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Within the sprawling city of
Athens it is easy to imagine the golden age of Greece when Pericles
had the Parthenon built. When the tragedies of Aeschylus, Sophocles
and Euripides were performed in the Theater of Dionysus. And
when democracy brought all citizens together to decide their
common fate on the Pynx Hill.
Athens is built around the Acropolis and the pinnacled crag
of Mt. Lycabettus, which the goddess Athena was siad to have
dropped from the heavens as a bulwark to defend the city. (Athens
currently has over four million inhabitants). The suburbs have
covered the barren plain in all directions and the city is packed
with lively taverns and bustling shops.
Dominating the Athenian landscape, the Acropolis is unsurpassed
in its beauty, architectural splendor and historic importance.
The entrance to the Acropolis is the Propylea, which extends
150 feet adjoining the temple of Athena Nike or Wingless Victory.
The Parthenon is on the highest part of the Acropolis and was
built between 447 and 437 BC. It was here that modern democracy
began its early foothold. |
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