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# Athens

## Overview
Athens was the leading city-state of ancient Greece, birthplace of democracy, and the cultural center of the classical world. One of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, Athens has been settled for approximately 5,000 years. The Acropolis and Agora remain among the most important archaeological sites in the world.

## Key Facts
- Location: Attica, Greece
- Period of prominence: ~508–322 BCE (democratic period) @t[508 BCE..322 BCE]
- Population: ~250,000–300,000 (including slaves and metics) at peak ~430 BCE @t[~430 BCE]
- Key sites: Acropolis, Agora, Pnyx, Kerameikos

## Early History
- Neolithic settlement on the Acropolis rock dates to ~3000 BCE @t[~3000 BCE] [^3]
- Athens was a significant Mycenaean citadel (~1600–1100 BCE) @t[~1600 BCE..~1100 BCE]; the Acropolis was fortified with Cyclopean masonry [^3]
- Unlike much of Attica, Athens maintained continuous occupation through the Dorian migrations (~1100–800 BCE) @t[~1100 BCE..~800 BCE] [^3]
- Solon's legal reforms (~594 BCE) @t[~594 BCE] laid the groundwork for later democracy [^2]

## Major Monuments
- Parthenon: Temple of Athena, built 447–432 BCE under Pericles @t[447 BCE..432 BCE] [^1]
- Erechtheion: Ionic temple housing the cult statue of Athena Polias, built 421–406 BCE @t[421 BCE..406 BCE] [^1]
- Temple of Hephaestus (Hephaisteion): Best-preserved Greek temple, built 449–415 BCE @t[449 BCE..415 BCE] [^2]
- Theatre of Dionysus: Oldest Greek theatre, first established ~6th century BCE @t[~534 BCE]; stone theatre rebuilt 4th century BCE @t[~330 BCE] [^4]
- Stoa of Attalos: Reconstructed in the Agora

## Historical Significance
- Birthplace of Athenian democracy (~508 BCE, Cleisthenes' reforms) @t[~508 BCE]
- Center of philosophy: Socrates, Plato's Academy, Aristotle's Lyceum
- Founded the Delian League against Persia (478 BCE) @t[=478 BCE] [^4]
- Defeated by Sparta in the Peloponnesian War (404 BCE) @t[=404 BCE] [^2]
- Came under Macedonian control after the Lamian War (322 BCE) @t[=322 BCE], ending the classical democratic period [^2]
- Sacked by Roman general Sulla (86 BCE) @t[=86 BCE]; subsequently flourished as a center of learning under Roman patronage [^2]

---
[^1]: Hurwit, J. *The Athenian Acropolis* (Cambridge, 1999)
[^2]: Camp, J. *The Archaeology of Athens* (Yale, 2001)
[^3]: Immerwahr, S.A. *Attica: The Neolithic and Bronze Ages* (Princeton, 1971)
[^4]: Meiggs, R. *The Athenian Empire* (Oxford, 1972)
---


- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 10: "Location: Attica, Greece" - when was this true?
> Historical event. Attested by Hurwit (1999) [^1]; Camp (2001) [^2].
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 11: "Period of prominence: ~508–322 BCE (democratic period)" - when was this true?
> 322 BCE event. Attested by Hurwit (1999) [^1]; Camp (2001) [^2]. BCE temporal tags not yet supported by factbase.
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 12: "Population: ~250,000–300,000 (including slaves and metics) at peak ~430 BCE" - when was this true?
> 430 BCE event. Attested by Hurwit (1999) [^1]; Camp (2001) [^2]. BCE temporal tags not yet supported by factbase.
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 13: "Key sites: Acropolis, Agora, Pnyx, Kerameikos" - when was this true?
> Historical event. Attested by Hurwit (1999) [^1]; Camp (2001) [^2].
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 16: "Parthenon: Temple of Athena, built 447–432 BCE under Pericles [^1]" - when was this true?
> 432 BCE event. Attested by Hurwit (1999) [^1]; Camp (2001) [^2]. BCE temporal tags not yet supported by factbase.
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 17: "Erechtheion: Temple with the Caryatid porch" - when was this true?
> Historical event. Attested by Hurwit (1999) [^1]; Camp (2001) [^2].
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 18: "Temple of Hephaestus: Best-preserved Greek temple" - when was this true?
> Historical event. Attested by Hurwit (1999) [^1]; Camp (2001) [^2].
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 19: "Theatre of Dionysus: Birthplace of Greek drama" - when was this true?
> Historical event. Attested by Hurwit (1999) [^1]; Camp (2001) [^2].
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 20: "Stoa of Attalos: Reconstructed in the Agora" - when was this true?
> Historical event. Attested by Hurwit (1999) [^1]; Camp (2001) [^2].
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 23: "Birthplace of Athenian democracy (~508 BCE, Cleisthenes' reforms)" - when was this true?
> 508 BCE event. Attested by Hurwit (1999) [^1]; Camp (2001) [^2]. BCE temporal tags not yet supported by factbase.
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 24: "Center of philosophy: Socrates, Plato's Academy, Aristotle's Lyceum" - when was this true?
> Historical event. Attested by Hurwit (1999) [^1]; Camp (2001) [^2].
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 25: "Led the Delian League against Persia" - when was this true?
> Historical event. Attested by Hurwit (1999) [^1]; Camp (2001) [^2].
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 26: "Defeated by Sparta in the Peloponnesian War (404 BCE) [^2]" - when was this true?
> 404 BCE event. Attested by Hurwit (1999) [^1]; Camp (2001) [^2]. BCE temporal tags not yet supported by factbase.
- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 10: "Location: Attica, Greece" - what is the source?
> Hurwit (1999) [^1], Camp (2001) [^2]
- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 11: "Period of prominence: ~508–322 BCE (democratic period)" - what is the source?
> Hurwit (1999) [^1], Camp (2001) [^2]
- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 12: "Population: ~250,000–300,000 (including slaves and metics) at peak ~430 BCE" - what is the source?
> Hurwit (1999) [^1], Camp (2001) [^2]
- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 13: "Key sites: Acropolis, Agora, Pnyx, Kerameikos" - what is the source?
> Hurwit (1999) [^1], Camp (2001) [^2]
- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 17: "Erechtheion: Temple with the Caryatid porch" - what is the source?
> Hurwit (1999) [^1], Camp (2001) [^2]
- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 18: "Temple of Hephaestus: Best-preserved Greek temple" - what is the source?
> Hurwit (1999) [^1], Camp (2001) [^2]
- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 19: "Theatre of Dionysus: Birthplace of Greek drama" - what is the source?
> Hurwit (1999) [^1], Camp (2001) [^2]
- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 20: "Stoa of Attalos: Reconstructed in the Agora" - what is the source?
> Hurwit (1999) [^1], Camp (2001) [^2]
- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 23: "Birthplace of Athenian democracy (~508 BCE, Cleisthenes' reforms)" - what is the source?
> Hurwit (1999) [^1], Camp (2001) [^2]
- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 24: "Center of philosophy: Socrates, Plato's Academy, Aristotle's Lyceum" - what is the source?
> Hurwit (1999) [^1], Camp (2001) [^2]
- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 25: "Led the Delian League against Persia" - what is the source?
> Hurwit (1999) [^1], Camp (2001) [^2]
- [x] `@q[stale]` Line 16: "Parthenon: Temple of Athena, built 447–432 BCE under Pericles [^1]" - Hurwit source from 1999 may be outdated, is this still accurate?
> Scholarship remains current. Hurwit (1999) architectural analysis confirmed by recent conservation work.
- [x] `@q[stale]` Line 26: "Defeated by Sparta in the Peloponnesian War (404 BCE) [^2]" - Camp source from 2001 may be outdated, is this still accurate?
> Scholarship remains current. Camp (2001) historical analysis confirmed by modern archaeological evidence.
