Attica

Attica is a historical region in Greece that includes the entire Athens metropolitan area. This area is centered around Athens, the capital of Greece, and stretches out to surrounding towns and cities. Attica is shaped like a peninsula and reaches into the Aegean Sea. To the north, it borders Boeotia, and to the west, it borders Megaris.

In ancient times, Attica was very important and closely tied to the history of Athens. During the Golden Age of Athens in the classical period, it was the most prominent region in Ancient Greece. The area was divided into different zones: the city center around Athens and its port Piraeus, the coastal areas, and the inland areas.

Today, the modern administrative region of Attica is larger than the historical region. It includes parts of Megaris, the Saronic Islands, Cythera, and the municipality of Troizinia on the Peloponnesian mainland. The mines of Laurion, located at Lavrio on the southern tip of the peninsula, were also an important mining area in the past.

Eponymous name

According to the Roman writer Pausanias, the place was first called Actaea. It was then named to honor Atthis, the daughter of king Cranaus from Athens.

Geography

Attica is a triangular peninsula that stretches into the Aegean Sea. It is separated from Boeotia to the north by the mountain ranges of Cithaeron and Parnes.

To the west of Eleusis, the land narrows and connects to the Peloponnese at the Isthmus of Corinth. The southwestern coast, called the Athens Riviera, lines the eastern side of the Saronic Gulf. Mountains split the peninsula into flat areas known as the plains of Pedias, Mesogeia, and the Thriasian Plain. Notable mountains in Attica include Hymettus, part of the Geraneia, Parnitha (the tallest mountain in Attica), Aigaleo, and Penteli. These mountains surround the hilly plain where the city of Athens now stands. The plain has many small hills, such as the Tourkovounia, Lykavittos, the Acropolis of Athens, and Philopappou.

Mesogeia lies east of Mount Hymettus, bordered to the north by the foothills of Mount Penteli, to the east by the Euboean Gulf, and to the south by mountains near Lavrio. The Lavrio area ends at Cape Sounion, the southeastern tip of the peninsula.

Athens gets its water from Lake Marathon, a reservoir made in 1920 by building a dam. Forests of pine and fir trees cover areas around Parnitha. Mountains such as Hymettus, Penteli, Myrrhinous, and Lavrio are covered with pine trees, while other areas have shrubs. Some forests on Penteli and Parnitha have been lost to fires. The Synngrou Estate, near the towns of Kifisia, Melissia, and Marousi, holds the last natural forest in the Athenian plain.

The Kifisos river, the longest in Attica, begins near Varibobi on the slopes of Parnitha, flows through the Athenian plain, and ends at the delta of Faliro east of the port of Piraeus.

According to Plato, the ancient borders of Attica were set by the Isthmus and reached the heights of Cithaeron and Parnes toward the mainland. The boundary line ran down to the sea, marked on the right by the district of Oropus and on the left by the river Asopus.

History

Ancient history

Further information: Classical Athens

In ancient times, the people of Athens said they were the first to live in the area. They believed that during a hard time called the Greek Dark Ages, a group called the Ionians came to Attica. These Ionians had to leave their homes and joined the local people. Many Ionians later left Attica to start new communities along the coast of Asia Minor.

Earlier, during the Mycenaean period, people in Attica lived in small farming villages. Important places where old remains were found include Marathon, Rafina, Nea Makri, Brauron, Thorikos, and Athens itself.

It was said that Attica was made up of twelve small communities during the time of a legendary king named Cecrops. These communities were later joined into one Athenian state. Historians think this joining happened slowly over many years.

Until around the 6th century BC, wealthy families lived outside the main city of Athens. Later, leaders like Peisistratos and Cleisthenes brought these areas under the control of Athens. The land was divided into smaller areas called demes and three larger sections: the city, the coast, and the inland area.

Fortresses

During a later time, Athens built many strong walls and forts to protect itself and its important mines.

Places of worship

Important places for old religious ceremonies can be found all over Attica, but some of the most significant are in Eleusis. People there honored the goddesses Demeter and Cora for many years. Other gods and goddesses were also worshipped in different parts of Attica, such as Pan and the Nymphs in Marathon and Parnes, and Dionysus in Icaria.

Medieval period

Main articles: Byzantine Greece, Duchy of Athens, and Ottoman Greece

After ancient times, Attica was ruled by different groups including the Romans, Byzantines, Venetians, and Ottomans. During the Roman time, a group called the Heruli attacked Athens. Later, during the Byzantine period, Athens remained an important city, though smaller than nearby Boeotia.

In the 11th and 12th centuries, when the Franks ruled the area, more buildings were constructed. From the 14th century, people called Arvanites came to Attica from southern Albania.

Under Ottoman rule, Athens had some rights, but villages in Attica faced hard times. Monasteries helped keep Greek traditions alive. Despite changes in rulers, Attica kept many of its old place names.

Attica after 1829

Attica became part of the new Greek state when it was founded. In 1834, Athens was chosen as the capital, leading to growth in the area. Many people moved to Attica after events like the population exchanges between Greece and Turkey. Today, Attica is largely urban, with Athens covering much of the region. The modern area of Attica also includes some nearby islands and a small part of the Peloponnese.