The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-01-02
ANCIENT AND MODERN ATHENS
The City Is Nearly as Populous Now
as Ever In It's History.

Ancient Athens s0read round the
AcropoliS, especially on the hills facing
the south, which are now uninhabited.
The new town lies to the north of the
antique citadel-an extension of the
cluster of houses already existing at
the foot of the rock when the war was
ended. Two main intersecting streets
were laid Out-AeOlus street, starting
from below the AcTopOliS and running
nOrthward. n Hermes street, leading
from the royal palace toward the Pr
raeuS The capital was thu designed
to lie in the valley between the Acrop-
oils on one side and Mount L~ycabettus
IN the other. No ambition of future
development is traceable in the orig
inal nlan. The ground chosen and the
width of the main streets tend to show
that the founders of the new city
little areamed of its rapid extension.
Squeezing herself out of her narrow
confines. the city has gradually scaled
the foot of Lycabettus and spread be-
yond the valley on both sides, princi-
pally in a southwestern direction. If
the extension had been in a straight
line toward the sea, Athens would now
be nearing a junction with the Piraeus.
but both towns, as if avoiding each
other, extend in parallel lines, and n
must look to a probably distant future
for the day when they shall be con
nected bv rows of houses, instead Of
the long walls of ancient days.
The fashionable quarters of the cap
ital are TO be found in the new addi-
tons to the primitive plan-the Nea-
polls, as it is called. Large thorough
fares have been opened, fine buildings
erected, both public and private; and
Athens. already the finest city in the
east of Europe. bids fair to become,
if nc stop be put TO her progress, n
-E - 49, IL
terranean.
Under King Otto's reign progress
was comparatively slow. At the ac-
cessiOn of King George. in the year
1863, the population did not exceed
5000. The advance has been more
rapid since then, especially during the
last 20 years of material prosperity,
which has lately been Interrupted, let
us hope temporarily. by the financial
entanglements of the Greek govern
ment. During that period the immi-
grafton of well-tO-dO Greeks from
abroad has not been one of the least
causes of this development. In 1879 the
census showed a population of nearly
"a, 900; in 1889, ia 900; and today, judg-
ing by the vital and building statistics,
the number of inhabitants, if it does
rot exceed. canOt fall short of 140, coo.
The progress of the newly created
town of Piraeus is not less remarkable.
From 5000 to 5000 souls, which had al
ready gathered there some 30 years
ago. its population has grown to "a, 600
in 1889, and is now estimated at more
than 40,000. Together the two towns
number as manv inhabitants as they
probably possessed in the fourth cen
fury 3. c.
The sources of information as to the
population of ancient Athens are in
deed vague; but from a passage of
XenOphon giving the number of fam
lilies as 10, 600. and from a passage of
Athenaeus indicating the proportion of
slaves to freemen ar the time of De-
metrius Phalereus, ii may be calculated
that at that epoch the population of
Athens. including that of Piraeus. was
about $50, 900. The area included with
in the walls of both towns seems rather
to confirm this estimate The sur
rounding country was thickly popu-
lated-much more so than at any sue
ceeding period; but it is more h
probable tina the inhabitants Of Athens
proper and of her seaport never
ceeded 200. O00.-"Public Spirit of Mod
rem Athens" by D. Bikelas, in the Ian
uary Century.