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Athens

The beginning of the history of Athens is lost in the darkness of time, but the lost history is filled in by myth and tradition at least in what concerns the Gods, who had a direct relationship with the town of Athens. Their disputes over which of them would be Athens’ protector, and 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 deem", 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 a flare of the ancient Greek touch, and Acropolis and the rest of the ancient monuments were restored.

ATHENS, September 6 1996, while 10s of 1,000s 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.

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