The history of Attica is in its major part the historyof Athens. The olive tree has been treated as sacred in the ancient agessince, according to mythology, goddess Athena (Minerva is another nameof hers) gave the city an olive tree as a token of her protection of thecity after her conflict with god Poseidon (Neptune). Another importantgift from the Gods was the vine tree, which God Dionyssos gave the Athenians.The myths and traditions about the ancient and continuous history of Atticahave been substantiated by the findings of Prehistoric years that havebeen retrieved on the Acropolis and around other parts of Attica. Thereis a possibility for the old myths to reflect the wars the leaders of Acropolismade in order to achieve total ruling of the territories around Athens.
However, the total merging of the territories in Atticawith Athens happened much later, around year 800 B.C., a fact reflectingin the myths of Theseas and population of Athens around him. Athens developedto a great industrial and naval force during the 8th and 7th century B.C.A milestone in the city's history has been the period of Pisistratus tyrrany.The exporting commerce of Athens reached then Sicily, Egypt and the BlackSea. New monuments were built and the city experienced its first culturaland artistic spring.
Athens was also the prime actor during the war with Persia.This activity aided by the appearance of democratic governing helped Athensbecome Greece's leading city and the center of an allied state. The questfor success for Athens reached its climax during Perikleus "Golden Age"period. During those years Athens was famous to the world for its power,its civilization, its culture and science. This was the period that theAncient Athenian Wonder was achieved, to be stopped from the destructivePeloponnesian War, since that war resulted in the destruction of Aticas'naval forces and the restriction of the state to Athens and island Salamina.
The territory was not powerful enough to avoid the MacedonianKing Fillipe II (338 B.C.) to include Attica to the Macedonian states.In 146 B.C. Athens was occupied, together with the rest of Greece, by theRomans, who although they actually were conquerors, they showed respectto the city's personality.
After the first years A.C. , Gothic tribes brought destructiveinvasions and looting to Athens.
The gradual integration with the Byzantine Empire wascompleted with the shut down of Philosophic Schools, the modification ofshrines to Christian temples and the general rural confrontation of Athens.After year 1214, when Konstaninopolis was occupied by the Franks, Athenswas given to French dukes. Their successors were Catalans, Napolitans andfinally in 1456 the Turks who were the first after all these years to transformAcropolis to a Muslim Temple "Tzami", and the Erehthion to a harem.
Yet, for all the claims of its ancient past, and for allits natural advantages, the city was not the first-choice capital of modernGreece. That honour went to Nafplio in the Peloponnese, where the War of Independence was masterminded by Capodistrias and where the first GreekNational Assembly met in 1828. Had Capodistrias not been assassinated thecapital would most likely have remained in the Peloponnese. But followinghis death in 1831, the "Great Powers" of western Europe intervened, inflictingon the Greeks a king of their own choosing - Otho, son of Ludwig I of Bavaria- and in 1834 transferring the capital to Athens. Until 1834, one yearafter its revolution from the Turks, when Athens was proclaimed capitalof Greece, it was a miserable village with very few people and piles ofancient ruins and stones. Nevertheless it was accepted as a place witha very strong presence of memories of the past. Since it was made the capital,its rebirth from the ruins was initiated. New buildings were built in aclose architectural connection with the ancient Greek style, and Acropolisand the rest of the ancient monuments were restored. In 1986 the firstmodern Olympics were held in Athens.
People who visit or spend their vacation in Greece neednot - in case of a limited time schedule - advance further from the limitsof Attica in order to get acquainted with the basic periods of Greek history.Ancient, Roman, Byzantine, Frank, Turkish Occupation, Modern Greek!