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Oct 19, 2023 · noun. system of government in which national power is invested in one person, usually a king or queen. The Greek city-states were the dominant settlement structure of the ancient Greek world and helped define how different regions interacted with each other.
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Athens, historic city and capital of Greece. Many of Classical civilization’s intellectual and artistic ideas originated there, and the city is generally considered to be the birthplace of Western civilization.
Athens lies 5 miles (8 km) from the Bay of Phaleron, an inlet of the Aegean (Aigaíon) Sea where Piraeus (Piraiévs), the port of Athens, is situated, in a mountain-girt arid basin divided north-south by a line of hills. Greater Athens has an area of 165 square miles (427 square km). The Kifisós River, only a trickle in summer, flows through the western half; the Ilisós River, often dry, traverses the eastern half. The surrounding mountains—Párnis, 4,636 feet (1,413 metres); Pentelicus (Pendéli), 3,631 feet; Hymettos (Imittós), 3,365 feet; and Aigáleon, 1,535 feet—add to the impression of barrenness. Yet such considerations are superficial when compared with the fecundity of Athens’s bequests to the world, such as its philosophy, its architecture, its literature, and its political ideals.
Athens, with its tall buildings and contemporary shops, is the first European city when approached from the Middle East. When approached from the west, from elsewhere in Europe, what strikes the visitor is the influence of the East—in the food, music, and clamorous street life—perhaps vestiges of a time when Athens was divorced from European society under the yoke of Ottoman rule. Nevertheless, it is wrong to say that Athens is a mixture of East and West: it is Greek and, more particularly, Athenian. The city, after all, nurtured Western civilization thousands of years ago. Athens remains on the world stage to this day.
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Notably, in 2004 the world came to the city for the Olympic Games, which spurred a dramatic makeover for Athens. In addition to building a raft of new sports venues and facilities (including a stadium designed by Santiago Calatrava), Athens undertook massive transportation infrastructure improvements that included dramatic expansion of public transportation and the construction of a new international airport.
Some three centuries after the death of Pericles (429 bce), Athenians entered upon a period of bondage that lasted almost 2,000 years. The city was freed in 1833, and in the following 170 years it was the scene of more than a dozen revolutions, another brutal foreign occupation, and a civil war of especial savagery. This long history of passion and suffering has had considerable effect on the Athenian character. The core of that character is an implacable will to survive, buttressed by a profound sense of loyalty (especially to the family) and patriotism. The Greek Orthodox Church, which is directed by a synod sitting in Athens, was a main force in keeping alive the Greek language, tradition, and literature when such things were forbidden, and most people still support it.
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Nov 22, 2023 · The passage of time has claimed some ancient Greek cities, leaving behind only fragments of their existence. Explore the mysteries surrounding these lost cities and the stories they tell. The rise and fall of civilizations often involve the disappearance of once-thriving cities.
Oct 6, 2023 · Of the multitude of cities that once thrived, seven, in particular, stand out for their unparalleled contributions to the annals of history. These cities not only encapsulated the essence of Greek civilization but also helped shape the course of history in myriad ways.
A city-state, also known as a polis, was a sovereign state made up of a city and its surrounding territory. These independent city-states emerged in Ancient Greece during the Archaic period (800-500 BCE) and played a crucial role in shaping the region's history.
Athens (/ ˈæθɪnz / ATH-inz) [6][a] is the capital and largest city of Greece. A major coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica region and is the southernmost capital on the European mainland.
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Feb 10, 2023 · Ancient Greek city-states were referred to as ‘polis’. There were two main types of city-states in ancient Greece. First were the larger city-states that were highly organized and had strong central governments.
