A Traveller's History of Athens

Athens has a history stretching back to Mycenaean times. In the fifth century BC it became the most significant community for the development of political thought and practice, art and culture that had ever been seen. It still retains a vital influence on the present day. A Traveller's History of Athens describes the whole history of this great city from mythological and prehistoric times, through its artistic flowering in the classical age; its transformation in Roman times from a major player in world politics to a quiet university city; its decline into ruin and insignificance in the Middle Ages when it became the playground of Crusaders and their successors; the long period of subjection to the Ottoman empire; its recreation as the capital of a new nation in the nineteenth century, and one of the finest neo-classical cities in Europe; its troubled history in the twentieth century and its continuing place in the modern world. Throughout, quotations from contemporary sources enliven and illuminate the text. The author, who visits Athens at least once a year, also incorporates a chronological table, maps and a guide to further reading.