Adapted from Athens: The First Six Thousand Years http://www.anagnosis.gr/index.htm
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In 364 the emperor Valentinian I divided the empire into two parts, the eastern half to be governed from Constantinople. The growth of the new capital was swift and phenomenal. It quickly became a large conurbation, sucking the rural population not only from eastern Thrace, but from the entire Greek world. This had the effect of diminishing the importance of all the cities within its sphere of influence, including Athens.
Alaric the Goth visits Athens
Towards the end of the century, the old Themistokleian defences
were repaired. It was none too soon. In 396 there was another barbarian
incursion. Alaric the Goth advanced upon Attica and devastated the
countryside. According to a chronicler, there took place one of
those “miraculous” events which seem not to have been
uncommon in this age. Alaric and his soldiers believed that they
had witnessed the goddess Athena, bearing arms and pacing the battlements.
Impressed by whatever it was they had seen, the barbarian offered
peace to the city. He entered with just a few companions, visited
the baths, was entertained at a sumptuous banquet, and received
impressive gifts. He then withdrew from Attica doing no further
harm. Unfortunate as it always is to spoil a good story, recent
archaeological evidence suggests that Alaric actually plundered
the city before he departed. The Athenians once more repaired the
damage as best they could. For educated Romans, Neo-Platonic
philosophy was the chief rival world-view to Christianity at the
time. There was a strong revival of this pagan philosophy, and once
more, Athens became the most popular place for scholars from all
over the known world to complete their education.
Theodosius II closes pagan sanctuaries and schools
of philosophy
In 435 an edict of the emperor Theodosius II closed all the pagan
sanctuaries, although it was largely ignored. Although Athens was
a provincial city, several of its young women were to be raised
to the imperial family. The first was the daughter of an Athenian
philosopher, Athenais, who had married the emperor Theodosius in
421, whereupon she had converted to Christianity. She erected the
first churches in Athens. One was inserted into the Library of Hadrian,
and a shrine to the martyr-bishop Leonides erected on the banks
of the Ilissos.
The death-blow to the intellectual life of the ancient world was
delivered in 529 when, in an attempt to eradicate all traces of
paganism, the emperor Justinian (527-65) closed the Academy, the
last remaining of the philosophical schools. The function of Athens
as a centre of learning, as a university town, was finally ended.
From this point onwards, Athens began its long decline into an ordinary
provincial country town: distinguished only by the magnificence
of its ruins and by the imperishable glory of its reputation.
Slavs visit Athens
In 580, Greece was invaded by Slavic tribes, many of whom settled
in the region. Once again, the walls failed to secure the lower
city, and it was sacked. There is reason to believe that on this
occasion the damage was very extensive. There are few records from
this and the following centuries. But it was probably during the
590s, when Athens was recovering from this disaster, that some of
the ancient buildings still in a usable state began to be employed
as churches. The ancient temple of Hephaestos, later mistakenly
known as the Thiseion, was dedicated to Saint George. The Parthenon
was dedicated to the Virgin of Athens (Atheniotissa), and functioned
as the cathedral. A temple of Artemis of the Wilds on the Ilissos
became the Panayia on the Rocks.In 780 a second Athenian woman managed
not only to marry an emperor, but for a time to rule as empress
herself (780-802), when she tried to resolve a dispute over the
worship of icons. She is credited with the original foundation of
the churches of Ay. Anargyroi in the Plaka and Pantassa in Monastiraki
Square. Shortly afterwards, in 807, a third Athenian, Theophano,
married a son of the emperor. She is also credited with the building
of churches in the city.
Saracen pirates visit Athens
During the tenth century Attica was subject to sporadic attacks
by Saracen pirates. Near the end of that century it is possible
that for a brief time they actually captured the city and erected
a mosque. Then in 996 the Bulgars plundered Attica and Boiotia.
They were returning north from their campaign when they were attacked
on the banks of the river Sperchios and defeated by the armies of
the Byzantine emperor, Basil II. He followed up his victory by taking
the war deep into Bulgar territory. In 1014 he caught the main Bulgar
army in the valley of the river Strymon, and took 15,000 prisoners.
He blinded all of them, except one man in every hundred, whom he
left sighted to conduct his fellows home. In 1018 the defeated Bulgars
accepted Byzantine rule, and emperor Basil “the Bulgar-slayer”,
as he became known, travelled to Athens and celebrated his triumph
in the Parthenon.The eleventh century seems to have provided a period
of renewed prosperity, perhaps as a result of increased security.
It was a period of intensive church building.
From this period date many of the small Byzantine churches of Athens which can still be seen today dwarfed by the modern concrete office blocks. It is likely that most were built on the foundations of previous churches or temples, following ancient practice. An unknown patron, possibly the “the Bulgar-Slayer” himself, cleared the ruins of Daphne Monastery, built a new church with an enormous dome, and embellished it with wonderful mosaics. Although more than three quarters of these have been lost, enough has escaped the ravages of time to inspire visitors to ecstasies of admiration. Kaisariani Monastery and the monastery of Saint John the Forerunner at Kareas, both on the slopes of Mount Hymettos, were also founded at about this time.
Athens Revolts against Byzantium
In the middle years
of the century the city rose against Byzantine rule. The emperor
used mercenaries under Harald Haardraade to subjugate the city.
He left a runic inscription on the large stone lion at Piraeus which
was to give that place its Medieval designation of “Porto
Leone”. Harald was subsequently killed in 1066 in England
at the battle of Stamford Bridge. In 1147, the city was again plundered,
this time by King Roger of Sicily, who took away with him some silk
manufacturers.
Just before the end of this difficult period, we have an account of life in Athens from the man appointed its archbishop, Michael Akominatos. He was not happy to take up residence in Athens. He described the inhabitants as “an uncivilised horde” whose uncouth accent, he claims, it took him three years to learn. His complaints were many, and paint a picture of a city which had suffered much from the deterioration in the security of the Aegean world.