Overview
The city of Athens, Greece has been inhabited continuously for 7000 years, since about 1550 BCE. It was founded in the Bronze Age when ancient heroes walked the earth, the likes of Achilles and Odysseus. The city persevered through the Dark Ages and on through the Iron Age. The city started to come into its own in the advent of Archaic Age and flourished during the Classical period, the Golden Age of Athens. A period where art, philosophy, science, and architecture flourished. This is the period of time in which archaeologists, historians, and philosophers focus on the most, this is the height of Athens, when it was considered to be an Empire. Athens has received a great deal of archaeological attention due to its rich cultural wealth and the impact the society holds on present day societies as evidenced in politics, art, architecture, and philosophy. Along with Rome, Athens, Greece is considered to be one of the cradles of western civilization. However, there is a great deal more to Athens than just it’s Golden Age and what it offers present generations of peoples.. It didn’t begin as an empire and did not remain so. Athens, Greece has a very complex and long history of human habitation.





Environment
Athens is set in an inlet to the Aegean Sea and is surrounded by mountains and hills. Two rivers run through the area, the Kifisos and the Illisos Rivers, which are both relatively dry and trickle through the area. The climate is benign, sunny and dry in the summer and wet in the winter, with moderate rainfall. One could be outdoors all year round.

Economy/Subsistence
The soil is not suitable for large-scale agriculture, however, the area is able to produce barley, wine-grapes, and olives which were staple crops in Athenian civilization. The Athenians domesticated pigs, sheep, goats, and chickens; cattle and horses were hard to pasture on the steep landscape surrounding Athens. Nearby the center of Athens there are stone quarries including marble used in architecture, metal ores including silver, and suitable clay used in pottery manufacture. Athens location on the Aegean in an inlet has allowed for trade to flourish and for Athens to remain a thriving city not only in prehistory but also modernity.

Technology
Athens, being a port city was a large manufacturer of ships, specifically battleships called triremes. Athens was also a major center for sculpture, architecture, ceramics (the major type being amphorae which were used to ship olive oil and wine), and theatrical productions. Philosophy also flourished in Athens as well as the introduction of modern medicine.

Social Organization
The city arose from Mycenaean civilization, an early Greek civilization located in the southern peninsula of Greece, which flourished throughout the Bronze Age. This civilization is characterized by central palaces that stored and redistributed wealth under the rule of aristocrats or monarchs. Mycenaean civilization began to decline around 1200 BCE, however, Athens remained intact. Greek Civilization languished in a period when all known writing disappeared and wealth declined, evidenced by burial goods which when from containing gold and wealth to a few simple pots. This time period is considered the Dark Age. The Iron Age, beginning at 1000-900 BCE, shows a revival of economic prosperity and revival of hierarchy. During this time Athenian social structure was shaped by the aristocracy, which was determined by wealth and public conduct, mostly established by descent, association, or gaining control of an aspect of production.

During the 8th century BCE, the Archaic Age, Athens became a major hub for economy and wealth. An influx of population spurred on expansion and political rearrangement. Athens became a city-state or polis. Citizenship became important to Athenian social structure as was given to those who lived in the hub of Athens as well as those in outside villages. Foreigners and slaves provided labor in production of crafts as well as trade opportunities. Athenian men and women were granted citizenship, however, only men had rights to political participation. This allowed for legal equality, independent of individual wealth. However, tyranny and aristocratic influence remained in vogue until around the end of the 6th century BCE. This era brought about the emergence of democracy and political restructuring including commission of public works, a form of subsidies for agriculture production, as well as the breaking up of the city into units of political organization called demes in order for equal voting and administration.

The 5th century BCE is known as the Golden Age of Athens in which art, architecture, literature, economy, and politics flourished. The Athenians established an empire of Greek city states controlling trade and forging political alliances. The 5th century BCE included political and social turmoil, with the outbreak of the Peloponnesian War in 460 BCE. However, Athens remained strong until around the 4th century BCE when Macedon invaded as well as the Ottoman Empire in Late Antiquity.

Ideology
All levels of Athenian society is heavily tied to ideology. The city is named after a Greek deity, the goddess Athena, and is linked the mythical figure, Theseus, who was a great traveler and overtook the Minotaur and founded Athens and became its first king. The official currency of Athens contains Athena’s likeness as well as her symbol, an owl.  Communal activities were organized through religion which included feasts and festivals, including the Panatheniac games, a form of the Olympic Games. All citizens would gather and participate in these feasts and festivals. The city center in Athens is the Acropolis, which contains many temples and worship centers all very elaborately decorated. The meeting houses where administrations were carried out is also located near the Acropolis as well as the Agora, or the main marketplace of Athens. The material wealth in Athens is also heavily influenced by ideology, usually containing images of mythic stories or practices associated with gods and goddesses, such as the symposium often associated with the god of wine and revelry, Dionysus.