ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Timeline of Athens

Athens is an old, old city that has been around for a really long time. Many, many years ago, before there were cars or TVs or even computers, people lived in Athens and built it up into a big and important place.

Back when Athens first started, it was ruled by kings. These were people who were in charge of everything and who made all the important decisions. But eventually, things changed and people started to think that everyone should get a say in how Athens was run.

So, they came up with a system called democracy. This meant that everyone got to vote and say what they thought about different ideas and decisions. The first democracy was in Athens!

But Athens was not always happy and peaceful. Sometimes, it went to war with other cities and nations. There was a big war called the Peloponnesian War that lasted for 27 years!

Despite all the challenges, Athens endured and continued to grow and thrive. Today, we can still see some amazing buildings and monuments that were built in Athens a long, long time ago. People come from all over the world to see them and learn about the city's incredible history.