Athens (Greece)

V

The Modern City

Much of Athens was rebuilt in the 19th century after Greece won its independence from the Ottoman Empire. After World War II (1939-1945), another period of rebuilding began as the city’s population rapidly expanded. New suburbs emerged, the seacoast was developed, and hotels and villas sprang up everywhere to accommodate the growing tourism industry. By the late 20th century, the city’s traditional one- and two-story homes had largely given way to six-story apartment complexes, and busy thoroughfares had replaced the old tree-lined streets.

At the heart of the modern city is Syntagma (Constitution) Square, located east of the Acropolis. The square is bordered by the national Parliament Building, originally a royal palace completed in 1842 for King Otto I. Nearby is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, which features a daily changing of the guard. Several of the city’s principal hotels as well the offices of major banks and airline companies also face the square. Behind the Parliament Building is the National Gardens, a public park that is a popular place to stroll. Within the gardens is the magnificent Zappeion Megaron (1888), an international exhibition center built in the neoclassical style.

Other notable modern buildings in Athens include the National University of Athens, the Academy of Athens, and the National Library. These buildings, located along Panepistimiou Street north of Syntagma Square, form a so-called Neoclassical Trilogy. The buildings were designed by the Danish brothers Hans and Theofil Hansen and completed in 1864, 1887, and 1902. Parallel to Panepistimiou Street is Akadimias Street, famous for a 19th-century building that houses the Cultural Center of the Municipality of Athens. The center includes the Theatrical Museum of Athens and the city’s public library.

Favorite sightseeing spots in Athens include Lycabettus (Lykavittos) Hill, the highest point in the city. A short railway carries passengers to the top of the hill. Other popular tourist spots include the Pláka, the oldest residential area in Athens. With its narrow winding streets, the Pláka retains the older character of the city, and it is home to many restaurants, shops, art galleries, and cafes. The Monastiraki district has a popular flea market.

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VI

Cultural and Educational Institutions

The National Archaeological Museum houses one of the world's greatest collections of ancient Greek art and artifacts. Among the famous works on view are the bronze Poseidon of Artemision, the marble relief of Demeter and Persephone, and the Mycenaean gold death mask dubbed the “Mask of Agamemnon.” The Acropolis Museum displays artwork, decorations, and objects from the temples and buildings of the Acropolis. The museum’s collection includes sculpture from the Parthenon and the original marble caryatids (statue columns) from the Erechtheum temple. (The columns were moved to the museum in the 1980s to protect them from air pollution; the temple now displays cement copies.) The Archaeological Museum of Kerameikos has a noted collection of ancient Greek ceramics and sculpture, and the Museum of Cycladic Art has objects dating back between 3200 and 2000 bc, as well as later examples of ancient art.

An unusual feature of the city's subway system is the Metro Museum. The museum uses major subway stations to exhibit ancient artworks, structures, and objects discovered during the excavation of the subway.

More recent artworks are found at the National Art Gallery and Alexandros Soutzos Museum. The Benaki Museum contains objects and artworks covering Greek history from ancient to modern times, along with other items from around the world. Among the many other notable museums in the city are the Byzantine Museum of Athens, the City of Athens Museum, the National Historical Museum, and the War Museum of Athens.

Notable theaters include the National Theater and Lykabettus Theater. The Roman-period Odeon of Herodes Atticus, a theater that seats 5,000 people, is used for outdoor performances in the summer. It is known for productions by the National Opera as well as ballet and classical concerts.

Among the city’s institutions of higher education are the National and Capodistrian University of Athens (1837), the National Technical University of Athens (1836), the Agricultural University of Athens (1920), Athens University of Business and Economics (1920), and Athens School of Fine Arts (1837).

VII

History

A

Athena’s City

Athens (Athēnai in Ancient Greek; Athina in Modern Greek) is said to be named for the Greek goddess Athena. According to Greek mythology, Zeus, the ruler of the gods, staged a contest between Athena and the sea god Poseidon to choose a patron for the city. In one version of the story, the people judged Athena’s gift of an olive tree more useful to humanity than Poseidon’s gift of a freshwater spring, and they dedicated their city to her.

Athena was the ancient city’s divine protector, represented for centuries by a giant seated bronze statue (Athena Promachos) near the entrance to the Acropolis and by a standing ivory and gold statue (Athena Parthenos) inside the Parthenon. Both of these masterpieces, created by the famed Greek sculptor Phidias in the 5th century bc, are now destroyed. The main temple to Athena on the Acropolis, the Parthenon, also served as the city’s treasury, and it became the crowning symbol of ancient Greek civilization.

B

Earliest Origins

The Acropolis of Athens has been inhabited since Neolithic times. As early as 1400 bc it was fortified in the manner of Mycenae, Tiryns, and other late Bronze Age citadels. At that time and in the subsequent “dark age” (1200-900 bc) that followed widespread warring among the Mycenaean Greeks, Athens was one of a number of petty states in Attica.

C

The Early City-State

In the mid-9th century bc, the surrounding territory, including the nearby seaport of Piraeus, was incorporated into the city-state of Athens. When the monarchy was replaced by an aristocracy of nobles, the common people had few rights. The city was controlled by the Areopagus (Council of Elders), who appointed three (later nine) magistrates, or archons. The archons were responsible for the conduct of war, religion, and law. Discontent with this system led to a short-lived dictatorship by Cylon (632 bc).

Continued unrest in Athens led to the imposition of the Draconian Code, a harsh code of laws enacted in 621 bc and named for Athenian lawgiver Draco. The code initially compounded the social and economic crises in Athens, but eventually it brought about the consensus appointment of Solon as chief archon in 594 bc. Solon established a council (boulé), a popular assembly (ekklesía), and law courts. He also encouraged trade, reformed the coinage, and invited foreign business people to the city. Although his reforms were only partially successful, they are widely considered to be the foundations of Athenian democracy.

In 560 bc the tyrant Pisistratus, supported by the aristocracy, gained control of Athens. He enlarged the meeting place of Solon’s council in the agora (marketplace) and built a new temple of Athena on the Acropolis. Pisistratus also sponsored public events such as the festival of Greater Panathenaea, held every fourth year in Athena’s honor. Many other public works were undertaken by the tyrant and his sons between 560 and 510 bc. The sons of Pisistratus did not enjoy the popularity of their father, however, and eventually fell from power: Hipparchus was assassinated about 514 BC, and Hippias was exiled in 510 bc.

In 509 bc Cleisthenes led a democratic revolution. He reorganized the city’s tribal structure and consolidated a base of support in the more democratic urban center of Athens and in Piraeus. The powerful popular assembly met on the Pnyx hill below the Acropolis.