ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the general historical studies of Athens, as well as the most important written sources on which these studies depend. It is a fact that large gaps exist in our information about the history of Athens, and there are also many hypotheses that cannot be proven but have nevertheless gradually acquired acceptance. After the damage caused by Sulla's sack of the city, the next great assault on the monuments of Athens was the Herulian attack of 267. The excavators of the Agora found evidence of serious destruction, and the results are presented in various publications. For Athens in particular, the turning point is considered to be 529, the date of the imperial decree that closed the philosophical schools of Athens. Opinion is divided over the abolition of the schools, but it is clear that state pressure to embed the Christian religion increased. The supplementary fortifications of Athens under Justinian have been discussed.
