Classical Athens facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Athens
Ἀθῆναι
|
|||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 508 BC–322 BC | |||||||||
Delian League ("Athenian Empire") shown in yellow, Athenian territory shown in red, situation in 431 BC, before the Peloponnesian War.
|
|||||||||
| Capital | Athens | ||||||||
| Common languages | Attic Greek | ||||||||
| Religion | Ancient Greek religion | ||||||||
| Government | Direct democracy | ||||||||
| Strategos | |||||||||
|
• 449-429 BC
|
Pericles | ||||||||
| Legislature | Ecclesia | ||||||||
| Historical era | Classical antiquity | ||||||||
|
• Cleisthenes establishes Athenian democracy
|
508 BC | ||||||||
| 478–404 BC (404–403 BC Thirty tyrants) | |||||||||
|
• Second Athenian Empire
|
378–355 BC | ||||||||
|
• Dissolution of Athenian democracy in 322 BC by Antipater
|
322 BC | ||||||||
| Population | |||||||||
|
• 5th century BC
|
250000 (men with civil rights: 30,000) | ||||||||
| Currency | Drachma | ||||||||
|
|||||||||
|
BBC History
|
|||||||||
Imagine a time long, long ago, in ancient Greece. From 508 to 322 BC, the city of Athens was a super important place. This period is called Classical Athens. It was here that something amazing began: democracy! A leader named Cleisthenes helped set up this new way of governing in 508 BC. It was a big change from earlier rulers who were tyrants.
This system was very strong and lasted for 180 years, until 322 BC. Athens became one of the most powerful cities in the ancient world, and it's famous for being the birthplace of democracy. Later, in 477 BC, Athens started the Delian League. This was a group of Greek city-states that joined together for protection. Their main rival was the Peloponnesian League, led by the strong city of Sparta. The Delian League kept its money safe in the temple of Apollo.
During this time, Athens was a hub for art, learning, and deep thinking (philosophy). Famous thinkers like Plato and Aristotle taught here. It was also the home of Socrates, Pericles, and Sophocles. Many people call Athens the 'cradle of Western civilization' because its ideas and achievements from the 5th and 4th centuries BC shaped much of the world we know today.
The classical period in Athens saw many important events:
- Athens became very powerful, especially during the time of Pericles (448–430 BC).
- The Peloponnesian War (431–404 BC) was a big conflict.
- The Corinthian War and the Second Athenian League (395–355 BC) followed.
- Finally, Athens came under the control of Macedon (355–322 BC).
Contents
Important Wars
The Persian Wars
Long ago, King Xerxes of Persia fought against the Greeks living in Asia Minor. Athens decided to help these Greeks. This led to the start of the Greco-Persian wars, where Persia attacked Greece itself.
At the Battle of Marathon, a huge Persian army with bows and arrows faced the Greeks. Even though the Persians greatly outnumbered them, the Greeks won! They had strong spears and metal swords.
Themistocles, a smart leader from Athens, warned everyone that the Persians would return. He told the Athenians to build a bigger navy. They listened, and Sparta also offered to help. The Persians came back and attacked Greece by land and sea. They won the Battle of Thermopylae, but this battle gave the Greeks more time to get ready.
The city of Athens was burned down by the Persians, but most people had already escaped to nearby islands. Themistocles told the Greeks to prepare for another attack. He told them to gather their ships in the Bay of Salamis. When the Persians arrived, they were confused by the bay, which was too full of ships for them to move easily. In the Battle of Salamis, a few hundred Greek ships destroyed many, many Persian ships. Xerxes then left Greece.
The next year, another big battle happened. About 32,000 Greek hoplites (soldiers with heavy armor) and 50,000 other soldiers won. After this, the Persians never attacked Greece again.
The Peloponnesian War
Even though Sparta and Athens had helped each other against Persia, they were very different cities. In 431 BC, these two powerful city-states began a big conflict called the Peloponnesian War. It lasted until 404 BC. Sparta had help from other states.
During the war, people in Athens stayed inside their city walls for safety. However, a terrible sickness spread, and many people died, including the famous leader Pericles. Sparta's army, known for being very tough, eventually captured Athens' navy. In 404 BC, Athens had to surrender to Sparta.
Sparta ruled Greece for 30 years, but many people didn't like their government. Another city-state called Thebes helped Athens defeat Sparta. For nine years, Thebes was the most powerful state.
However, these wars made Greece much weaker. Philip of Macedon began to take over Greek lands. Even though a speaker named Demosthenes warned Athens about the danger, Athenians didn't pay enough attention. At a place called Chaeronea, Philip of Macedon took control of Greece.
When Philip died, his son, Alexander the Great, became king at only 20 years old. He went on to conquer a huge empire, including Asia Minor, Persia, Egypt, and parts of India. He died when he was 32, from an unknown illness.
Daily Life
People in Athens ate simple meals. They usually had barley cakes, onions, fish, and fruit. For clothes, men wore short pieces of cloth called tunics, aprons, and sandals for work. Women wore a chiton, which was a long, loose cloth fastened at the shoulder. A rope around the waist made it look like a blouse. Sandals were custom-made by shoemakers.
Children loved having pet rabbits and playing ball games. For fun, they also raced small chariots pulled by dogs. Slaves often taught them poetry, music, and dancing. Physical exercise was also very important.
When a young man turned 18, he started two years of army training. After that, he could join men's classes where they practiced javelin throwing. For protection during wrestling, they tied leather strips around their wrists. They also cut their hair short. Teachers from many different lands taught these young men.
Greek hoplites fought very close together, with their shields overlapping to form a strong wall. Their spears were also very long.
Women in Classical Athens
Women in ancient Athens were not treated with much respect. They could not become citizens of Athens. This meant they could not vote or have any direct say in how Athens was run. They also could not run for elections.
Girls could not be citizens either. They often left home at age 14 to get married, sometimes to a man much older than them (around 30 years old). Their fathers arranged these marriages. Most of the time, the father would choose a rich husband for his daughter. The girl and her mother had no say in who she married; it was completely the father's choice.
This was very different from Sparta. Spartan women had much more status, power, and respect than women in other parts of the classical world. Even though Spartan women were not in the military or politics, they were highly respected as mothers of Spartan warriors. Since men were often away fighting, women were responsible for managing their family's estates.
By the 4th century BC, Spartan women owned about 35% to 40% of all Spartan land and property. In the Hellenistic Period, some of the wealthiest Spartans were women. They controlled their own properties and the properties of male relatives who were away with the army. Spartan women rarely married before the age of 20. Unlike Athenian women, who wore heavy, covering clothes and were rarely seen outside, Spartan women wore short dresses and could go wherever they wanted. Girls, as well as boys, received an education in Sparta.
The City of Athens
Overview
Athens was located in a region called Attica, about 1.5 kilometers (1 mile) from the sea. It was built on the southwest slope of Mount Lycabettus, between two small rivers, the Cephissus and the Ilissos. Another river, the Eridanos, flowed through the town.
The walled city was about 1.5 kilometers (1 mile) across. At its busiest time, Athens had suburbs that stretched far beyond these walls. The Acropolis was just south of the city's center. The city was burned by Xerxes in 480 BC, but it was quickly rebuilt under Themistocles. Later, Cimon and especially Pericles added many beautiful public buildings. During Pericles' time (461–429 BC), Athens was at its most splendid.
Its beauty came mostly from its public buildings, as private homes were often simple. The streets were also not well planned. Towards the end of the Peloponnesian War, Athens had more than 10,000 houses. If each house had about 12 people, that means a population of 120,000! Some writers even say there were as many as 180,000 people.
Athens had two main parts:
- The City: This included the Upper City (the Acropolis) and the Lower City. Themistocles built walls around the Lower City.
- The Port City of Piraeus: This was also surrounded by walls built by Themistocles. It was connected to Athens by long walls called the Long Walls, built by Conon and Pericles.
City Walls
Athens was protected by defensive walls that had been built and improved over many centuries, starting from the Bronze Age.
The Long Walls were a special set of walls. They included two parallel walls that led all the way to Piraeus, the port city. These walls were about 7 kilometers (4.5 miles) long, running side-by-side with a narrow path between them. There was also another wall leading to Phalerum in the east, which was about 6.5 kilometers (4 miles) long. So, there were three long walls in total. However, the name Long Walls usually referred only to the two walls leading to Piraeus. The wall to Phalerum was called the Phalerian Wall.
The total length of all the walls around Athens was about 35 kilometers (22 miles). This included 9 kilometers (5.5 miles) for the city walls, 15 kilometers (9.5 miles) for the long walls, and 11 kilometers (7 miles) for the walls around Piraeus, Munichia, and Phalerum.
Gates
Athens had many gates in its walls. Some of the most important ones were:
- On the West side: The Dipylon was the busiest gate. It led from the inner part of the city to the outer part and to the Academy. The Sacred Gate was where the special road to Eleusis began. The Piraean Gate led to the road between the Long Walls to Piraeus.
- On the South side: The Itonian Gate was near the Ilissos river, where the road to Phalerum started.
- On the East side: The Gate of Diochares led to the Lyceum.
- On the North side: The Acharnian Gate led to the area called Acharnai.
Acropolis (Upper City)
The Acropolis, also called Cecropia, was a steep rock in the middle of the city. It was about 50 meters (164 feet) high, 350 meters (1,150 feet) long, and 150 meters (490 feet) wide. Its sides were naturally very steep, except for the west end. It was originally surrounded by an ancient wall said to be built by the Pelasgians.
By the time of the Peloponnesian War, only the northern part of this old wall remained. The southern part had been rebuilt by Cimon. On the west end of the Acropolis, where it was possible to enter, were the amazing Propylaea, which means "the Entrances." To the right of these entrances was the small Temple of Athena Nike.
The top of the Acropolis was covered with temples, statues made of bronze and marble, and many other works of art. The grandest temple was the Parthenon, dedicated to the goddess Athena. North of the Parthenon was the magnificent Erechtheion, which held three separate temples inside it. Between the Parthenon and Erechtheion was a huge statue of Athena Promachos, whose helmet and spear were the first things you could see on the Acropolis from the sea.
Agora (Lower City)
The lower city was built on the flat land around the Acropolis. This area also had several hills, especially in the southwest. On the west side, the city walls included the Hill of the Nymphs and the Pnyx. To the southeast, the walls ran along the Ilissos river.
The most important area in the lower city was the Agora, or "market-place." It was the only market in the city, located northwest of the Acropolis.
Hills
- The Areopagus, or "Hill of Ares," was west of the Acropolis. This hill gave its name to a famous council that met there. You could reach it from the south side by steps cut into the rock.
- The Pnyx was a semicircular hill southwest of the Areopagus. In earlier times, the people's assemblies (called ekklesia) were held here. Later, people usually met in the Theatre of Dionysus.
- The Mouseion, or "Hill of the Muses," was south of the Pnyx and the Areopagus.
Streets
Some of the more important streets were:
- The Piraean Street, which led from the Piraean gate to the Agora.
- The Panathenaic Way, which led from the Dipylon gate to the Acropolis through the Agora. A special procession was held along this road during the Panathenaic Festival.
Public Buildings
- Temples: The most important was the Temple of Olympian Zeus, southeast of the Acropolis. It took a long time to build and was finally finished by Hadrian. The Temple of Hephaestus was west of the Agora. There were many other temples throughout the city.
- The Bouleuterion (Senate House) was on the west side of the Agora.
- The Prytaneion was a round building near the Bouleuterion. It was built around 470 BC by Cimon. Here, city officials called the Prytaneis ate their meals and offered sacrifices.
- Stoae: These were colonnades, or long covered walkways with pillars. People used them to get out of the heat. In the Agora, there was the Stoa Basileios, the court of the King-Archon. The Stoa Eleutherios was also on the west side. The Stoa Poikile was famous for its paintings of the Battle of Marathon.
- Theatres: The Theatre of Dionysus, on the southeast slope of the Acropolis, was the main theatre for the state. There were also Odeons, which were buildings for music contests. One was near the fountain Callirrhoë, and another was built by Pericles near the Theatre of Dionysus. The large Odeon of Herodes Atticus that we see today was built much later, during Roman times.
- The Panathenaic Stadium was south of the Ilissos river. This is where the athletic games of the Panathenaic Games were held.
Suburbs
- The Outer Kerameikos, northwest of the city, was the most beautiful suburb. Athenians who died in war were buried here. At the far end was the Academy, about six stadia (about 1 kilometer or 0.6 miles) from the city.
- Lyceum, east of the city, was a gymnasium (a place for exercise and learning) dedicated to Apollo Lyceus. This is where Aristotle taught.
Culture
The time from the end of the Persian Wars to the Macedonian conquest was the peak of Athens. It was a major center for literature, philosophy (deep thinking), and the arts. Some of the most important people in Western culture lived in Athens during this period. These included:
- Playwrights: Aeschylus, Aristophanes, Euripides, and Sophocles.
- Philosophers: Aristotle, Plato, and Socrates.
- Historians: Herodotus, Thucydides, and Xenophon.
- The sculptor Phidias.
The leading statesman of this time was Pericles. He used the money paid by the members of the Delian League to build the Parthenon and other great monuments of classical Athens. Pericles famously said that Athens was "an education for Hellas" (meaning Greece), often quoted as "the school of Hellas."
Images for kids
-
Delian League ("Athenian Empire") shown in yellow, Athenian territory shown in red, situation in 431 BC, before the Peloponnesian War.
-
Plan Roman Agora at Athens
See also
In Spanish: Antigua Atenas para niños
