Athens the Periklean age

The Periklean Age

After the Persian army left Greece, the people of the Greek cities returned home. The Athenians, who were  at Troezen, Aegina and Salamis after the battle of Plataea returned and found their city in total ruin and the countryside desolated. They soon started rebuilding the city and began raising walls (478 BC). The Aeginitians immediately informed Sparta, which with the pretext, that the fortifications would help the Persians in another expedition, proposed to the Athenians to demolish them. Of course Sparta only feared the rising power of Athens.

Athens the Persian wars

The Persian Wars

The Greek cities in Asia Minor had not been united and often, like the cities of mainland, they quarreled between them. Thales of Miletos perceived this weakness of Ionia and proposed a united nation, consisting from all the cities with Teos, as the capital, but none listened.
At the end of the seventh century, king Gyges of Lydia conquered Colophon. Responding to the aggression of Lydia, twelve Ionic cities formed a league, whose center was the Panionion, a shrine of Poseidon on the promontory of Mykale. The weak league was unable to stop the conquest of the cities, by the next king of Lydia, king Croesos (560-546 BC). Only Miletos, which had not resisted, remained an ally under a treaty.

Athens the legend

The legend

The initial name of Athens was Akte or Aktike, named after the first king, Akteos. Her second name, Kekropia, received it from the king, Kekrops, who succeeded Akteos, by marrying his daughter. According to the legend, his lower body was that of a dragon. During his reign, goddess Athena and Poseidon were competing for the protection of the city and each one offered presents. Poseidon struck the rock at the Acropolis with his trident (the three marks can be seen behind the Erectheion..) and a spring with salted water gushed up. With the blow also leaped the first horse, ready to serve the man faithfully, while Athena offered an olive tree.