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<p><b>Athens</b> is the <a href="/pages/w/103765182995031">capital</a> and largest <a href="/pages/w/103783112993542">city</a> of <a href="/pages/w/106078956090444">Greece</a>. Athens dominates the <a href="/pages/w/222680901133877">Attica</a> region and is one of the <a href="/pages/w/143899322291136">world's oldest cities</a>, with its <a href="/pages/w/109229139095679">recorded history</a> spanning over 3,400 years and its earliest human presence starting somewhere between the 11th and 7th millennium BC.</p><p><a href="/pages/w/112300958783751">Classical Athens</a> was a powerful <a href="/pages/w/103088006398211">city-state</a> that emerged in conjunction with the seagoing development of the port of <a href="/pages/w/109613405731462">Piraeus</a>, which had been a distinct city prior to its <a href="/pages/w/140011262692630">5th century BC</a> incorporation with Athens. A centre for <a href="/pages/w/105618722804046">the arts</a>, learning and <a href="/pages/w/108026662559095">philosophy</a>, home of <a href="/pages/w/103795519659023">Plato</a>'s <a href="/pages/w/109722039054768">Academy</a> and <a href="/pages/w/109511705734416">Aristotle</a>'s <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lyceum%23History" class="wikipedia">Lyceum</a>, it is widely referred to as the <a href="/pages/w/108625185834454">cradle</a> of <a href="/pages/w/106079029432505">Western civilization</a> and the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democracy%23History" class="wikipedia">birthplace of democracy</a>, largely because of its cultural and political impact on the European continent, and in particular <a href="/pages/w/112534848759184">the Romans</a>. In modern times, Athens is a large cosmopolitan <a href="/pages/w/106081822755894">metropolis</a> and central to economic, financial, industrial, maritime, political and cultural life in Greece. In 2012, Athens was ranked the world's <a href="/pages/w/143000072382119">39th richest city</a> by purchasing power and the 67th most expensive in a <a href="/pages/w/107969905892976">UBS</a> study.</p>