# 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. ## Key Facts - Location: Attica, Greece - Period of prominence: ~508–322 BCE (democratic period) - Population: ~250,000–300,000 (including slaves and metics) at peak ~430 BCE - Key sites: Acropolis, Agora, Pnyx, Kerameikos ## Major Monuments - Parthenon: Temple of Athena, built 447–432 BCE under Pericles [^1] - Erechtheion: Temple with the Caryatid porch - Temple of Hephaestus: Best-preserved Greek temple - Theatre of Dionysus: Birthplace of Greek drama - Stoa of Attalos: Reconstructed in the Agora ## Historical Significance - Birthplace of Athenian democracy (~508 BCE, Cleisthenes' reforms) - Center of philosophy: Socrates, Plato's Academy, Aristotle's Lyceum - Led the Delian League against Persia - Defeated by Sparta in the Peloponnesian War (404 BCE) [^2] --- [^1]: Hurwit, J. *The Athenian Acropolis* (Cambridge, 1999) [^2]: Camp, J. *The Archaeology of Athens* (Yale, 2001) --- ## Review Queue - [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.