The beginning of the history
of Athens is lost in I the darkness of time. But what history ignores is
filled in by myth and tradition at least in what concerns the gods who had
a direct relationship with the town of Athens, through their clashes over
which of them would be its protector, whether to accept the gifts of
Poseidon, Athena and Dionysos the Athenians stated that their first king,
Kekrops, instituted monogamy and the burial of the dead. He also took part in
the Counsil of the Twelve Gods of Olympus when Poseidon, the god of the
sea, and Athena, the goddess of wisdom, were laying claim to Attica. Democracy
means "the state of the deme", that is, the assembly of the
people makes the decisions
Pericles was the man who made
Athenian Democracy a worldwide symbol, the man who gave his name to an
entire century, is characterized by Schackermeyer as the political
embodiment of the perfect classical style that occurred for the first time
in human history .A charismatic man, he ruled the most inspired but also
the most difficult regime in history because every citizen was a conscious
member of the whole society.
After
the first years A.C., Gothic tribes brought destructive invasions and
looting to Athens.
The gradual integration with the Byzantine Empire was completed with the
shut down of Philosophic Schools, the modification of shrines to Christian
temples and the general rural confrontation of Athens after year 1214, when Constantinople was
occupied by the Franks, Athens was given to French dukes. Their successors
were
Catalans, Napolitans and finally in 1456 the Turks who were the first
after all these years to transform Acropolis to a Muslim Temple "Tzami",
and the Erehthion to a harem until
1834, one year after its revolution from the Turks, when Athens was
proclaimed capital of Greece, it was a miserable village with very few
people and piles of ancient ruins and stones. Nevertheless it was accepted
as a place with a very strong presence of memories of the past. Since it
was made the capital, its rebirth from the ruins was initiated. New
buildings were built in a close architectural connection with the ancient
Greek style, and Acropolis and the rest of the ancient monuments were
restored.
ATHENS,
September 6 -- While 10,000 Athenians waved flags and honked horns outside
parliament at the news that Athens would stage the 2004 Olympics; the mood
could hardly be described as overwhelming. Compared to events such as
party election rallies or even other major international sporting events,
the spirit was far more low key than might be expected for the hosting of
the Olympic Games in the country that founded them, and a country in which
nationalism is very powerful.
