ATHENS
Athens was the largest city in Greece, and one of the oldest, having been inhabited for at least 7000 years. Presently, the city is also known as the "Cradle of Civilization", due to the fact it was the birthplace of democracy, western philosophy, the Olympic Games, political science, western literature, major mathematical principles and theatre. It has also experimented with every form of governing we know today, such as diplomacy, dictatorship, republic and aristocracy.
Athens controlled a region called Attica. The city became extremely wealthy because of the many valuable resources Attica had to offer, such as silver, lead and marble. Athens also had the largest navy in Greece, and was well renowned for its sea warfare.
Athens contained a temple, dedicated to Athena the goddess of wisdom, the city-states' protector, called the Parthenon, which was built on Acropolis, a hill in the middle of Athens. A 12 meter high statue of Athena was located inside the temple, made of ivory and gold, drawing people from all over Greece to come and worship and pray at the temple.
Many great philosophers have come from Athens, and Greece as a whole, such as Socrates, Aristotle and Plato. They shared their ideas to the public about science, astronomy and the geography of Earth. They also have provided us with an insight into what ancient life was like with their books and transcripts having survived the ages.
The might of the Athenian Empire, however, soon grew to be an arrogance which became intolerable to the other great city-states, such as Sparta. When Athens sent troops to help Sparta put down a Helot rebellion, the Spartans refused the gesture and sent the Athenian force back home in dishonor and shame, triggering a war which had long been brewing. These internal civil-wars would become known as the Peloponnesian Wars. They occurred on and off for approximately a century, although the majority of surviving recounts and documents originate from the two sides, and biased reporting has to be taken into account.
For the rest of the Greece's Mediterranean dominance, Athens and Sparta commonly experienced diplomatic unrest. On one such occasion, Athens sent their fleet to help defend its ally Cocyra against a Corinthian invasion, their move was interpreted by the Spartans as aggression rather than assistance, as Corinth was an ally of Sparta. This sparked further conflict between the two city-states.
The Peloponnesian War between Athens and Sparta ended with Athens being defeated. However, Sparta didn't go so far as to sack the city, due to the reputation as a great city of Greece. Athens then tried to become its former independent and dominant city again, with some success, until they were defeated in 338 BC by the Macedonian forces at Chaeronea. Athens then had to comply to Macedonian rule until their defeat by the Romans in 197 BC at the Battle of Cynocephalae, after which Greece was then officially conquered by the Roman Empire.
Athens is considered the Cradle of Civilization with good reason. Western civilization runs on government systems inspired by Athens, and other legacies such as theatre and literature are prominent themes in todays contemporary society.
Athens controlled a region called Attica. The city became extremely wealthy because of the many valuable resources Attica had to offer, such as silver, lead and marble. Athens also had the largest navy in Greece, and was well renowned for its sea warfare.
Athens contained a temple, dedicated to Athena the goddess of wisdom, the city-states' protector, called the Parthenon, which was built on Acropolis, a hill in the middle of Athens. A 12 meter high statue of Athena was located inside the temple, made of ivory and gold, drawing people from all over Greece to come and worship and pray at the temple.
Many great philosophers have come from Athens, and Greece as a whole, such as Socrates, Aristotle and Plato. They shared their ideas to the public about science, astronomy and the geography of Earth. They also have provided us with an insight into what ancient life was like with their books and transcripts having survived the ages.
The might of the Athenian Empire, however, soon grew to be an arrogance which became intolerable to the other great city-states, such as Sparta. When Athens sent troops to help Sparta put down a Helot rebellion, the Spartans refused the gesture and sent the Athenian force back home in dishonor and shame, triggering a war which had long been brewing. These internal civil-wars would become known as the Peloponnesian Wars. They occurred on and off for approximately a century, although the majority of surviving recounts and documents originate from the two sides, and biased reporting has to be taken into account.
For the rest of the Greece's Mediterranean dominance, Athens and Sparta commonly experienced diplomatic unrest. On one such occasion, Athens sent their fleet to help defend its ally Cocyra against a Corinthian invasion, their move was interpreted by the Spartans as aggression rather than assistance, as Corinth was an ally of Sparta. This sparked further conflict between the two city-states.
The Peloponnesian War between Athens and Sparta ended with Athens being defeated. However, Sparta didn't go so far as to sack the city, due to the reputation as a great city of Greece. Athens then tried to become its former independent and dominant city again, with some success, until they were defeated in 338 BC by the Macedonian forces at Chaeronea. Athens then had to comply to Macedonian rule until their defeat by the Romans in 197 BC at the Battle of Cynocephalae, after which Greece was then officially conquered by the Roman Empire.
Athens is considered the Cradle of Civilization with good reason. Western civilization runs on government systems inspired by Athens, and other legacies such as theatre and literature are prominent themes in todays contemporary society.