with the spreading of civilization from the faraway lands of Mesopotamia the
idea of the city slowly crept its way into mainland Greece with several cities
such as Mycenae and Sparta being founded one of these new urban settlements
occupied a small but fair secure region in mainland Greece this growing city
drew the attention of the Greek gods and goddesses specifically Poseidon master
of the sea and horses and the warrior goddess Athena both gods wanted the city
to be named in their honor and so a fierce competition erupted between the
two Olympians Poseidon wielding his mighty Trident struck the ground
cracking the earth and creating a natural port giving the city the ability
to become a naval power Athena also being a goddess of wisdom
created the olive tree not just as a symbol for peace and prosperity but also
giving the people of the city the ability to trade allowing the city to
fully grow and prosper
the city decided on Athena to be the patron God marched to the fury of
Poseidon with these two Olympians becoming arch rivals
the city which two gods fought over would soon become one of the most
important cities in Greece if not in history welcome to the history of Athens
the region around Athens commonly called Attica has been inhabited since
Neolithic times most likely from the end of the 4th millennium BC the city of
Athens was founded on top of the soon-to-be iconic acropolis of athens
around 12 miles inland from the ceramic gulf the acropolis provided a good
defensible position as well as giving the inhabitants of the new settlement
access to a small but fertile strip of land surrounded by rivers however by
1412 bc the settlement had become an important center of the Mycenaean
civilization which was at the time the dominant civilization in mainland Greece
so Mycenae in Athens would be the site of some major architectural developments
the soon-to-be famous acropolis of athens were at the time the location of
a major Mycenae n' fortress a dominant structure in Mycenae in greece
just below the Acropolis of Mycenae in Palace was present as the settlement
grew between 1250 to 1200 BC feeding the growing populace proved to be a
challenge as a result a staircase was built down the rocks to reach a safe
water supply this was fairly common practice in Mycenae in greece with
another noticeable example being at Mycenae these water supplies were
usually located in a secure place which was easily defendable from enemy
warriors despite these fortifications Mycenae in settlements such as Mycenae
and pilos was soon wiped off the face of greece this was part of the recurring
theme of invasions from outside peoples against the established civilizations
and empires at the time such as the empires of Mesopotamia the rich a
mysterious land of Egypt and the warlike people of Mycenae in Greece who these
invaders were is something of a mystery the Greeks would claim that they were a
combined force of Dorian's and the Heric lead a descendants of the legendary
figure of Heracles who had been exiled from their native homelands however no
one knows exactly where the Dorian's came from with some saying the invasion
was not an invasion but simply a mass migration however there is no evidence
of the Dorian's before this leaving the mystery of the Bronze Age collapsed in
Greece open though unlike their fellow Mycenaean cities it is unclear if Athens
suffered the same mass destruction as the rest of Mycenae in Greece with their
language remaining primarily Ionian whilst the areas of Greece affected by
the invasion began to use the dorian dialect
however much like many other Bronze Age settlements increase Athens began to
experience a serious economic decline entering the period known as the Greek
Dark Ages pottery became less decorative and writing almost completely
disappeared from the Greek world but this would not be the end of the Greek
civilization or Athens having survived the worst collapse in civilization to
date would soon be catapulted into superpower status thank you for watching
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