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Athens is the current capital of Greece. The capital was moved to Athens from Nauplion in 1834. However the city dates back for centuries to the days of the Greek city states. The city was said to be original founded by Cecrops. The Acropolis (high city) was built on a formidable hill, easily defended and near the sea and two rivers. Athens patron is the goddess Athena(goddess of wisdom and skill). In fact the name for the city in Greek is Athena. Athena and her uncle Poseidon (god of the sea) vied for patronage of the city. Both offered a gift, Poseidon struck the ground with his trident and a spring appeared. Athena gave an olive tree, symbol of peace and harmony. The city was then given to Athena and took on her name The city its self has had its share of ups and downs. It has gone from a great city state, to a back water hole and back again. The city has also known many conquerors including the Byzantine Empire, Persian's, Roman's, Venetian's (Venice), and Turk's. However with Greek independence Athens again took its rightful place as the center of Greece. The city has much more history to it and I encourage you to read about it because it is very interesting. However the purpose of this page is to show pictures of Athens and not give a full history. I have three parts, the Acropolis, theAgora(ancient marketplace), and Pláka. I may be adding two other sections, The churches of Athens and the Likavitós but that will be in the far future.