Ep. 31 - Athens, Greece
Athens, known also as the Classic City, is considered as the birthplace of Western Civilization. Join us in episode 31 as we dig into its several thousand year history, hit some of the top spots in the city, and touch on some mouthwatering Greek foods getting us excited to plan a trip.
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Transcription:
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Hello and welcome to the 31st episode of the podcast where we take 5 minutes to delve into history and adventure. I’m Mark Moran, the host, and you’re listening to The Friday Take Five. A new week brings with it a new story. It’s my hope that by the end of the episode, you walk away with a renewed appreciation for history, or a new destination to add to your bucket list. Let’s discover, destination 31.
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My parents are off to Greece this month. Thousands of years of incredible history, amazing scenery, fantastic weather, and some of the best food in the world, so I guess you could say I’m a bit jealous. This episode zeros in on Athens, a place I’ve been wanting to hit for years, but as of yet, just haven’t had the pleasure.
Athens is considered to be the birthplace of Western civilization. Athenians conceptualized democracy nearly 2500 years ago. In addition to democracy, we can thank the Ancient Greeks for philosophy, taxes, contracts, writing and schools, so you could say they know a thing or two about a thing or two. But let’s get back to Athens specifically.
The city is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, with some estimates going back as far as 5,000 years. The city gets its name, unsurprisingly, from the Greek goddess Athena.
The city’s name actually has kind of a wild origin steeped in mythology. Greek philosophers and historians such as Herodetus and Plutarch describe the naming of the city as having been a contest between Poseidon and Athena, both vying for the favor of the residents of the city. Both Poseidon and Athena supposedly offered gifts to the city; Poseidon, being a spring of water from the ground, and Athena, an olive tree.
The ruler of the city’s residents, Cecrops, who by the way according to Greek mythology was half man half serpent, accepted the olive tree and Athena was then named the city’s patron. Poseidon, the loser of the contest, would have Poseidonia founded under his name in the neighboring Italy several hundred years later.
Athens has had such a massive impact on Western civilization as we see it today, though surprisingly, much of that impact can likely be be attributed to the very short period of time in which Athens was not either preparing for war, at war, or controlled completely by another country. That time pocket was the roughly 80 or so years from 480 BC to 400 BC between the Persian and Pelopenisian wars which was essentially the Greek version of the Renaissance, aka the Golden Age of Athens.
During this period of peace, Athens flourished and became a center for incredible philosophical minds, and both social and cultural achievements.
The death of prominent Greek statesman Pericles, who was the first “citizen” of democratic Athens, served as a catalyst for the end of the Athenian golden age. His successors did not hold nearly the influence he had amongst Greek city states, and as a result the influence of Greece, and Athens specifically, declined.
In the roughly 2500 years since, the influence of Greece has ebbed and flowed. With various wars and occupiers taking up its attention.
Athens fell under the influence of the Romans, the Byzantines, and the Ottomans before regaining independence after which a German prince was proclaimed the King of Greece. After a hundred or so years and another occupation by the Germans during the second world war, the Greeks finally made it out to the other side as an independent country, which they have remained since.
The 2004 Olympics helped catapult Athens and Greece back to the world stage. The investment required for hosting the Olympics helped turn Athens into a much more modern city. In the years since, Greece has benefited majorly from tourism across Athens and the Greek Isles.
It’s a country that deserves to be explored and Athens is a city that deserves to be explored. Being the history nerd I am, I’m really excited to get up the Acropolis and visit the Parthenon. It’s incredible to me that the building is still standing after thousands of years and after almost being blown up exploding gunpowder kegs during a Venetian siege. I also have the Ancient Agora and temple of Hephaestus on my list because, well, more history!
I’d be remiss not to also mention the Greek food too! Souvlaki, Gyros, and Baklava will all be shoved into my mouth immediately upon arrival. I am excited as heck to get to Greece, I hope this episode sparked a fire in you to get thinking about booking your own trip. And hey, maybe I’ll see ya there.
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Hey there! Thank you for listening to another episode of The Friday Take Five. If you haven’t already, be sure to give us a 5 star rating on podcasting platforms, and don’t forget to turn on notifications and automatic downloads to keep up with new episodes. Have your own stories about Athens, feedback or recommendations on places or stories for us to cover? We’d love to hear it so follow us and DM us on socials @FridayTakeFive or email us at thefridaytakefive@gmail.com. Stay curious, stay adventuring, and have a great weekend!
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