A vivid chronicle of the Greek capital’s 2,500-year history—from its origins as the cradle of democracy to the iconic sights that make it one of Europe’s most visited cities today
Athens is known around the world for its remarkable golden age in the 5th century BCE—the time of Pericles, Socrates, and Sophocles. Yet most of us know little about the thousands of years of turbulent change the city has survived since. Millions of tourists have seen the Parthenon, but how many know that it was once a church, then a mosque, and even a target of bombardment?
In the newest addition to our Shortest History of Cities series, Jennifer T. Roberts takes readers on a whirlwind tour of Athens across the ages, tracing the city’s history from its ancient origins through imperial occupations and the traumatic events of the 20th century. Combining scholarly expertise on classical Greece and lived experience of the modern-day metropolis, Roberts offers up a narrative that shines with wit and insight.
This portrait of Athens will appeal to any reader curious to learn more about the city’s layered history as a melting pot of cultural influences, where Turkish mosques, Roman libraries, and Byzantine churches stand side by side. Roberts’s wry sensibility makes The Shortest History of Athens an ideal insider’s guide to the colorful past and vibrant urban landscape of Greece’s capital city.
