The fertile lands and mild climate of the Attica Basin were appreciated in the Neolithic period. It was then that the first inhabitants of the Acropolis appeared on the rock of the Acropolis. But the city itself was born much later, when a mighty fortress wall surrounded the entire hill grew on the Acropolis. It was possible to leave the city or get into it only from the northern side of the hill, where the steps stretched 156-meter high on the slope. In the center of the town there was a palace of the supreme ruler, around which there were houses of craftsmen, soldiers and servants.
Two main Athens roads left the market square in different directions. One road headed southwest towards the Depilon Gate towards Ceramic. Probably, the area was named after potters. Craftsmen settled by the river Eridan, which stretched through the Ceramic. Its course can still be seen now, and the place of residence of potters eventually turned into an urban cemetery. On the surviving tombstones you can see well executed bas-reliefs or drawings. Usually the Greeks depicted the deceased behind his usual occupation.
Sometimes they wrote an epitaph. Among the stones, as before, wriggles ivy — the favorite tombstone of the Hellenes. Days of remembrance of the dead were held around the beginning of November. They were called "hard days". The graves in special white vases — rivers — were filled with incense or other gifts. The afterlife of the deceased depended on the care of the living.
The revival of the city from the ashes began in the era of Pericles. It was the golden age of Athens. On the Acropolis hill the famous Parthenon — the sanctuary of Athena Parfenas — the virgin Athena — grew up. By the time the Hellenistic temple was built, the Hellenes had achieved incredible architectural mastery. The columns of the Parthenon are placed not strictly vertically, but with a slight inclination inside. This makes the structure more stable and gives the effect of subtle perspective. The feeling of elasticity of the columns is achieved thanks to a small thickening, located just below the middle. Longitudinal grooves - the cannelles enliven the column, causing a variety of light play. Contemporaries called Parthenon "Hecatanpet", which means "a hundred feet". The size of the sanctuary — a hundred feet long (about 30 meters), which was unprecedented in those times, was a new word in architecture. The Parthenon was the first to receive a spacious sacred hall. Here stood a colossal statue of Athena Parfenas — a twelve-meter high work of the ancient sculptor Phidias. The goddess was made of gold and ivory. The patroness of the city was reflected in the pool, located at her feet. It was supposed that water would provide the statue with better safety and emphasize its beauty.
The Parthenon was striking in its size and grandeur. His columns, directed upwards, rested on a flat ribbon frieze, which was decorated with various mythological scenes. One of the friezes depicts the most significant holiday of the city — panafineas, that is, all-Athean celebrations. The great panafineias were held every four years in honor of Athena Pallada. The whole city walked and drank to the goddess's health for a whole week. The most important event of the festival was the solemn Panathine procession. The procession began in Ceramics. From here, a large ship set off on its way. On it the peplas was brought - a kind of new dress of Athens. The procession moved through the agora to the sacred rock. Having passed the Propyles, the gates of the Acropolis, the moving mass stopped its campaign at the temple of Erahtieyem.
Erahtieyem was dedicated to two gods at once: Athena and Poseidon.
According to the legend, there was a dispute between Olympians over the right to give the city its name. God Poseidon threw his trident on Mount Acropolis, and sea water rushed. The lord of the waves promised the Athenians wealth from the sea trade. But the goddess of wisdom decided not to show her strength. She planted an olive tree. The touched citizens named the city after her - Athens. It is said that the sacred olive grows next to the temple, and on the northern wall of Rahtiena one could see the trace of a trident.
The significance of the temple in the main city holiday was emphasized by the southern protrusion of the sanctuary. Here women's caryatids stood in place of the columns. Six statues depict women walking with baskets on their heads. These are the canifons — participants of the All-Apha feast. Erahtieyem was the first temple where human figures replaced the columns. In addition, the entire structure is erected at different heights without any sign of symmetry, but looks as harmonious as the geometrically correct Parthenon.
People of art and thinkers flocked to Athens from all over the Ellada. Philosophical schools were opened. Elegant statues decorated the yards and houses of wealthy people. The city was gaining strength. With such wealth and fame Athens could not but cause envy in neighboring policies. The internecine wars broke out. However, they did not cause such harm as the capture of strangers. The first strong blow to the city was made by the Roman general Sula, who plundered and ruined the entire city. The Romans were replaced by Christian fanatics, then crusaders, Venetians and, finally, the Turks who seized the city, mutilating Athens to the limit.