Download Athens Golden Age - hrsbstaff.ednet.ns.ca

Notes About Athens During the Golden Age
Athens is considered one of the most important ancient Greek city-states. Known as the birthplace
of democracy, Athens also gave modern society its foundations in art, literature, and philosophy.
Athens is on the peninsula landmass called Attica in southeast Greece. It sits on a plain about 4
miles from the sea and is surrounded by mountains. Its location and mild Mediterranean climate
allowed farmers in Athens to grow various crops. However, the land was not very fertile, and
Athenians had to trade for many of their essential food items.
Greek-speaking tribes first came to Athens around 2000 B.C.E., perhaps from Asia Minor. They
named the city after Athena, the Greek Goddess of wisdom and military victory. During the
Mycenaean Period (circa 1600 - 1200 B.C.E.), Athens was a second-rank city, overshadowed by
Mycenae, Thebes, and other city-states. Over the next several hundred years, Athenians resisted
invading armies from other Greek city-states, and eventually united as a democracy around 500
B.C.E. During the Golden Age that followed, Athens became the center of Greek commercial and
cultural power. By the late 400s B.C.E., the Athenian population numbered approximately 150,000
people.
The physical layout of ancient Athens was dominated by surrounding mountains and rocky coasts.
Situated on a plain about 4 miles from the Aegean Sea, Athens was a city enclosed by defensive
walls. It was close enough to the sea to have the advantages of a harbor, yet far enough from
other coastal settlements to discourage sudden naval invasion. The city's location has always
provided a strong defensible position, particularly because of its most prominent geographic
feature - the Acropolis, or high place in the city, an oval-shaped hill of rock that rises about 300
feet above the city. Over the centuries, Athenians erected religious temples, altars, and statues at
the top of the Acropolis. At its highest point stands the Parthenon, the temple of the city's special
protector, or patron, the Goddess Athena. Two other important features of Athens were the
Theater Dionysus on the southeastern slope of the Acropolis, and the marketplace, or Agora,
located at the base of the Acropolis.
Athens was a densely populated city. Its narrow streets and alleyways were not laid out in any
formal plan, and wee often dirty and crowded. Outside the center of the city were industrial
suburbs. For example, the metalworking district was located on a low hill west of the Agora. The
potters' quarter was located northwest of the Agora, outside of the city's gate, in an area known as
the Ceramicus. The graveyards of the aristocratic families were also located at the outer edge of
this neighborhood.
The Agora, or marketplace, was the center of Athenian life during much of its Golden Age.
Reconstructed after the end of the Persian Wars in 479 B.C.E., the Agora contained temples,
government buildings, and several columned buildings called stoas. On the walls of the most
beautiful stoas, artists depicted various historical vents, such as the Battle of Marathon, and
religious scenes.
On any given day the entire Agora was bustling with noisy activity. In the large, open center,
merchants sold their wares - haggling with customers over the prices for everything from food,
clothes, and animals to pottery, chariots, and furniture. Public officials regularly patrolled the farm
stalls and craft displays to check the quality of the goods. Any merchant found to be selling inferior
merchandise was fined. Beautiful public buildings and temples lined two sides of the Agora.
Citizens used public buildings to debate and vote on important political issues.
The Agora also served as a place for recreation. In the afternoons, men often visited the outdoor
sports complex, or gymnasium, to exercise. The gymnasium consisted of a running track, a
wrestling court, fields for throwing javelin, or light spear, and discus, or flat circular plate, over long
distances. There were also rooms for changing and oiling down the body. In the evenings men
remained in the Agora to socialize. One popular gathering place for men was the barber shop.
Greek men went there for the latest hair styles, and to pick up the latest news and gossip
circulating through the busy city.