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[[File:The Parthenon in Athens.jpg|thumbnail|300px|left|The ruins of the Parthenon today.]]__NOTOC__

The rise of Athens in the late 6th century and early 5th century BCE not only ushered in the Classical Age, but it went on to influence European and Western culture for thousands of years.

The Parthenon (Figure 2) and Acropolis became inspirations for architecture in the Classical Age and Western Enlightenment in the late 17th and 18th centuries when Greek thought became influential once more. Among relatively few cities, Athens was given a free city, where its schools and institutions continued to thrive in the Roman period. This ensured that Athens continued to be influential despite its lost political and economic power.<ref> For more on Athens' impact, see: Waterfield, Robin. 2004. ''Athens: A History, from Ancient Ideal to Modern City''. New York, NY: Basic Books.</ref>

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