Athens History

Founding Feud

Legend has it that both Athena and Poseidon had their hearts set on naming Athens and bribed its residents in hopes of winning their favor. Poseidon struck the ground with his trident, producing a saltwater ...more

A Long, Long Time Ago...

Athens' history begins more than 6000 years ago, when settlers decided that the Acropolis (literally “high city”) would be the perfect spot for a hill fort. Athens has been continuously inhabited ...more

Big Ideas

Athens soon decided that monarchies were “so 7th-century BCE,” and appointed Solon to draft a new constitution. Solon forbade the enslavement of citizens, increased trade, and extended voting ...more

Collide And Conquer

Brilliant art and philosophy, however, were little defense from military attack. In 431 BCE, Athenians made the poor choice to go to war with Sparta, and the Peloponnesian War began. The pen proved not ...more

More Rulers, More Problems

In 529 CE, the Byzantine emperor Justinian decided that the pagan teachings of the Greeks were at odds with Christianity, and that the Parthenon would make an awesome church. Athens suffered repeated raids ...more

No Time Like The Present

Athens returned to Greek rule and was restored as the capital of Greece in 1832. Modern restoration began, and the population skyrocketed from 4000 to over half a million in less than a century. The mid-20th ...more