The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1897-04-16
ANCIENT AND MODERN ATHENS.
The City Is Nearly as Popu1ous Now
as Ever In Its History.

The City Ia Nearly as Populous Now
as Ever In It's History.
Ancient Athens spread round the
Acropolis, especially on the hills facing |
the south, which are now uninhabited.
The new town lies to the north of the |
antique citadcl-an extension of the |
cluster of houses already existing ut |
the foot of the rock when the war was
ended. Two main interSecting streets |
were laid out-Aeolus street, starting
from below the Acropolis and running
northward, and Hermes street, leading
from the royal palace toward the Pirae.
Ills. The capital was thus designed to
lie in the valley between the Acropolis
on one side and Mount Lycabettus on
the other. No ambition of future de-
vclopmcnt is traceable in the original
plan. The ground chosen and the width
of the main streets tend to show that
the founders of the new city little
dreamed of its rapid extension. Squeez-
ing herself out of her narrow confines,
the city has gradually scaled the foot OF
IycahpttuS and spread beyond the val
| ley on both sides. principally in Il south
westerly direction. If the extension had
boon in Il straight lin" toward the sea.
| Athens would now bC nearing june
| ton with the pirap but both towns.
as if avoiding each other. extend i'll
parallel lines ana one must look to
probably distant future for the day
| when they shall be connected by rows
| of houses, instead of the long walls OF
ancient days.
The Fashionable quarters of the capi-
tai are to he found In the new additions
10 the primitive plant-the Ncapols, as
it iS called. Large thoroughfares have
there b"Cn opened. fine buildings erect
ed, both public and private; ana Athens,
already the finest city in the east of
Europe. bids fair to become. if no stop
be put to her progress, one of the hand
soonest cities on the Mediterranean.
Under King Otho'S reign progress
was comparatively SLOW. At the acccS-
sion of King George, in the year 1863,
the population did not exceed 4J,GG0.
The advance has been more rapid since
then, especially during the last twenty
years of material prosperity. which has
IL tcly been interrupted. let us hope tenn
porarily. by the financial "rtanglcmcnl!-
of the Greek Governments During shat
period the immigration of wcll-to-GC
Greeks from abroad has not hccn one
Of the least causes Of thiS Development
In 1879 the census showed Il popula-
ton of nearly $4,000; in 1889. 1l4,O0O
and to-day, Judging by the vital and
building statistics, the number Of in
habitants, if it does not exceed. cannot
fall short of 10000. The progress OF
the newly created town of PiraruS is
not less remarkable. From 5000 tC
6,GO0 souls, which had already gathered
there some thirty years ago. its pOpula
tion had grown TO $4,000 in 1889, and is
now estimated at more than 10000
Together the two towns number as
| many inhabitants as they probably pos
scssed in the fourth century b. G.
The sources of information as to the
- popplp,tion of ancient Athens are III
ophon giving the number of fnmiliG>>;c II Il
, 10,OGa. and from 4 passage OF .lthcn
acuS indicating the proportion Of slave
10 frc"mcn ut III" time of Dcmctriu
ihalcrcuS it may be calculated that Il
that epoch the population of Athens, IN
: clldinS that OF the riraeus was abou
100000. The area included within IL,
! walls ur both towns seems rather I,
rOGdvn this estimate The slrroundin.
country was thickly popula tcd--muci
more so than at any succeeding period
but it is more than probable that tn,
inhabitants never exceeded 100000
. Public Spirit in Modern Athens" h,
ID. Bikcalas. in the Century.