Athens capital of Greece is one of the oldest cities in the world (first inhabited 6000BC). Athens is surrounded by the mountains Hymmetus, Pentelikon, and Parnes.
The inhabitants of Athens today number about 4 millions. It is a modern city with many neoclassic buildings, large thoroughfares and many ancient monuments.
The name Athena was given by The goddess of wisdom Athena gave her name to the city.According to Greek mythology there was a quarrel between god Poseidon and goddess Athena as to who should protect the city whose name that time was Cecropia, after the ancient King Cecrops.The two deities agreed that whichever of them gave it the best gift would win the city. Poseidon stuck the ground with his trident, creating a rift from which water gushed.Athena, in her turn, kicked the earth the first olive tree in the world sprung up. The other gods of contest, awarded the victory to Athena, who gave her name to the city. As Athena Promachos she gave her assistance in battle and supported the people of Athens in difficult situations. Many heroes, such Perseus, Heracles, Jason, and , above all Odysseus, were delivered from dangers of every of every kind thanks to her advice.
Must see: The visitor to the fortified Acropolis can admire the Parhenon,,monument of monuments as it has been called,dominates the Acropolis.It was built between 447-432 BC and dedicated to the goddess Athena, patron deity of the city. Three great names are connected with it: Pericles, who inspired it, as he did the entire building program on the Acropolis, Pheidias, general supervisor of the works and Iktinos, its architect.The Pentelic marble temple combines Ionic features with the principal Doric ones and has an aura of magnificence and grace. Peripteros ( 8 columns on the narrow sides and 15 on the long ones) with pronaos, cella and adyton it presented, thanks to its rich sculpted decoration (pediments,metopes), an incomparable aesthetic experience.Within the cella stood the gold statue of Athena, work of Pheidias.Despite its destruction and plunder during the course of the centuries the temple still retains its imposing slpendour.Other monuments on the Acropolis are : the temple of Athena Nike, the Acropolis Museum, the Erechtheion. Among the sites of Athens are : the Odeion of Herodus Atticus, the Ancient Agora, the temple of Hephaistos or Thesseion, the Stoa of Attalus, the Roman Forum, the Towers of Wings or Kirhisto's clock, the Temple of Olympian Zeus, the Hadrian's Library, the Areios Pagos, the Pnyx and Phipappos' monument, the Keramikos municipal cemetery of ancient Athens. Monuments of the Byzantine area are reserved within the actual city : Kapnikarea, Aghioi Theodoroi, Aghioi Asomatoi, Panaghia Gorgoepikoos, Sotira Lycodemos. Some of the classical buildings of Athens are the Greek House of Parliament, in Constitution Square, the national Library, the University, the Academia , Zappeion, Polytechnion.The quarter known as Plaka maintains its picturesqueness and peculiar local color, with its narrow streets and amusement centers, as well as Monastiraki with its numerous tourist shops.
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