprising as the city is named after a women and in other states women are treated equally. The treatemnt of women is harsh It is one disappointing aspect of live in Athens.

 

 

The Agora

The Ancient Agora, or marketplace, is located to the northwest of the Acropolis and is bounded on the south by the hill of the Areopagus ("Hill of Ares" a.k.a. "Mar's Hill" in Roman times) and on the west by the hill of Colonus Agoraeus. It was the political and administrative centre of ancient Athens as well as the place where social, commercial and religious activities concentrated. The site was occupied without interruption in all periods of the city's history. It was used as a residential and burial area as early as the Late Neolithic period (3000 BC). Early in the 6th century BCE, in the time of Solon, the Agora became a public area. After a series of repairs and remodeling, it reached its final rectangular form in the 2nd century BCE. Extensive building activity occurred after the serious damage made by the Persians in 480-79 BC, by the Romans in 89 BC and by the Heruli in 267 CE. After the Slavic invasion in 580 CE, it was gradually abandoned.

Seen from above

This was the busiest place in the city where a lot of people traded some women were even allowed out to buy things but mainly slaves doing work for richer house holds but a mixture of people were there as well. It was nice to see a good mixture of people there.

Delian League

Delian League is the confederation of Greek city-states under the leadership of Athens. The name is used to designate two distinct periods of alliance, the first 478–404 B.C., the second 378–338 B.C. The first alliance was made between Athens and a number of Ionian states (chiefly maritime) for the purpose of prosecuting the war against Persia. All the members were given equal vote in a council established in the temple of Apollo at Delos, a politically neutral island, where the league's treasury was kept. The assessments to be levied on the members were originally fixed by Athens, and the fairness with which these were apportioned contributed much toward maintaining the initial enthusiasm. States contributed funds, troops, and ships to the league. After Persia suffered a decisive defeat at Eurymedon (468 B.C.), many members supported dissolution of the league. Athens, however, which had profited greatly from the league, argued that the danger from Persia was not over. When Naxos attempted to secede, Athens, taking the leadership from the assembly, forced (c.470 B.C.) Naxos to retain allegiance. Soon Thasos attempted the same maneuver and was likewise subdued (463 B.C.) by the Athenian general Cimon. The Athenians were so successful in their aims, using both force and persuasion, that by 454 B.C. the league had grown to c.140 members. An invasion by the league's enemies, Sparta and its supporters, was averted in 457 B.C., and Thebes, the traditional enemy of Athens, was subjected (456 B.C.). In 454 B.C., because of the real or pretended danger of Persian attack, the treasury was transported from Delos to the Athenian Acropolis. The league had in effect become an Athenian empire. However, its unity was not very stable, and in 446 B.C. Athens lost Boeotia. Gradually Athens lost its prestige as well as many of its alliances, and, with the Peloponnesian War (404 B.C.), the league came to an end. In 394 B.C., Conon reestablished the Athenian mastery of the sea at Cnidus. Proffers of alliance reached Athens, and in 378 B.C. the second Athenian confederacy was formed. Two years later Athens won a naval victory over Sparta near Naxos; the Athenians and Spartans compromised with a treaty that left Athens supreme on the sea and Sparta supreme on the mainland of Greece. In 371 B.C., Thebes withdrew from the alliance and gained predominance over Boeotian land that had been occupied (387 B.C.) by Sparta. A treaty was made between Athens and Sparta. By 351 B.C., however, the status of the league had been seriously weakened in the north and in the east, and in 338 B.C. the league was utterly destroyed by the victory of Philip II of Macedon in the battle of Chaeronea.

 

 Many citizens are very proud that they are part of this League as they feel that it gives them power.

Archons Of Athens

The Archons of Athens were the supreme council of the Athenian Republic during the Classical Age. There were nine Archons, this list details the chief archon (and hence the constitutional Head-of-State of the Republic). His duties were to act as chief executive, chief justiciar, and president of both the Boule (Council) and Ecclesia (popular assembly). As Archon Eponymous, his name was applied to the year of his office. His colleagues were: the Polemarch, who was the senior military commander and chief judicial authority in cases involving foreigners - the Basileus ("King", what remained of the monarchy after the establishment of the Republic), the chief religious officer and president of the Areopagus (Council of Nobles) - and finally six Thesmotetai, ("Determiners of Custom"), a group of general legal authorities. Over time, the power of the Archons waned - the Polemarch lost control of the army to the ten tribal Strategoi in 501 BCE, and the others suffered a similar winnowing away of real function, as the nature and circumstances of the Athenian state shifted. Nevertheless, the office endured into the Common Era, as a ceremonial figurehead if nothing else.

This system of democarcy was interesting to learn about as most people seem happy with it (well the men who are allowed to vote). Its a very different idea to many places but is a good system but doesn't give the vote to everyone :(

 

The Acropolis

The "Sacred Rock", the Athens Acropolis, is the trademark monument of Athens and of Greece. It is also the most important ancient monument in Europe. Surrounded by the new Athens, the Parthenon still stands proudly over it, a reminder of the old aura of the city... One can see the Acropolis and its Parthenon, the ultimate achievement of the city's classical architecture and symbol of greatness, from every part of Athens.

 The acropolis was a military fortress during the Neolithic period, due to its position which offers a great view of the land as well as the sea. During the Mycenaean times, it became a religious centre, dedicated to the worship of the goddess Athena, as well as a residential area, at least until the 6th century B.C.

It is said that the place was declared a province only to the gods by an oracle, and therefore stopped being inhabited by the people. The three temples of major importance, the Parthenon, the Erechteion and the Temple of Nike, were erected during the classical period (450-330 B.C.) on the remains of earlier temples. All three of them are dedicated to different aspects of the Goddess Athena.

The Persian destroyed the Acropolis during the battle of Salamina in 480 B.C. The creator of the Athenian democracy, Pericles, was the one who rebuilt it under the form it has kept until today. He made it into a city of Temples, and, as everything else created at that period, turned it to the ultimate achievement in terms of classical Greek architecture and sculpting. The Acropolis has, since then, been through a lot, and its remains reflect each and every period of the city of Athens.

The Parthenon was turned into a church dedicated to Agia Sofia by the Christians of Byzantium, while the domination of the Franks in 1205 turned the hill into a fortress and residence for the noble Franks. At that time, the Parthenon was a Catholic Church named "Our Lady of Athens". The Ottoman occupation of the 15th century turned the building into a mosque. When Greece finally became independent from the Turkish occupation, the conservation of the monuments became a task of major importance, and it has remained so until today.

It today
 

The Parthenon
- The building: This monument is the symbol of the Ancient Greek civilisation. It is the most important monument until today. It was dedicated too the patron goddess of the city, Athena, since Parthenon means also "the apartment of the virgin". Athena was the goddess of wisdom, war and also a virgin. The Parthenon is located on the top of the Acropolis hill. It was created between 447 and 432 B.C., at the time of Pericles golden age, by the architect Iktinos and with the help of Kallikrates. The famous Athenian sculptor Pheidias was the supervisor of the whole project, which is a fine example of the Doric architectural style. It is made of Pentelic marble, and is made of 8 Doric columns on each of the narrow sides and 17 columns on each of the long side.

The most amazing fact about this perfect achievement is that its columns are made in a zigzag as to give the impression that its foundations are straight. Its central part used to have a pool of water and to shelter a 40 feet high statue of Athena, made of gold and ivory.

- The decorations: The combination of Doric metopes and the Ionic frieze on the walls are considered unique masterpieces. On the east side the metopes depict the fight of the Gods against the Giants, and on the east side the Lapith battle against the Centaurs. The south side shows the triumph of the Greeks against the Amazons and the north the victory of the Athenian on the Trojans. The frieze that covers the sides of the temple depicts the most important religious festival in Ancient Greece, the Panathenaea.

The designs include the figure of Gods, animals, and more than 360 humans. The temple’s two pediments show the birth of Athena and the fight between her and Poseidon for the name of the city. The temple suffered many transformations, while its final destruction happened in the 19th century: the British ambassador in Constantinople, Lord Elgin, stole its decorations and sold them to the British Museum where they can still be seen.

The Erechteion
This Temple is located on the most sacred part of the whole sacred hill. That side of the Acropolis was indeed the sanctuary were all the cults and ceremonies of Poseidon and Athena were taking place. It took its name after Poseidon killed Erechtonius, a mythical king who had the body of a snake. The temple was a part of Pericles project and is located on the northern side of the Parthenon. It was started late, in 421 BC, due to the Peloponnesian wars and ended in 406 BC.

It is an amazing example of the Ionic architecture, composed by three different dimensions basic parts which are the main temple, the northern and the southern porches. The two parts of the main temple are respectively dedicated to Athena and Poseidon. The northern porch of six columns leads to the Temenos of Pandrossos, the place where the sacred gift of Athena to the city, the olive tree, grew.

The northern porch of the temple is the most famous, since it is the one with the Caryatids, the six women replacing the columns that support the marble roof. The Caryatids were sculpted after some beautiful young models that were women from Karyes, a village of Lakonia.

The Temple of Athena Nike
This little temple was built between 427-424 BC from a design of the architect Kallikrates. It is perched on a platform on the south-west edge of the Acropolis, and is also closed to visitors. It is an almost square building of Ionic architecture with four Ionic columns at each ends. Its frieze is adorned by a wonderful scene depicting the conference of gods and other mythological scenes on the east and south sides, and battles scenes on the other sides. The majority of the frieze has been destroyed, while some parts, like the beautiful representation of Athena Nike (Victory) fastening her sandal, are exposed in the Acropolis museum.

The Temple of Athena Nike was the shelter of an amazing statue of the goddess Athena holding a pomegranate, the symbol of fertility, in her right hand and a helmet, the symbol of war, in her left hand. The temple has been destroyed twice: once after the Turks dismantled it in 1686 and once after 1936, when the platform crumbled. It has been therefore rebuilt two times as well.

The Propylaea
The Propylaia is on the same line as the Parthenon, and is the monumental gateway to the Acropolis. Built from a design by Mnesicles, it is composed by a central hall and two lateral wings. The sections of the temple used to be the only possible way to enter the Acropolis. The northern wing was decorated with painted panels and was used as a picture gallery (the "Pinakotheke"). The south wing was the antechamber to the Temple of Athena Nike and the ceiling of the Propylaea’s central hall was painted with gold and colourful decoration. The northern wing was decorated with painted panels and was used as a picture gallery The building was build during 437-432 BC, badly damaged in the 17th century from an explosion. Its restoration started in 1909 and is still going on today.

The Panathenaic Way
The Panathenaic Way was the route taken by the Panathenaic procession during the festival of Panathenaia. This was the most important event of ancient Athens and was dedicated to the goddess Athena, and consisted in dances, athletic, dramatic and musical contests. The route was cutting through the middle of the Acropolis, beginning from the Keramikos and ending at the Erechteion.

The procession was the highlight of the festival, as it took place on its last day. It was composed of men carrying animals for sacrifices to the goddess, of maidens carrying drinking vessels (call rhytons), musicians and girls holding the sacred shawl called "peplo". The procession came to an end when the girls placed the peplo on the statue of Athena Polias, inside the Erechteion.

The statue of Athena Promachos
On the Acropolis one can see the remains of some important statues which used to form a path. One of them, 15m from the Propylaea, is where used to stand the gigantic statue of Athena Promachos (champion). This 9m high statue was a symbol of the victory and the strength of the Athenians against the Persians. This symbolism is the reason why its sculptor, the famous Pheidias, represented the goddess holding a shield in her left hand and a spear in her right one. The statue was taken to Constantinople by the Emperor Theodosius in 426 AD. It was destroyed in 1204 by the inhabitants of the city who blamed the statue for a crusader invasion they suffered.

The southwest Slope of Athens Acropolis

This area of the Acropolis played is the area where all public buildings were built. It was the part of the hill where all the major artistic, spiritual and religious activities of the city took place, hence its importance to the ancient Athens. Here are the most important monuments standing on this area:

The Theatre of Dionysos
The remaining ruins of the 5th-century theatre built in stone and marble by Lycourgos indicates the greatness of the site: the auditorium had 17 000 seats of which only 20 survived. The Greek Archaeological Society started excavations around Dionysos' sanctuary and brought to light the theatre of Dionysos in 1838. The decorative relief at the rear of the stage is from the 2nd century BC and depicts Dionysos life and myths. Unfortunately most of the figures are headless.

During the golden age of Pericles, when Athens was at its peak, one of the major events of the year was the annual Festival of the Great Dionysia, introduced in the 6th-century AD by the tyrant Peiseistratos. It was a very interesting and cultural event. Politicians and rich people would sponsor dramas and comedies by theatrical writers like Aristophanes, Aeschylus, Euripides and Sophocles. Visitors would come from all around Attica to enjoy the plays and the different festivities. The Romans have also used the Theatre of Dionysos for their state events, some ceremonies and even theatrical performances.

The Temple of Thrasyllos

This temple was erected in 320-319 BC by Thrasyllos. It was standing on the "katatome", the great rock that had been artificially evened out vertically for the construction of the Theatre of Dionysos. The only remains of this temple are the two Ionic columns standing above the lovely, tiny Chapel of Panagia Hrysospiliotissa (our Lady of the Cavern), which was built into a small cave of a cliff hidden behind the Theatre of Dionysos.

The stoa of Eumenes
Beneath the Asclepion stands a long colonnade that was built by Eumenes the second, the king of Pergamos. (197-159 BC). This colonnade is know as the stoa of Eumenes, and it was built of stone and marble, and was used as a shelter and a promenade way for the tehatre’s public.

The Asklepieion
The Asklepieion was built after 420 BC to worship the physician Asklepios, son of Apollo. It is located on the left top of the wooden steps leading to the Theatre of Dionysos. It is composed by some foundations of the Temple of Asklepios, a Doric stoa used as the "katagogion", an Ionic stoa dating from the end of the 5th century BC and an altar. The excavation of the Asklepieion was made by the Greek Archaeological Service.

The Theatre of Herodes Atticus
This theatre was built by Herodes Atticus, a wealthy Roman. He created this architectural miracle in AD 160, in loving memory of his wife Regilla. This huge construction has a 38m radius, which allows it to offer space for more than 5000 spectators. The seats were made of marble. It was discovered in 1857-58 and restored in 1950-61. The summer Athens Festival which takes place every year nowadays uses the Theatre of Herodes Atticus fro musical on dancing performances, or plays. Famous artists and performers come from all over the world to perform there, and create an amazing atmosphere.

There was a lot of different building around here. Although women wouldn't be aloud into most of them. There very interesting and different in there own way. Most of the building are very religous as Greece as a whole was very religous worshiping many Gods and Goddess's that had a lot to do with every area of life.

 

Location of Ancient Athens

Overview

Athens was in Attica, not far from the sea, on the southwest slope of Mount Lycabettus, between the small rivers Cephissus to the west, Ilissos to the south, and the Eridanos to the north, the latter of which flowed through the town. The walled city measured about 1.5 km in diameter, 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 city was burnt by Xerxes in 480 BC, but was soon rebuilt under the administration of Themistocles, and was adorned with public buildings. Its beauty was chiefly due to its public buildings, for the private houses were mostly insignificant, and its streets badly laid out. Towards the end of the Peloponnesian war, it contained more than 10,000 houses, which at a rate of 12 inhabitants to a house would give a population of 120,000, though some writers make the inhabitants as many as 180,000.

Athens consisted of two distinct parts:

• The City, properly so called, divided into The Upper City or Acropolis, and The Lower City, surrounded with walls.
• The port city of Piraeus, also surrounded with walls and connected to the city with the Long Walls.

Map of the town.

 

The Long Walls

The Long Walls consisted of two walls leading to Piraeus, 7 km long, running parallel to each other, with a narrow passage between them. In addition, there was a wall to Phalerum on the east,  6.5 km long. There were therefore three long walls in all; but the name Long Walls seems to have been confined to the two leading to the Piraeus, while the one leading to Phalerum was called the Phalerian Wall. The entire circuit of the walls was 35 km.

Walls in Athens

The Acropolis (Upper city)

The Acropolis, was a steep rock in the middle of the city, about 50 meters high, 350 meters long, and 150 meters wide; its sides were naturally scarped on all sides except the west end. It was originally surrounded by an ancient wall said to have been built by the Pelasgians. At the time of the Peloponnesian war only the north part of this wall remained, and this portion was still called the Pelasgic Wall; while the south part which had been rebuilt  was called the Cimonian Wall. On the west end of the Acropolis, where access is alone practicable, were the magnificent Propylaea, "the Entrances,", before the right wing of which was the small Temple of Athena Nike. The summit of the Acropolis was covered with temples, statues of bronze and marble, and various other works of art. Of the temples, the grandest was the Parthenon, sacred to the "Virgin" goddess Athena; and north of the Parthenon was the magnificent Erechtheion, containing three separate temples, one to Athena Polias, or the "Protectress of the State," the Erechtheion proper, and the Pandroseion, or sanctuary of Pandrosos, the daughter of Cecrops. Between the Parthenon and Erechtheion was the colossal Statue of Athena Promachos, or the "Fighter in the Front," whose helmet and spear was the first object on the Acropolis visible from the sea.

 Lower city

The lower city was built in the plain round the Acropolis, but this plain also contained several hills, especially in the southwest part. On the west side the walls embraced the Hill of the Nymphs and the Pnyx, and to the southeast they ran along beside the Ilissos.

Gates

There were many gates, among the more important there were:

• On the West side: Dipylon, the most frequented gate of the city, leading from the inner Kerameikos to the outer Kerameikos, and to the Academy. The Sacred Gate, where the sacred road to Eleusis began. The Knight's Gate, probably between the Hill of the Nymphs and the Pnyx. The Piraean Gate, between the Pnyx and the Mouseion, leading to the carriage road between the Long Walls to the Piraeus. The Melitian Gate, so called because it led to the deme Melite, within the city.
• On the South side: The Gate of the Dead in the neighbourhood of the Mouseion. The Itonian Gate, near the Ilissos, where the road to Phalerum began.
• On the East side: The Gate of Diochares, leading to the Lyceum. The Diomean Gate, leading to Cynosarges and the deme Diomea.
• On the North side: The Acharnian Gate, leading to the deme Acharnai.

Districts

• The Inner Kerameikos, or "Potter's Quarter," in the west of the city, extending north as far as the Dipylon gate, by which it was separated from the outer Kerameikos; the Kerameikos contained the Agora, or "market-place," the only one in the city, lying northwest of the Acropolis, and north of the Areopagus.
• The deme Melite, in the west of the city, south of the inner Kerameikos.
• The deme Skambonidai, in the northern part of the city, east of the inner Kerameikos.
• The Kollytos, in the southern part of the city, south and southwest of the Acropolis.
• Koele, a district in the southwest of the city.
• Limnai, a district east of Milete and Kollytos, between the Acropolis and the Ilissos.
• Diomea, a district in the east of the city, near the gate of the same name and the Cynosarges.
• Agrai, a district south of Diomea.

Hills

• The Areopagus, the "Hill of Ares," west of the Acropolis was accessible on the south side by a flight of steps cut out of the rock.
• The Hill of the Nymphs, northwest of the Areopagus.
• The Pnyx, a semicircular hill, southwest of the Areopagus, where the ekklesia (assemblies) of the people were held in earlier times, for afterwards the people usually met in the Theatre of Dionysus.
• The Mouseion, "the Hill of the Muses," south of the Pnyx and the Areopagus.

Streets

Among the more important streets, there were:

• The Piraean Street, which led from the Piraean gate to the Agora.
• The Panathenaic Way, which led from the Dipylon gate to the Acropolis via the Agora, along which a solemn procession was made during the Panathenaic Festival.
• The Street of the Tripods, on the east side of the Acropolis.

Public buildings

• Temples. Of these the most important was the Olympieion, or Temple of Olympian Zeus, southeast of the Acropolis, near the Ilissos and the fountain Callirrhoë, which was long unfinished, and was first completed by Hadrian. The Temple of Hephaestus, located to the west of the Agora. The Temple of Ares, to the north of the Agora. Metroon, or temple of the mother of the gods, on the west side of the Agora. Besides these, there was a vast number of other temples in all parts of the city.
• The Bouleuterion (Senate House), at the west side of the Agora.
• The Tholos, a round building close to the Bouleuterion, built c. 470 BC by Cimon, which served as the Prytaneion, in which the Prytaneis took their meals and offered their sacrifices.
• Stoae, or Colonnades, supported by pillars, and used as places of resort in the heat of the day, of which there were several in Athens. In the Agora there were: the Stoa Basileios, the court of the King-Archon, on the west side of the Agora; the Stoa Eleutherios, or Colonnade of Zeus Eleutherios, on the west side of the Agora; the Stoa Poikile, so called because it was adorned with fresco painting of the Battle of Marathon by Polygnotus, on the north side of the Agora.

Theatre

·        Theatres. The Theatre of Dionysus, on the southeast slope of the Acropolis, was the great theatre of the state. Besides this there were Odeons, for contests in vocal and instrumental music, an ancient one near the fountain Callirrhoë, and a second built by Pericles, close to the theatre of Dionysius, on the southeast slope of the Acropolis. The large odeon surviving today, the Odeon of Herodes Atticus was built in Roman times.

• Panathenaic Stadium, south of the Ilissos, in the district Agrai, where the athletic portion of the Panathenaic Games were held.

Suburbs

• The Outer Kerameikos, northwest of the city, was the finest suburb of Athens; here were buried the Athenians who had fallen in war, and at the further end of it was the Academy, 6 stadia from the city.
• Cynosarges, east of the city, across the Ilissos, reached from the Diomea gate, a gymnasium sacred to Heracles, where the Cynic Antisthenes taught.
• Lyceum, east of the city, a gymnasium sacred to Apollo Lyceus, where Aristotle taught.

 



A map showing the many states of Ancient Greece.

Climate: Athens has a typical Mediterranean climate:  hot, dry summers and mild winters with not much rainfall. In general is dry with low humidity.

While I was there I got slightly lost as it's such a big place with a lot of interesting places to visit although being a women I wasn't allowed to see some building or even really go out of my house but as I was a vister I went out and explored a lot :)

Introduction and Basic Information

At the time Greece was divided up into city states known as Polis. There were well over 1500 of these Polis’s at the time. Athens is said to have been inhabited from Neolithic times, possibly from the end of the 4th millennium BC, or nearly 7000 years. It was the largest Polis in Greece with a population of 20,000 people. It was also the first state to be democratic (people voted for their leader in elections) but of its 200,000 residents only 35,000 qualified as citizens who could vote in the democratic process. The rest were slaves, women, children, and foreigners.

The common image used to describe Athens its the Pathenon which is a religous building where worship was carried out.

The city was named after the Greek Goddess of wisdom known as Athena or Athene. There is a Greek myth about how the city got its name:

Cecrops, a strange creature, half-man half-snake was the founder of the city that he named after himself. The God’s of Olympus saw this piece of land and wanted to name it after them and become its patron. The two most persistent rivals were Poseidon God of the sea and Athena Goddess of wisdom.  To decide Zeus set them both a challenge for each of them to give a gift to the city and Cecrops would decide the best gift.

One sunny day, Cecrops and the residents of the city went up to a high hill to watch the gods giving their gifts. Poseidon was the first to present his gift. He struck a rock with his trident and caused a spring of water to gush forth from the ground. This signified that he was assuring the citizens with water and therefore they wouldn’t face any time of drought. However, the people were not exactly enchanted with his gift because the water from the spring tasted salty, just like the waters of the sea over which Poseidon ruled. Next there was the turn of goddess Athena. She planted a seed in the ground, which grew up to become a lovely olive tree. The citizens liked this gift better because it would give them food, oil and firewood. With one voice they loudly acclaimed Athena as their benefactress.

This is how the goddess Athena got the everlasting honor of naming the city after her. Indeed, the residents of Athens built numerous glorious temples dedicated to her, organized festivals to honour their patroness and, when money was invented, they depicted goddess Athens and her sacred bird, the owl, symbol of wisdom, on both sides of their coins. Moreover, it is worth mentioning that this myth has a point of reality: many olive trees are found till today in the suburbs of Athens, but the city indeed faces problems of drought, especially in summer, and needs to get supplied with water from rivers in other Greek areas, such as Yliki lake, close to modern Thebes, and Mornos river, in the prefecture of Fokida.

Athena Greek Goddess that Athens is named after.

 

Athens is one of the most famous city states and this is the basic information that you’ll need to know about it. We know a lot about Athens because a lot of writters and artists lived in there and many of their works still survive today as does the city itself.

The city skyline today.

 I have found the Athens very different from some of the other city states in Greece such as Sparta. But it was still very interesting to be there.