At the opening ceremony of the 28th Athens Olympic Games in 2004, Greek windsurfer and Atlanta Olympic windsurfing gold medalist Nicolas Karamanakis ran up the steps, lit the slowly tilting "needle-nose" shaped main torch with the torch in his hand, and then slowly rose to its original height. Under the illumination of the fire, the audience applauded and cheered together, after 108 years, the flame of the Olympic Games was once again ignited in the hometown of its origin.
Although the original origin of the Olympic Games was not in the city of Athens, in fact it has a far better historical status than Olympia, the birthplace of the Olympic Games. It was only for a long time that people focused on the city for only a short period of more than 30 years during the reign of Pericles in ancient Athens, which made the image and prestige of the city of Athens greatly ignored.
Over the course of thousands of years, the city of Athens has changed in a way that has been linked to the civilizations of other European countries and even to the civilizations of various regions of the world, and it is not an exaggeration to praise it with words such as the spiritual homeland of the entire Western world.
In Greece, it seems that whatever can be associated with classical mythology, the city of Athens is no exception. It is said that during the reign of the first king of Athens, Kecrops, the gods began to privately occupy the city-state in order to gain the respect of the people. At that time, two gods took a fancy to Athens, one was Poseidon, the god of the sea, and the other was Athena, the goddess of wisdom, and the two fought for the city, and finally decided who could provide the most useful things for the people here and who would become the patron saint of the city.
Poseidon was the first to come here, and he struck his trident hard against the ground to show his majesty, and a sea was revealed, on the side of which was today's Erekteide Sea, and then Athena planted a lesson in the olive tree, which was a symbol of peace and prosperity. Thus, the goddess became the protector of the city, and the name of the city was given to Athens.
The city of Athens deserves much more than just its origins. From the 9th century BC to the 21st century AD, for more than 3,000 years, the city of Athens has gone from classical times and city-state times to the Roman Empire, the Byzantine Dynasty, the Ottoman Empire and even modern Greece. Its unique geographical advantages make it inextricably linked to Europe and various regions and civilizations of the world.
A copy of 3,000 Years of Athens will take you through the thousands of years of history of this ancient city. It is both a book about the historical changes of the ancient city of Athens and a historical museum through time and space. Although the author Jacques Berssani is an expert in French modern and contemporary literature, he has a special love for what has happened in the city of Athens, and has published works such as "History of Athens". In this book, he incarnates as a city viewer, connecting 3,000 years of Athens' history through the appreciation and explanation of oil paintings, pictures, and historical artifacts.
Aristophanes' plays give a deep experience of the daily life of the former Athenians, the temple of victory celebrates the splendor of the goddess, and although the city's judgment on the philosopher Socrates in 399 BC is a stain that it still cannot erase, it cannot obscure the brilliance of thought that once bloomed in the city.
The only thing that may be remembered when it comes to modern Athens is the Olympic Games in 2004, the ancient city seems to be slowly declining over the years, but who can say that Athens is not experiencing a new test now? Perhaps when a new long period has passed, it will release a new spark and continue to write its former glory. #雅典 #