330 Route 39. ATHENS. Topography.
hills of the Pnyx and the Nymphs, pp. 353, 354), which slope gra¬
dually towards the sea.
The modern city lies in the above-mentioned depression and
stretches towards the plain of the Cephissus, whilst ancient Athens
during the height of its prosperity comprised the S. side of the
Acropolis and the hills to the W. Athens has never been entirely
abandoned since its first foundation. Long after its political
fall it continued to be frequented as a school of philosophy,
and compared with other Greek towns enjoyed great prosperity.
In the middle ages it was the seat of the Franconian dukes, who
were at length superseded by the Turks. In modern times,
especially in the wars of independence, the city suffered so se¬
verely, that in 1835, when the seat of Government was trans¬
ferred hither from Nauplia, it had dwindled down to a poor
country-town , with about 300 houses, whilst it had once num¬
bered 150,000 inhabitants. The Piraeus had ceased to exist both
in fact and in name. The harbour with a few fishermen's huts
was termed Porto Leone, from a lion which the Venetians carried
off in 1687 to adorn the Arsenal at Venice. Since that period,
however, Athens has gradually become the most populous city
(42,000 inhab.) in Greece. The harbour-town of Piraeus, with
6500 inhab., is rapidly increasing. Athens is indebted for its pre¬
sent thriving condition chiefly to its ancient prestige, its situation
not being favourable for the capital of modern Greece. Neither
commerce nor manufactures flourish here, as the city lies off the
great thoroughfare of traffic, and Attica itself is unproductive.
The fact of its being the seat of government and the focus of
intellectual activity and modern culture now contributes mainly to
its extension and development.
The modern part of the city, planned principally by M. Schau-
bert, a German architect, is handsome and well-built, and resem¬
bles other towns of modern Europe. Two straight streets, inter¬
secting each other nearly in the centre of the town, constitute
the chief arteries of traffic. One of these, the Hermes Street
(odo; 'Etifiov) begins at the palace square and extends N. to
the railway station, where, at the church of Agia Triada, it unites
with the road to Piraeus. The other main street, that of JEoVus
fOdo? AioXov), stretches from the 'Tower of the Winds', about
the middle of the N. slope of the Acropolis, across the entire
city, and is prolonged as the 'OrVos Ilariaotag as far as the vil¬
lage of Patissia. The point of intersection of these streets, where
the 'HtjitCn 'EXXcig cafe is situated, and a part of the ^Eolus Street
towards the S. form the favourite rendezvous of the male loungers
of Athens. Here, and in the adjoining bazaar, the greatest va¬
riety of costumes will be observed. Numerous and tortuous lanes •
diverge from these main streets, but the traveller should avoid
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