Athens SIGHTSEEING - HISTORY

There is a possibility for the old myths to reflect the wars the leaders of Acropolis made in order to achieve total ruling of the territories around Athens. However, the total merging of the territories in Attica ,Athens happened much later, around year 800 B.C., a fact reflecting in the myths of The seas and population of Athens around him. Athens developed to a great industrial and naval force during the 8th and 7th century B.C.

A milestone in the city's history has been the period of Pisistratus tyrrany. The exporting commerce of Athens reached then Sicily, Egypt and the Black Sea. New monuments were built and the city experienced its first cultural and artistic spring. Athens was also the prime actor during the war with Persia. This activity aided by the appearance of democratic governing helped Athens become Greece's leading city and the center of an allied state. The quest for success for Athens reached its climax during Perikleus "Golden Age" period.

During those years Athens was famous to the world for its power, its civilization, its culture and science. Pericles and the sculptor Phidias. A coexistence that produced miracles. The aim of Pericles was to make Athens the "Greece within Greece". His primary concern was the beautification of the sacred rock of the Acroplis. His first work the Parthenon. This was followed by the Erechtheion, the Theseion and the Propylaia.

Pericles was the man who made Athenian Democracy a worldwide symbol, the man who gave his name to an entire century, is characterized by Schackermeyer as the political embodiment of the perfect classical style that occurred for the first time in human history. A charismatic man, he ruled the most inspired but also the most difficult regime in history because every citizen was a conscious member of the whole society.

Democracy means "the state of the deme", that is, the assembly of the people makes the decisions.

This was the period that the Ancient Athenian Wonder was achieved, to be stopped from the destructive Peloponnesian War, since that war resulted in the destruction of Aticas' naval forces and the restriction of the state to Athens and island Salamina.

The territory was not powerful enough to avoid the Macedonian King Fillipe II (338 B.C.) to include Attica to the Macedonian states. In 146 B.C. Athens was occupied, together with the rest of Greece, by the Romans, who although they actually were conquerors, they showed respect to the city's personality.

After the first years A.C., Gothic tribes brought destructive invasions and looting to Athens. The gradual integration with the Byzantine Empire was completed with the shut down of Philosophic Schools, the modification of shrines to Christian temples and the general rural confrontation of Athens.

After year 1214, when Konstaninople was occupied by the Franks, Athens was given to French dukes. Teir successors were Catalans, Napolitans and finally in 1456 the Turks who were the first after all these years to transform Acropolis to a Muslim Temple "Tzami", and the Erehthion to a harem.

Until 1834, one year after its revolution from the Turks, when Athens was proclaimed capital of Greece, it was a miserable village with very few people and piles of ancient ruins and stones. Nevertheless it was accepted as a place with a very strong presence of memories of the past. Since it was made the capital, its rebirth from the ruins was initiated. New buildings were built in a close architectural connection with the ancient Greek style, and Acropolis and the rest of the ancient monuments were restored.