ATHENBb 



ATHENS. 



Phaleric Wall, which abutted on the city at the Itonian Gate, as the Long 

 WalU did at the Gate of Peimus. The direction of the Long Walls 

 from the Peintui is east by north by compass, aa appean from 

 examination of their existing foundations. The southern wall which 

 ran from the city almost south-south-east to the north-western angle 

 of the Munychiu Bay, was called the Phaleric Wall ; the northern 

 which ran from the Peiraic Gate to the Peiraus, and was a double wall, 

 was sometimes called the Long Walls and sometimes the Peiraic 

 WalL 



The wall which surrounded the city was strengthened at intervals 

 with tower* : there were also square towers on the Long Walls wliich 

 connected the city with the ports. The Long Walls were about 

 four mile* in length, and at a distance of 550 feet from one another : 

 when the city was in its highest state of prosperity the open space 

 between them contained a considerable number of houses, which 

 formed a kind of intermediate town between the Arty, or upper 

 city, and the Peineus. The Phaleric Wall was supposed by Leake and 

 most other authorities to have run parallel to the Peiraic or Long Wall*, 

 bat it now appears certain that it ran more nearly south. The height 

 of these walls was probably about 40 cubit* or 60 English feet. 



That part of the city walls included between the two points where 

 the Phaleric and Peiraic walls respectively abut on them is not 

 included by Thucydides (ii. 13) in his estimate of the extent of the 

 city walls which required defence ; and we must in like manner 

 deduct from the circuit of the wall inclosing the Peiraeus and the 

 Munychia, the space on the land side between the western extremities 

 of the Phaleric and the Peiraic walls. The circumference of the 

 city then according to Thucydides, in B.C. 431 was 



Stadia. 

 The City, deducting the part between the Peiraic and 



Phaleric Walls 43 



The Phaleric Wall 35 



The Peiraic Wall 40 



The Maritime City, deducting the space between the 

 Phaleric and Peiraic Walls 564 



1744 



This result will give a total circuit of about nineteen or twenty miles. 

 (Leake' s ' Topography of Athens.') 



What was the population of ancient Athens is rather difficult to 

 ascertain in the absence of any direct information from contemporary 

 authorities. The closest approximation is afforded by the statement 

 of Xenophon ('Memor.' iii., 6, 14, 'Oecon.' 8, 22), that the city 

 contained more than 10,000 bouses. Clinton (' Fasti Hell.' ii., 387, 

 ftc.>, assuming that the most probable proportion was twelve inhabi- 

 tants to a house, supposes that the population of Athens at the 

 period of its greatest magnitude may have been about 120,000, and 

 that of the port-towns about 40,000 more. Bockh ('Pub. EC. of 

 Athens,' p. 30), estimates the population of the city and harbours at 

 180,000; and Leake ( Top. of Athens,' p. 618) at 192,000. 



The chief gates of Athens, as far as their position can be with any 

 probability determined, are indicated in the plan. The cemeteries 

 of the city surrounded it on every side, but were most conspicuous 

 on the north and north-west where they commenced immediately on 

 the outside of the walls. The road from Dipylum to the Academy 

 was lined with the tombs of illustrious men, such as Pericles, Thrasy- 

 bolus, Chabriaa, and Phonnion. Here too were the monument* 

 noted to the memory of those who fell in their country's service : a 

 slab of stone with the name and township (d%u>) of each individual, 

 was UM honour paid by the state to its citizens who died in battle. 

 (Paosanias, L 29). The Academy itself was surrounded with a wall 

 pUntsd with trees, and ornamented with fountains of water. Near 

 it was UM tomb of Plato. 



The tombs on the east side of the city were separated from it 

 by UM Gardens (Mvw), the Lyceium, and the Cynoaarges, and do not 

 appear to have been so extensive. 



On few point* connected with the topography of ancient Athens 

 have recent researches thrown more light, or more modified previous 

 conceptions, than that of the siU of the three ports of Athens. The 

 received opinion was that they were all situated in the rocky penin- 

 sula of the Peineus : UM port of Peinens on the west side of the 

 peninsula in the large harbour, now called Dhrako, or Porto Leone, 

 and this was divided into the three bays spoken of by Thucydides ; 

 UM Munychia on UM east side, in the smaller harbour nw known 

 as Stratiotiki ; and Phalerum, north-east of Munychia, in the harbour 

 now known as Phanari. But it was felt to be difficult to reconcile 

 this arrangement of UM ports with various psssagns in ancient writers. 

 Thiu Pausanias (L 1, | 2) expressly state, that before the time of 

 Themutncles Athens possessed only one port, which was situated at 

 Phakrum, at UM spot where the sea is nearest to the city ; but 

 TkstnistocUs, when he was at the head of the government, perceiving 

 that UM Psirans was better situated for the purposes of navigation, 

 sad that it rnmssiil three harbours instead of the one at Phalerum, 

 mad. it into a receptacle for ship*. From this and other passages it 

 is evident that the harbour of Phalerum wss entirely unconnected 

 with the Psiraus, while the three ports of which Thucydides speaks 

 (L 93) wsrs a part of the peninsula. Strobo and other writers speak 

 of PhaUram as being not included within the fortifications of the 



Peineus, but next in order along the sea-shore. The account given 

 by Herodotus of the defeat of the Spartans, who landed at Phalerum, 

 is also quite irreconcilable with its being on the Peineus. The 

 credit of having thoroughly investigated and elucidated the difficulty 

 is due to the late Professor Ulrichs, who in 1843 first pointed out the 

 true position of the several ports; and his views have bean since 

 generally accepted. The Phalerum he places some distance east of 

 the peninsula of the Peineus at the south-eastern corner of the great 

 bay of Phalerum, in the neighbourhood of the Three Towers, near 

 where the Chapel of St. George now stands ; the port of Peineus he 

 of course retains at Dhrako, but Munychia he transfers to Phanari. 

 The port of Phalerum was little used after the construction of that 

 known as the Peineus, and the works were probably suffered gradually 

 to decay ; but it was in existence in the time of Pausanias. Ulrichs 

 found numerous vestiges of an ancient town near St. George, as well 

 as portions of a wall, which he supposed to be the Phaleric Wall, on 

 the road between Athens and St. George : there are also still to be 

 seen under water some remains of an ancient mole. 



The port of the Peineus was, aa we have said, the large bay on the 

 east side of the peninsula of the 1'eineus, now known aa Dhrako, or 

 Porto Leone. Leake and other modern writers have generally stated 

 that the port of the Peinous was divided into three harbours. It 

 appears to be certain however that they were misled by a wrong 

 interpretation of a passage in the Scholiast upon Aristophanes, and 

 that the three harbours of the Peineus were not divisions of the great 

 harbour, but three separate harbours of the peninsula, of which the 

 largest was called by way of eminence the Peineus. The harbour of 

 the Peineus was really divided into two parts a smaller 'one, the 

 Cantharus, in which the Athenian ships of war lay, and a larger, the 

 Emporium, occupying about two thirds of the whole, and appro- 

 priated to merchant vessels. The other two ports of the peninsula 

 were both on the east side. The smaller, called the Munychia, near 

 the northern end, is now known as the Phanari, or Fanari. It was 

 used exclusively for ships of war. The third was that called 

 Munycbia by Leake, and now known OB .Stratiotiki. This was the 

 Zea of the ancient Athenians : this harbour was likewise appropriated 

 to ships of war, and was the largest of the harbours so employed, 

 having 196 ship-houses, while Cantharus had only 94, and Munychia 



only .--'. 



The three ports of the Peineus were what the ancients called 

 'closed ports,' that is, their entrances were rendered very narrow by 

 means of moles run out into the sea, so as not to admit of more than 

 two or three vessels entering abreast. On the ends of the moles 

 towers were erected, and chains could be stretched across the entrances 

 in time of war. These three ports, with the buildings attached to 

 them, once formed a separate city larger than Athens itself. The 

 whole peninsula of the Peineus was encompassed by a strong line of 

 fortifications formed by Themistocles. The wall was 60 stadia in 

 circuit ; its height was 60 feet, though it is said to have been only 

 half that intended by Themistocles ; its thickness was 15 feet, and it 

 was formed not aa such walls usually were of ashlar sides with the 

 centre filled with rubble, but wholly of squared stones with iron 

 cramping*. The fortifications of the Peineua were connected with the 

 Asty of Athena aa already mentioned by means of the Long Walls. 

 The moles of the harbours were prolongations of the walls. A hill 

 immediately to the west of the port of the Munychia, now called the 

 Castello, which from its position and elevation commanded both the 

 peninsula and the harbours, was fortified with the greatest care, and 

 formed the Acropolis of the Peineus : it was called the Munychia 

 Hill, or briefly the Munychia. Remains of its fortifications are still 

 visible. Within the fortress was a temple to its guardian deity 

 Artemis Munychia. The importance and strength of the fortifications 

 of the maritime city, and especially of the hill of Munychia, appear 

 from the aiege of this place by Demetrius Polioroetea, and by Sulla ; 

 the possession of the ports enabled any person to command the city. 



The Peineus was the great dock-yard of the Athenians, and the 

 chief harbour for the vessels engaged in the corn and other foreign 

 trade. The maritime town was laid out in a regular manner in the 

 time of Pericles by lli]>pdamus, who _ constructed brood and 

 straight streets, which were noticed aa forming a remarkable contrast 

 to the narrow and crooked streets of Athens. It contained large 

 warehouses, public arsenals, the armoury of Philon, several temples, a 

 theatre on the hill of Munychia, a long portico or arcade (iiaxpa arorf) 

 analogous to the bazaars of Eastern cities, which probably contained 

 igma (a place for the exhibition of samples of goods), and 

 Phreattya (a court of summary justice), and other buildings. Of all 

 the edifices of the Pcincus, nothing now remains but some traces of 

 foundations and broken pieces of sculptured marble. The port of 

 Peiraus, though its entrance is very narrow, is still a safe one : " The 

 v -r. .iMi.1 inside is very good, and rather to the southward of the centre 

 a ship may drop her anchor in about seven fathoms stiff mud, and 

 moor with open hawse towards any point of the compass, for gin' ill 

 ride so secure that neither wind nor sea can hurt her." (Captain 

 \V. II Smyth.) The ]>cninaula behind the Zea contains the founda- 

 tion of a temple, the remains of a small theatre, and clear indications 

 that it was extensively built upon. The line of the extensive system 

 of walls which defended the maritime town can still be traced in moat 

 parts ; and in the Zea, on the side towards the sea, courses of masonry, 



