Historians point out that the human presence in the Athens region dates back, more or less, to the period of 5000 BC.The name comes from the Greek goddess Athena, it is a city located in the south of the Greek territory. The soil is not very fertile for food, but it is very good for the cultivation of olive trees and grapes, which is still a significant part of Greek cuisine, which has characteristics of Mediterranean islands.
Formerly, the Port of Piraeus, which is one of the largest ports in the Mediterranean, boosted maritime trade, enabling the expansion of the Athenian domain in the 8th century BC.
The city grew up was largely due to its strategic location for maritime trade. The enrichment of merchants in the region increased the political and economic power of Athens.
Athens went through several wars and conflicts. In the fifth century BC they faced the Persians in the Medical Wars. The Persians were defeated and Athens came out strengthened and with prestige in the region.
From that point onwards, the city was considered the most important city in Greece. In 431 BC it faced Sparta in the Peloponnesian War, a conflict that was recorded and described by Thucyddes in “The History of the Peloponnesian War”.
The city can be considered as a cultural center that radiates aesthetics, philosophy and art to the ancient world. Important philosophers of the period were Athenians, like Socrates.
Athens was, therefore, an artistic, economic, intellectual and cultural center of ancient Greece. Its strategic position and political centralization led to prestige and recognition in the region.
Weakened by the Peloponnesian war, but even so, its forms of government, social organization, artistic and cultural expression spread throughout the western world.