The Myth of Athens begins with Athena, the goddess of wisdom, and Poseidon, god of the seas. Athena and Poseidon both wanted to be the protectors of Athens. To keep the two from arguing, Kekrops was pronounced as an arbitrator. The two gods, Athena and Poseidon, had to create something valuable for Athens. Poseidon created a well and Athena created the olive tree. In the end it was the olive tree which won out as a symbol of peace and prosperity, and Athens was thenceforth named after the Goddess Athena, and Kekrops became the first king of Athens.
Athens is the capital and largest city of Greece and one of the oldest cities of the world. Originally situated on the rocky mount known as the Acropolis, today it has been converted into a big and modern metropolis surrounded by a ring of mountains: Hymittos, Aegaleo, Pendeli and Parnitha.
The heritage of the classical era is still evident in the city, represented by a number of ancient monuments and works of art, the most famous of all being the Parthenon, the Temple of Athena, on the Acropolis, widely considered a key landmark of early Western civilization. The city also retains a vast variety of Roman and Byzantine monuments, as well as a smaller number of remaining Ottoman monuments projecting the city's long history across the centuries.
Modern Athens was borne in 1834, when the city became the capital of a newly independent Greece. Athens was the host city of the first modern-day Olympic Games in 1896.
During the last years Athens has become a friendlier city to tourists and inhabitants, with the extension of the Athens metro system to many suburbs in the city, the building of a new international airport Eleftherios Venizelos, and the upgrading of city infrastructures and improved hotel facilities. Ancient sites within the city center are being linked by a pedestrian archeological promenade which makes the urban environment more visitors alike.