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Athens began on a natural hill of white limestone rock about 7 km from the sea. It was a good site and easy
to defend. Today it is called the Acropolis, meaning highest city. But Athens outgrew its Acropolis and so new houses were built on the plain below. Over time, the hill was turned into a religious sanctuary. It was flattened off and great temples were built on it, including the most famous building of Greek times, the Parthenon.
CITY, STATE AND WAR Democracy
Athens was first run by kings, then by nobles, then by a single general called a tyrAnt.
In 510 bc the people tried a new experiment in running their city
by giving its male citizens (but not women) the right to vote for their leaders (picture 1).
Athens also developed new ways of dealing with criminals using public law courts and trials by juries comprising hundreds of people. The jurors voted by placing discs in one of two jars – one for guilty, one for not guilty.
Slaves
Like other Greek cities, Athens was run on slave labour. A third of all people living in Athens were slaves. Some slaves were children of slaves, while the stock of slaves was added to by capturing people during wars.
Slaves were not necessarily the poorest and least educated of people. Although slaves did work in the mines and at rock breaking, and toiled
in the fields, teachers and nurses,
for example, might also be slaves. Even those who kept the peace (the Athenian form of a police force) were slave archers from Scythia.
 1 Any free man (citizen) could go to the assembly, where they could speak and vote freely. When there was disagreement, people held public debates.
Festivals and leisure
The citizens of Athens had the time, the money and the imagination to do things other than work. There were yearly festivals to honour gods, athletics competitions and a season of plays.
Rich citizens were happy to be asked to pay for the performers, just as companies and rich people might sponsor events today.
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