Ancient Greece was made up of many independent city-states. In the fifth century B.C., Athens was the most impressive.
The Golden Age of Athens was 479 B.C. to 431 B.C. That’s because a rebuilding program took place after the Persian Wars destroyed the city. Giant temples again rose high on the hill known as the Acropolis. More trade made the city rich. The best sculptors, architects, philosophers, and writers came to Athens to be part of this new center for learning and the arts.
Democracy started in Athens around 510 B.C. Greek citizens could vote and have a say in how their government was run. More than 100,000 people lived at the foot of the Acropolis and in the surrounding areas. The agora was a marketplace. It was the heart of Athenian economic and social life. People came there to buy and sell goods and to socialize. Come along for a stroll and see the grand buildings, shiny metal statues, and huge marble temples of ancient Athens.