P. Woolland Ltd. 40 Profile of Athens Once the centre of a vast empire and the home of a unique culture, contemporary Athens appears to have succumbed to insignificance and relative obscurity. The latter centuries have seen this city fall victim of war and internal political conflict. Yet amongst those who have had contact with this remarkable city, many feel a deep and lasting affection for it. Such places as the Acropolis, with the impressive Parthenon, Mount Lykabettos, Omonia Square and the Piraeus are some of the many sites associated with the Greek capital- These provide an interesting and necessary introduction to the city, but only partially reveal its true nature. To understand Athens fully, the visitor must be familiar, not only with its visual splendour, but also with its varied history, its mythology and the nature of the Greek people. These three aspects are all closely related to and interwoven with one another. For a little under two and a half thousand years the friendly, emotional Athenians have seen war, time and the Turk destroy much which was beautiful and peculiar to their city. Yet, despite the loss of many of her treasures, many Athenian traditions have survived. The Athenians are pleasant and polite and take a critical and active interest in politics. Violence frequently breaks out when the politically conscious Greek allows his emotions to gain control. They also continue to discuss and debate topical issues, in the traditions of their forebearers on the Agora and in the Areopagus. Outside every street cafe, olive-skinned Athenian men can be found sitting and talking, or reading a newspaper. It was once said that the Greeks read ten newspapers a day; the citizens of the capital appear to be no exception. The changeable Greek political scene provides scope for discussion and newspaper columns. The state of the nation's economy provides time for many of these modern 'philosophers' to sit and argue between attempts to find employment- Athens, whose tourist revenue increases every year, has now discovered a use for her former glory. Indeed, the rise in tourism may aid a revival in Greece's economic fortunes, restoring a little of that lost glory. Certainly a visit to this fascinating and absorbing city is one which will be long remembered. HELLENIST, 6P. 41