Ancient Athens History and Facts

Ancient Athens History and Facts

Learn about Ancient Athens History and Facts, city of Ancient Greece. The history of this world civilization

One of the world’s finest cities is Athens. It served as the global hub for power, art, science, and philosophy during the time of the Ancient Greeks. With a recorded history that dates back more than 3400 years, Athens is also among the oldest cities in the entire world. It serves as both the center of Ancient Greek civilisation and the birthplace of democracy.

Named after Athena

The Greek goddess Athena inspired the naming of Athens. She was the protector of the city of Athens and the goddess of culture, war, and wisdom. The Parthenon, her shrine, is located in the middle of the city atop a hill.

The Agora

The agora served as the administrative and commercial hub of ancient Athens. It had a sizable open space for meetings that was encircled by structures. There were many temples among the structures, including those dedicated to Zeus, Hephaestus, and Apollo. The Strategeion, where the ten Athens military chiefs known as the Strategoi gathered, and the Mint, where coins were manufactured, were two examples of buildings that belonged to the government.

People would gather in the agora to talk about politics and philosophy. It was in this setting that ancient Greek democracy first took root.

The Acropolis

The Acropolis was built on a hill in the middle of the city of Athens. Surrounded by stone walls, it was originally built as a citadel and fortress where the people could retreat when the city was attacked. Later, many temples and buildings were built here to overlook the city. It was still used as a fortress for some time, however.

At the center of the Acropolis is the Parthenon. This building was dedicated to the goddess Athena and was also used to store gold. Other temples were in the acropolis such as the Temple of Athena Nike and the Erchtheum.

On the slope of the acropolis were theatres where plays and festivals were celebrated. The largest was the Theatre of Dionysus, god of wine and patron of the theatre. There were competitions held here to see who had written the best play. Up to 25,000 people could attend and the design was so good that all could see and hear the play.

The Age of Pericles

The city of Ancient Athens reached its peak during the leadership of Pericles from 461 to 429 BC, called the Age of Pericles. During this time, Pericles promoted democracy, the arts, and literature. He also built many of the cities great structures including rebuilding much of the Acropolis and building the Parthenon.

Read also : Geography of Ancient Greece