The city was named after the goddess Athena around the end of the 16th and beginning of the 15th century BC. According to legend, the god of the sea Poseidon and the warrior Athena argued who would be the patron of the city. The gods gathered for judgment and decided that the power would belong to the one who would bring the city a more valuable gift. Poseidon hit the rock with his trident, and a source of sea water gushed out at that place. Athena struck the ground with her spear, and an olive tree grew in this place. And the gods decided that Athena brought a good gift, and she was given power over the city. From then on, the city became known as Athens.
According to ITYPEJOB, the history of this city was created over thousands of years. The first settlements arose here in the 16th – 13th centuries BC. e. In the 6th century BC e. The Acropolis was built – the royal residence, which later became the symbol of the city. It can be seen from anywhere as it is built on a hill 156 meters high. But the “golden age” of Athens falls on the 5th century BC. e. at Pericles. The philosopher Socrates and playwright Sophocles became the pride of the “golden age” of Athens. By this time, science, philosophy, painting and architecture had reached their peak.
Once in the Acropolis, you must definitely visit the temple of Nike Apteros (Athens Nike), Parthenon (Temple of Athena Virgin), the theater of Dionysus, the Odeon of Herodes Atticus, the Erechtheion (one of the oldest sanctuaries of the Acropolis, in the courtyard of which the sacred olive tree, donated to the city by Athena, grew, and a salty spring, carved with the trident of Poseidon, beat).
In the center of Athens rises another hill – Lycabettus. On its top stands the chapel of St. George the Victorious and there is an open-air theater. In contrast to the “city on the mountain” – the Acropolis – below is the city on the plain – Plaka. Within its boundaries, the city existed until the beginning of the 20th century.
At the foot of the Acropolis is the Agora, the political, commercial and cultural center of ancient Athens.. On its western border stands the temple of Hephaestus, the same age as the Parthenon. Opposite the entrance to the Acropolis is a rock with a leveled platform on top. This is the Areopagus, the seat of the Athenian Criminal Court. Philosophers, politicians and preachers often spoke from this rock.
All of the listed historical sites are the main, but far from all the sights of Athens. You can list them for a long time, but they are all close to each other and one day is enough to find most of them. The main museums are the Acropolis Museum, the Byzantine Museum, the National Archaeological Museum, the National Art Gallery, the Museum of Greek Folk Art.
Hersonissos, Crete island (Greece)
Hersonissos is located 26 km from Heraklion on the coast of the Gulf of Malia. This is the liveliest resort on the northeast coast of Crete with numerous boutiques, bars, discos and clubs. Shops are open until midnight, bars and entertainment complexes – until the morning. For outdoor enthusiasts there is a minigolf course, go-karting, a small water park with slides, diving centers, and an equestrian base. This resort with a hectic life is more suitable for youth than for families. The beaches in the area of Hersonissos are sandy and pebbly.
Among the abundance of modern tourist sites Hersonissos preserved the spirit of ancient and early Byzantine times. Fragments of the old Roman port, once lively and prosperous, remind of that time; well-preserved pyramidal fountain II-III centuries. AD, the ruins of ancient Christian temples, built like a basilica.
2 km from the town is the mountain village of Piskopiana with a museum housed in an old olive oil factory.
Thessaloniki (Greece)
Thessaloniki is the capital of Northern Greece (province of Macedonia), the second largest city in the country after Athens. Its population is over 1.2 million people. The city, which has a 2500-year history, was rightly chosen as the European Capital of Culture in 1997. Impressive archaeological finds made on the territory of the city can conquer even the most demanding visitor.
It is a city of three civilizations – Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine, a crossroads of continents and trade routes. Thessaloniki (Greek: Thessaloniki) was founded in 315 BC. on the site of the ancient settlement “Thermi” by the Macedonian king Cassander, who gave the city a new name – the name of his wife and sister of Alexander the Great – Thessaloniki.
Thessaloniki – This is the story of the personification of the power and glory of the Macedonian dynasty. Here, the Apostle Paul was the first to announce the dawn of Christianity, this city was once chosen by the Roman emperor Galerius as his residence, here, because of faith in Christ, the warrior Demetrius was martyred, who became a deeply revered saint. From here, the brothers Cyril and Methodius undertook their grandiose mission of Christianizing the Slavic peoples. The city was repeatedly raided by various tribes and nationalities, but after each raid, an even more beautiful one rose up, dressed in an ancient Byzantine mantle intended for it.
Evidence of the glorious 23rd century history are its monuments: the church of St. Demetrius, built in the style of a basilica, part of the fortress walls, the Rotunda with its wonderful mosaic canvases, the arch of the Roman emperor Gallerius, the archaeological museum with an exposition of the treasures of the tomb of King Philip II of Macedonia.
Thessaloniki is the most convenient starting point for numerous excursions in Northern Greece.
