Athens
map of Athens see my pictures in ATHENS
Athens (Athina) is named
after Athena - the goddess of wisdom - who, according to legend, won the city
after defeating Poseidon in a duel. The goddess' victory was celebrated by the
construction of a temple on the Acropolis, the site of the city's earliest
settlement in Attica.
As a city state, the coastal capital of Athens reached
its heyday in the fifth century BC. The office of the statesman, Pericles -
between 461BC and his death in 429BC - saw an unprecedented spate of
construction resulting in many of the great classical buildings - the Parthenon,
Erechtheion, Hephaisteion and the temple at Sounion - now regarded as icons of
ancient Greece. Physical evidence of the city's success was matched by
achievements in the intellectual arts. Democracy was born, drama flourished and
Socrates conceived the foundations of Western philosophy. Remarkably, although
the cultural legacy of this period has influenced Western civilisation ever
since, the classical age in Athens only lasted for five decades. Under the
Macedonians and Romans, the city retained a privileged cultural and political
position but became a prestigious backwater of the Empire rather than a major
player. The birth of Christianity heralded a long period of occupation and
decline, culminating in 1456 and four centuries of Turkish domination, which has
left an indelible cultural mark on the city. By the end of the 18th century
Athens was also suffering the indignity of having the artistic achievements of
its classical past removed by looting collectors.
Modern Athens was born in 1834, when the city was
restored as the capital of a newly independent Greece. Greek refugees flooded
the city at the end of the Greek-Turkish war, swelling the population. After
World War II, American money funded a massive expansion and industrialisation
programme. The rapid growth of the post-war years and the high temperatures of
its Mediterranean climate, have created a city that can often be polluted and
could be described as an urban sprawl. Excessive traffic creates a gridlock on
the streets of Athens and noxious fumes (néfos) in the air, although
great efforts are being made to reduce this. Visitors with visions of gleaming
marble and philosophers in white robes are understandably perturbed that the
architectural achievements of Athens' classical past are surrounded by the
unforgiving concrete of indiscriminate 20th-century urbanisation. Over three
million visitors come to the city each year but the majority see the sights as
quickly as possible - as if fulfilling some cultural duty - before heading off
for the easy hedonism of the Greek islands.
However, Athens repays a closer acquaintance. In
addition to the celebrated classical sites, the city boasts Byzantine, medieval
and 19th-century monuments, as well as one of the best museums in the world and
areas of surprising natural beauty. Despite the traffic, an appealing
village-like quality becomes evident in the cafés, tavernas, markets and the
maze of streets around the Pláka. Moreover, Athens has the finest restaurants
and the most varied nightlife in the country and remains a major European centre
of culture, celebrated each year at the Athens Festival. The metropolitan area,
including the port at Piraeus, is the indisputable industrial and economic
powerhouse of the country and the return of the Olympic Games in 2004 is
prompting a flurry of new development. Major projects include the recently
opened Eleftherios Venizelos International Airport, the extension of the Athens
metro system, the building of new sports venues and the upgrading of hotel
accommodation. In addition, ancient sites within the city centre are to be
linked by a traffic-free 'archaeological promenade' intended to enhance the
urban environment for locals and visitors alike.
As of 2002, when making telephone calls to Athens, even
when dialling within the city, it will be necessary for callers to dial a new
'010' prefix, followed by the existing seven-digit number