Athens is the capital of modern Greece. The city is still dominated by 5th-century BC landmarks, including the Acropolis, a hilltop citadel topped with ancient buildings like the colonnaded Parthenon temple.
The History of Athens is one of the longest of any city in Europe and in the world. Athens has been continuously inhabited for over 3,000 years, becoming 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.
Athens re-emerged in the 19th century as the capital of the independent Greek state.
Cultural Immersion
FUN FACTS ABOUT ATHENS
Athens is Europe’s oldest capital and one of the oldest cities in the world
According to mythology, Athena and Poseidon competed for the title of the guardian of the city. They each offered a gift to gain favor of its people and the gods, but Athena’s olive tree was deemed more valuable than the salt water spring given by Poseidon, so her name was given to the city-state.
Democracy was established in Athens around 500 B.C. It was based on a direct democracy system, in which eligible citizens directly voted on laws.
Greeks take theater very seriously, as the tradition of theater dates back to the time of Athens’ first democracy. Today, Athens is home to more than 148 theater stages, more than the West End and Broadway combined.
During construction of the Athens metro, the works led to the greatest archaeological excavation in the Athens area, and over 50,000 artifacts were excavated.
As a city dating back to antiquity, Athens is an interesting case study of architecture and is home to a variety of styles, from Greco-Roman to neoclassical to modern.
The marathon is a commemoration of the run of the Greek soldier Pheidippides (also known as Philippides), who ran from Marathon to Athens to report the Athenians’ victory against the Persians in 490 B.C.
Athens is a world center for the subjects of history and archaeology.
40% of the total population of Greece lives in Athens. That is making Athens as the largest and the most densely populated city of Greece.
Athens is one of the most sunny cities of the World, a place where sun shines about 270 days per year.
Athens is statistically one of the lowest ranking capital cities when it comes to violent crime.
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