Attica. Detailed history

The region of central Greece where Athens was located was called Attica. It was probably named for its projecting peninsula, coming from the Greek word acte, meaning “promontory.” It took the form of a triangle, with water on two sides, the Aegean Sea on the east and the Saronic Gulf on the west, and Boeotia in the north on its landward side, separated by mountains with few passes. This allowed the region to be protected from the rest of Greece. It was a mountainous and dry area of about 700 square miles.

There were two rivers, the Cephissus and the Ilissus, which were usually dry except after heavy rainfall and occasionally in the winter. These two rivers watered the Athenian Plain during the rainy season. The Cephissus was the more important, flowing south from Mount Parnes on the western side of the city and crossing the Long Walls, built in the fifth century, and emptying into the Phaleric Bay.

The Athenian plain also had the stream Cycloborus from Mount Parnes, which was described in antiquity as water rushing down, making a great noise, and flowing into olive groves. These were little more than streams, which would overflow during the rainy season.

There were four plains, the Eleusinian and Thriasian in the west, with its chief town Eleusis; the central region, called the Athenian plain; and Mesogeia in the east. Often the Eleusinian and Athenian Plains were simply called “the plains.” The Eleusinian Plain had two small streams watering it, the more important one also being called the Cephissus from Mount Cithaeron.

Other districts existed, so there were five general natural divisions, the Eleusinian Plain, the Athenian Plain, the Highlands (which included the Plain of Marathon), the Midland District, and the Paralia or Seacoast district, which contained the mines of Laurum. These five regions provided Athens with the three major geographical divisions that would influence its political-geographical government—the plains, the mountains (or hills), and the sea- coast comprising the city proper. The region also featured the island of Salamis.

The Sacred Way led from Athens to Eleusis. This road was used for the solemn procession for the Eleusinian festival celebrated each year. This was one of the chief roads of Athens, and it was lined with monuments on both sides. There were two branches leaving Athens—one at the Dipylum Gate and the other at the Sacred Gate—and both united to form the Sacred Way. From the Dipylum Gate, the first monument commemorated the herald Anthemocritus.

The road then crossed the Cephissus River via a bridge, and farther along was the temple of Apollo on Mount Poecilum, which formed the dividing line between the Eleusin- ian and Thriasian plains. Farther still was a temple to Aphrodite. The road then went past the Rheiti, or salt-springs, which was the boundary region between Athens and Eleusis during the early period. The road then went into Eleusis.

The four major mountains, Aegaleus, Hymettus, Pentelicus and Laurium, divided the region. Hymettus was known for its honey, while Pentelicus had marble quarries and Laurium had rich silver mines. In addition to the famous white Pentelic marble, Hymettus had marble of black, blue, and gray. The silver mines of Laurium had been well known since the Mycenaean period, but in the early fifth century, a rich vein was discovered, and the Athenians under Themistocles agreed to use the profits from that for the building of the Athenian fleet before the Persian Wars of 480-479.

The Athenians sold the rights for the working of the mines to private contractors in return for a share of the profits. These mines were exploited until the end of the Peloponnesian War, when Sparta took over the nearby area and blocked Athenian access. Once the war ended, the Athenians restarted their mining and continued until the first century CE. Most of the mining operations, as well as marble quarries, were worked by slaves. In addition, Attica was known for its pottery, and its potters’ clay was famous.

The soil of Attica is light and dry and was not the best for growing wheat, but it was better suited to the olive. These arid conditions made the growing of grain difficult, which ultimately pushed the Athenians who controlled the region to abandon grain products and begin to cultivate olive groves and vineyards, although it was not known for any especially good wines. The olive tree was viewed as a gift from the patron goddess Athena, who ensured productivity and protection.

The sacred olive tree on the Acropolis in her temple precinct provided the Moriae, or sacred olive-trees, in the Academy, and the other olive trees of Attica were said to be descended from in this region. There were also fig trees under the protection of Demeter. There was a sacred fig tree at Eleusis, which the goddess Demeter was said to produce. Both olives and figs were exported from Athens, especially after the time of Solon, who had forbidden the exportation of grain. Vineyards provided another source of income through the production of wine. Wine from Attica was pleasant and sweet, but not viewed as the best. Dionysus was said to have planted the grove at Icaria, where he was welcomed.

Unlike other regions of Greece, especially in the north, the breeding of horses was not common due to the hilly and rocky districts and the absence of extensive foodstuffs due to the soil. As such, they were kept only by the wealthy. Likewise, cattle were not extensive either. There was, however, enough pasture for sheep and goats, especially on the mountainsides, with goats probably being more important. The seas provided Athens with fish, most likely the anchovy or sardine.

Although Athens was the primary city in the region of Attica, there were other significant cities as well. Originally said to have been twelve in number, the cities merged together gradually over a period of time, eventually becoming the city of Athens under Theseus. While Athens was always viewed as the chief city, many of the local towns retained their autonomy until the reforms of Cleisthenes. Many of the villages in the countryside still retained powerful holdings of the aristocratic families.

These regions lost their power when Pisistratus and Cleisthenes moved to break the power of the aristocrats. Cleisthenes created a system wherein those in the countryside needed the political support of those in the hills and city, and vice versa. This development effectively ended the local autonomy of the small villages.

One of the most important divisions of Athens was the creation of the original four tribes. Their names often varied over time. For example, during the early period, they were known as Cecropis, Autochthon, Actaea, and Paralia, with the first two names derived from mythical figures and the latter two from physical entities (the city and the beach, respectively). Later, during the reign of Cranaus, they were changed to Cranais, Athis, Mesogaea, and Diacris, again named for mythical figures and physical areas.

Finally, they were named for the four Ionic tribes of Geleontes, Hopletes, Argades, and Aegicores, and those names would continue until the time of Cleisthenes, when he created ten new tribes. These tribes were named after Attic heroes (listed in order of precedence): Erechtheis, Aegeis, Pandionis, Leontis, Acamantis, Oeneis, Cecropis, Hippothoontis, Aeantis, and Antiochis. These tribes were then divided into smaller districts, called demes or townships.

Although the exact number of demes is unknown, it probably approached 150 for all of Attica during the Classical period. The demes assigned to each tribe, however, were not adjacent territories since the tribes were not viewed as physical entities, but rather political divisions to incorporate all of Attica into a system allowing different regions to come together in a single political unity.

Hence, demes from the three major physical areas, the coast (city), plains, and hills, where each represented a particular piece of land, were brought together such that each tribe had members from all three districts. For example, five of the city demes belonged to five different tribes. Once enrolled in a deme, a man’s descendants would remain in that deme regardless where he physically resided.

Athens successfully created a system of union throughout the region so that Attica became synonymous with the city. Unlike in the region of Boeotia, where Thebes never completed the union and therefore failed to dominate the district, Athens successfully merged all of the entities into one political system and city.

This gave Athens a large population, which allowed it to emerge after the Persian Wars as the leading city of the Greek world. It could establish a navy, and hence an empire. With so many residents, the city required a large food supply, which the district could not provide. Thus, Athens had to import its food. The city ultimately became the most important site in classical Greece.