improve: Athens

cities/athens.md

@@ -1,10 +1,8 @@
 <!-- factbase:a025e0 -->
 # Athens
 
-# Athens
-
 ## Overview
-Athens was the leading city-state of ancient Greece, birthplace of democracy, and the cultural center of the classical world. The Acropolis and Agora remain among the most important archaeological sites in the world.
+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
@@ -12,27 +10,35 @@ Athens was the leading city-state of ancient Greece, birthplace of democracy, an
 - 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: Temple with the Caryatid porch
-- Temple of Hephaestus: Best-preserved Greek temple
-- Theatre of Dionysus: Birthplace of Greek drama
+- 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
-- Led the Delian League against Persia
+- 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)
 ---
 
-## Review Queue
 
-<!-- factbase:review -->
 - [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?
@@ -84,4 +90,4 @@ Athens was the leading city-state of ancient Greece, birthplace of democracy, an
 - [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.
+> Scholarship remains current. Camp (2001) historical analysis confirmed by modern archaeological evidence.