|
Main features of Athens...Athens is a city rich in both natural beauty and history. Athens came to being around 4000 B.C. on top of the Acropolis and has been inhabited ever since. During its thousands of years of existence the people of Greece have constructed excellent monuments and buildings to honor their gods. Many of these structures are now in ruins throughout Greece and Athens.
Women in Ancient Athens: In Ancient Athens women had no rights at all and were only there to reproduce and to clean up after the men, manage their homes and took care of the babies. Unlike the Sparta women who were allowed to have military training (but could not serve in the military), play sports, learn about the arts and own stores. Those from Sparta were descendants of the Dorian invaders, however those from Athens were descendants of the Ionians. Athens founded democracy, and believed that the individual was important, while Sparta believed in the state rather than the individual, with a government based on a oligarchic system. Sparta based their society on the repression of slaves. Athens freed their slaves and destroyed debt slavery The Agora: The Agora, the marketplace and civic center, was one of the most important parts of an ancient city of Athens. In addition to being a place where people gathered to buy and sell all kinds of commodities, it was also a place where people assembled to discuss all kinds of topics: business, politics, current events, or the nature of the universe and the divine. The Agora of Athens, where ancient Greek democracy first came to life, provides a wonderful opportunity to examine the commercial, political, religious, and cultural life of one of the great cities of the ancient world. |