Athens (English spelling)

Japanese: アテネ（英語表記）Athens

The capital of Greece. In ancient Greek, it was called Athēnai, in modern written Greek (Catharebusa), Athínai, and in modern spoken Greek (Dimotiki), Athína. Athens is a Latin word. Athens is an English word. It is located on the Atiki (ancient Attica) peninsula in the southeastern part of the Balkans, in the Atiki plain surrounded by mountains such as Egaleos (northwest), Parnis (north), Penderikon (northeast), and Hymitos (east), and is connected to the outer port of Piraeus on the Saronic Gulf in the southwest. It is the political, economic, and cultural center of Greece. Archaeological evidence indicates that it has been inhabited since the Neolithic period, but its early history is unclear. Athens, which developed around the Acropolis, was established as a polis in the Attic region by the 8th century BC and was ruled by an aristocracy. In the 6th century BC, it prospered under the tyrant Peisistratos and his sons. At the end of the same century, democracy was established by Cleisthenes. At the beginning of the 5th century BC, Athens became a leading polis in Greece after winning the Persian Wars, and as the leader of the Delian League, ancient democracy reached its zenith under Pericles, and as a center of classical culture, it produced many philosophers, scientists, and artists. After being defeated by Sparta in the Peloponnesian War, it gradually declined, and in 338 BC it was defeated by Philip II at the Battle of Chaeronea and came under Macedonian control. It later became a Roman and Byzantine territory, before being occupied by the Ottoman Empire in 1456. During the Ottoman Empire, which lasted for nearly 400 years, Athens was a small city, but in 1833 it was liberated from Ottoman rule and became the capital of the newly established Kingdom of Greece, after which it began to develop again. After World War I it became a commercial and trade center, and after World War II industrialization progressed, the population increased rapidly, and the city area expanded into the surrounding plains. Factories producing textiles (cotton), alcohol, pottery, flour, soap, leather, carpets, etc. are located in the city, as well as chemical and petrochemical industries. The main exports are tobacco, wine, olive oil, raisins, marble, and bauxite. As the cultural center of Greece, Athens has many educational and cultural facilities, including the University of Athens (1837), the National Technical University, the National Library, and the National Archaeological Museum. The city has many ruins and buildings from the Roman and Byzantine periods, including the Parthenon, which belongs to the classical period, and tourism is an important industry. The city is connected by rail and road to the rest of Europe and by sea and air to the rest of the world. It forms the Athens Metropolitan Area together with Piraeus and the surrounding area. Population: 655,780 (2011), metropolitan area: 3,158,400 (2011).

Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia About Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia Information

Japanese:

ギリシアの首都。古代ギリシア語ではアテナイ Athēnai，現代ギリシア語文語 (カサレブサ) ではアシネ Athínai，現代ギリシア語口語 (ディモティキ) ではアシナ Athína。アテネはラテン語に由来する言い方。 Athensは英語。バルカン半島南東部，アティキ (古代名アッチカ) 半島にあって，エガレオス (北西) ，パルニス (北) ，ペンデリコン (北東) ，イミトス (東) などの山地に囲まれたアティキ平野に位置し，南西はサロニコス湾に臨む外港ピレエフスに続く。ギリシアの政治，経済，文化の中心地。新石器時代以来人が住んでいたことは考古学的資料により知られるが，初期の歴史は明らかでない。アクロポリスの丘を中心に発展したアテネは，前8世紀頃までにはアッチカ地方のポリスとして成立し，貴族政治が行なわれた。前6世紀には僭主ペイシストラトスとその息子たちのもとに繁栄。同世紀末クレイステネスにより民主制が確立。前5世紀初めペルシア戦争に勝利してギリシアの指導的ポリスとなり，デロス同盟の盟主としてペリクレスのもとで古代民主制の最盛期を迎え，古典文化の中心地として数多くの哲学者，科学者，芸術家が輩出。ペロポネソス戦争でスパルタに敗れてからしだいに衰え，前 338年カイロネイアの戦いでフィリッポス2世に敗れマケドニアの支配下に入った。のちローマ領，ビザンチン領などを経て，1456年オスマン帝国に占領された。その後 400年近くにわたるオスマン帝国領時代には小都市にすぎなくなったが，1833年オスマン帝国支配から解放され，成立したばかりのギリシア王国の首都となってから，再び発展し始めた。第1次世界大戦後，商業，貿易の中心地となり，第2次世界大戦後は工業化も進められ，人口が急増，市域も周辺の平野部に広がっていった。繊維 (綿) ，酒類，陶器，製粉，石鹸，皮革，絨毯などの工場が立地するほか，化学，石油化学工業も行なわれる。主要輸出品はたばこ，ワイン，オリーブ油，干しぶどう，大理石，ボーキサイトなど。ギリシアの文化中心地として，国立アテネ大学 (1837) ，国立工科大学，国立図書館，国立考古学博物館など多数の教育・文化施設がある。市内には古典期に属するパルテノン神殿をはじめ，ローマ時代，ビザンチン時代の遺跡や建築物が数多く保存され，観光業が重要な産業となっている。鉄道，道路により国内のほかヨーロッパ各地と結ばれ，海路，空路により世界各地と直接連絡。ピレエフスおよび周辺地域を含めてアテネ大都市圏を形成している。人口 65万5780（2011），大都市圏 315万8400（2011）。

出典　ブリタニカ国際大百科事典小項目事典ブリタニカ国際大百科事典小項目事典について　情報

<<: Athenaeum (English spelling)〈German〉Athenaeum

>>: Adenylate cyclase