Importance of the Port of Piraeus to Ancient Athens
Introduction
Located in modern-day Kastella, Pirates was a land once located in the steep, rocky hill of Munichia.[1] As an island, a low-lying stretch of land, which was flooded with water from the sea, connected Piraeus to the mainland.[2] The connection to the mainland happened during the 5th century B.C., and the people of ancient Greece assumed its importance with the three deep-water harbor, two smaller port of Zea, and the main port of Cantharus.[3] In the late 6th century, the Piraeus Island continued to become more attractive for the local communities, in which the island drew greater attention due to its advantages and usefulness. As such, in this era, the island became popular to the Greek people, and four years later, Piraeus become the port that represented the City of Attica.[4] In the recent geographical research concerning Piraeus Island, it is suggested that the island evolved during the Holocene era.[5]
Piraeus Island was the main port of Greece and the neighboring city of Athens. Since the port was a capital in Greece, it was densely populated, and showed signs of rapid growth and change for many years.[6] This means that with the Piraeus Island taking a new arrangement through the connection of the island and mainland, it became an integral part of the Greek people and other countries globally. With the presence of different harbors in Greece, Piraeus was a huge import port in Greece. The commercial harbor at the port makes it a trade region with different business activities within the zone and having the necessary facilities that pioneer trading and other commercial functions.[7] Therefore, with the Piraeus Island as a port of different commercial activities, it can be said that the port has become a necessity for various individuals.
In essence, this study focuses on discussing the importance of the Port of Piraeus Island to ancient Athens. The discussion will involve the review of the history of Piraeus Island and its relation to the port services that were set to meet the need of the ancient people in Greece. For a detailed and supportive discussion, different literature materials from books, journal articles, organizational websites, and published research papers are reviewed; primarily extended studies that touch on the influence of the port to the life of the ancient Greece people. The synthesis of these materials guide this study and the findings provided.
Athens and Port of Piraeus
The study of Greek is an inseparable part of European cultural history, as Greece has a history of its own mostly concerning the ancient people within the region. Moreover, in a much detailed study, it is suggested that ancient Greece comprises the geographical and climatic environment of different Greeks sites and the materials that were available in the community.[8] Different studies talking about Greece and its evolutions are relevant because they give one an opportunity to reconstruct historical events that are in Greek land, particularly about the social history of the ancient Greeks.[9] Within the studies that touch on the history of Greece, one area of concentration is the evolution of Piraeus Island. According to the historical document in Greek, Piraeus is presented as a land that evolved from the Athens basin from upper Miocene region.[10]
The city of Athens is famous for its high development concerning political, culture, and commercial development. More than any other city in Greek, Athens invented different forms of bringing development in Greek, and this has led to Greece taking a different order of magnitude when it comes to the development and transformational cases.[11] Although classical Athens is popular for what is arguably referred by many studies as a fully developed democracy, the region lays the foundation of Greek and communities for different activities. Researchers talk about the importance of Athens in the 5th century BC by saying that the city was influential to different for most of the intellectual thought in Greek.[12] As such, from the world history, Athens influenced various forces in Greece; among them; political perspective, theater, art, philosophy, science, architecture, and business innovation ideas that led to the opening of the famous island within the region.[13]
With the contribution of Athens City to the development of different intellectuals in ancient Greek, the city was vital in the development of Piraeus Port. Known as the Peiraias in the Modern Greek, the Piraeus was the main port in ancient Greece and largest passenger port in Europe. As a large commercial center, the port attracted people not only in Athens but also different regions in pre-historic Europe. The Port Piraeus had several terminals and space for the ship docking purposes. The two huge terminals in the port allowed people visiting the site to travel to the site safely and the visitors could use different forms of transport near the port. [14]
The port of Piraeus was one of the most important ports in the Mediterranean, in which it takes the location of three continents: Europe, Asia, and Africa. The development of Piraeus was associated with different factors that had a direct relationship with Greece.[15] Athens, a city that was developed for various purposes in Greece, had a direct impact on the development of Piraeus. The act of the Athenian leaders of constructing a wall that ran from the City of Athens to the harbor was one of the vital factors that lead to the growth of Piraeus’s City and port.[16] The Athens walls were essential to the development of Piraeus, as the walls provided defensive purposes to the two Cities, making it easier for the Athenian people to develop a port that connected different regions within European and Mediterranean region.
In the 5th century, the development of democracy and sea power in Athens was one way that was heavily linked to the foundation of Piraeus. The foundation of Piraeus City was imparted by political activities, in which through the defeat of the Persians, the Athenian people built the port, as the main harbor that was set for the polis.[17] With time, the harbor that was constructed for political purposes changed, whereby the introduction of the commercial activities within the region made Piraeus change its symbolic meaning.[18] In some other historical records, it is believed that the development and growth of Piraeus were based on the Athens economic background.[19] As such, the breakdown of Athenian people, which lead to the adaptation of various economic activities lead to the development of commercial activities that were based on agriculture, had a role to play in the development of the port of Piraeus in Athens.[20] As most of the Greek cities were founded primarily on agriculture, this was also the case for Athens City, in which the agricultural activities that were taking place in the city influenced the development and adaptation of the commercial activities in the region. When the commercial activities in Athens became popular for the Athenian people, in the 5th century BC the City of Athens became economically stable, which played a substantial role in the growth of Piraeus as a major city for commercial activities for the people of the Mediterranean region.[21]
Moreover, within the 5th century, Athenian people relied on the aspect of agriculture, but in this period, they had to bear with the environmental changes that were caused by deforestation, hence leading to the destruction of the productivity of their land. To deal with such challenges, the Athenian people developed the aspect of the trade, whereby they traded with the people from Mediterranean regions and European areas such Ukraine so that they could continue living a sustainable life.[22] Here, the act of introducing trade as the Athenian common activity was significant toward the making of Piraeus, as the transportation of the product that were being marketed in the area would only reach to its destination through waterways that connected Athens, Piraeus, and other areas within the Mediterranean region. [23] From the aforementioned, it is vivid that, the Piraeus City and the port itself took a lot from the Athens economic development, activities that were being carried out by the Athenian people, and the view of Piraeus as an economic city rather than a city that was based on the political activities. From the Athens historical perspective, the establishment of Piraeus City was not only important to the Greeks people, but also to the people of the Mediterranean region and other parts of Europe (the European states used the Island for trading purposes).
Athens before the Establishment of Port of Piraeus
In ancient times, Athens was a prominent city that was viewed as one of the leading city-states of Greece. [24] In the Classical Age, Athens was not only famous but also a city that was influential to the Athenian people and other cities in the ancient Greece. In this era, walls that were made of stones surrounded the city of Athens, which offered ample security to the Athenians. Before the introduction of the port of Piraeus, Athens was a political city, in which most of the political activities such as the organization of military to attack other regions was being carried out in the region.[25] For instance, in 490 BC, Athens was involved in one of the Greece wars, where one of the leaders within the Greeks Cities (Darius) sent an army to attack and capture Athens.[26] From the Greece history concerning the war between Athens and Darius, it is evident that Athens City had a well-organized army and with the construction a defensive wall, the Athens army defeated the Darius community.[27] With the Athens City getting involved in almost all the wars that were happening in Greek, this made the city to propel politically; a factor that was influential in the economic development of the region and expansion of athens. In other words, when researchers talk about Athens as a city that was characterized with the aspect of military actions and politics before the introduction of Piraeus, it is obvious that the establishment of the port changed Athens completely as the city became a commercial city and a place for the foreign settlers.
On the other hand, research reveals that before the establishment of the port of Piraeus, Athens was a radical city, of which there were forms of barriers that did not promote the commercial activities within the city.[28] After the end of the Persian War, Athens was surrounded by a wall that led to the blocking of the major roads in the city; hence, making it hard for the business people to connect commercially in the most efficient manner.[29] For example, the wall made it difficult for the people who had the commercial ideas to access roads such as Piraeus Road, which was traditionally defined as the portion that was connecting Athens with Piraeus City. The road was also the best route that the business people could use to connect Athens to Panathenaic way that was leading to other regions in Greece among them the Parthenon City.[30] Despite the process of opening up Athens through the construction of roads and digging canals being complex, this was an important action for the city of Athens.[31]
As a radical city, that had blocked its accessibility to key trade routes, the construction of the port of Piraeus brought transformation in the city as well as a positive impact to the life of the people in Athens. With the introduction of the port of Piraeus in the city, Athens entered the 5th century as a comparatively centralized town, with well-defined paths that connected Athens with the other city in Greece.[32] This implies that after the creation of paths that would offer the Athens residents accessibility to opportunities, the commercial situation in the region changed. As such, the focus of Greek Cities on centralized space was significant to the aspect of commercial growth and development.[33] At the same time, the roads connecting Athens and port of Piraeus were another factor that may have played a role in the development of Athens because before people with the business motive did not have the capability to carry out most commercial activities since infrastructure was a major issue before the introduction of the port of Piraeus.
Advantages that the Port Of Piraeus Brought To Commercial Hub in Athens
When the port of Piraeus was established, it had many benefits, especially the advantages that related to the commercial activities that were being carried out by the Athenian people and business people from other parts of the world. The port played a major role in filling the market of the Athens and Piraeus City with foreign trading products.[34] As such, through the connectivity that the port brought about, many people from European nations supplied many imports goods to the Athenian markets, while the Greece people, especially from Athens and Piraeus, imported goods to foreign countries across the world.[35] Additionally, the port of Piraeus was a considerable source of money to the Athenian people and the foreign traders who were trading in the port.[36] From this context, it is apparent that the port of Piraeus gave people moneymaking opportunities, in which through the trading activities, the people within the region would make revenues that they were used to support themselves and for other purposes that they would receive if they had a formal employment. In the case of moneymaking in the port, the government within the state also benefited from this situation, as the foreigners and local business people who were trading around the port would pay massive taxes to the state that would be used for development Athens and Piraeus City.[37] The taxes that the government in the region received were mainly from the moneylenders, as they paid taxes under the category of special tax.
Moreover, the port was importance to the City of Athens and the Mediterranean region, as it opened up these areas, which led to the transformational of the commercial activities in the regions. Studies show that the commercial situation in Athens was at worse due to lack of roads that connected Athens and other regions in Greece.[38] The port created major pathways that increased the likelihood of major commercial processes in Athens and the Mediterranean region. An important point to note in relation to the channels that the port brought is that, after the port was completely constructed and designed as planned, the commercials processes through the city operated without the danger of congestion.[39] As such, the pathways that were built in the region lead to the opening of the main roads connecting the port of Piraeus with the main cities and other ports such as the port of Phaleron.[40]
Figure 1 Piraeus and The Long Walls[41]
The aspect of opening other regions and bringing up roads changed the commercial situation in the region and the port also brought up public space that people in Athens used for different purposes. For example, through the space that was available after the creation of the port, it was simple for the foreigners to access commercial processes in Greek.[42] From this point, it is vivid that the port of Piraeus brought the aspect of integration within the region, as it improved infrastructure that was needed by both the local communities and people from other countries with an interest to carry out commercial activities.
This implies that the port eased the movement in Athens because through Piraeus’ integration, it was equally possible for the people in Greece and investors to access the port’s service. In other words, through the creation of roads that connected different regions in Greek, the port of Piraeus strengthened the movement throughout the City of Athens and other regions in Greek. From a present point of view, with the port of Piraeus leading to the development of infrastructure in Athens and Piraeus City, this makes the two cities to attract business people who are interested in the business of shipment activities.[43] For example, China has become a key investor in the port of Piraeus and the development of infrastructure connecting different regions is the main reason that made China finds it relevant to invest in the port.
In Athens, there movement through the city was a problem, but when the port was established, this connected key point of interest, in which the business merchant in Greece and some other part of the world could easily access the port services.[44] In addition, movement in Athens and Piraeus was made possible because of the fact the port made the two areas to attain a certain level of flatness. With the two cities made flat because of the opening of the port, Athens and Piraeus were able to capture the interest of many people globally easing the movement task within the city of Athens. Additionally, the improvement movement within the city made Athens a livable city for the people in the 5th century.[45] With time, the port brought about multiplicity of streets with major roads that made business processions throughout Athens and Piraeus possible.
The location of Piraeus was another important factor that made the port to brought commercial hub in Athens. Studies reveal that Piraeus was located 7 kilometers from southwest of Athens, which enabled the port to serve the Athenian people as a naval and commercial port.[46] As the port was near Athens, the port of Piraeus had three harbors, Kantharos, a harbor that served the people within the region with both commercial and naval functions.[47] The other two harbors that made Piraeus be the most influential port than other ports such as Phaleron were the harbors at Zea region, which were used as a naval base for by the Athenian people.[48] On the hand, other ports such as Phalerum were located far from the city of Athens; and for this reason, many people preferred to use the port of Piraeus for commercial purposes because the port operated on shorter distance from Athens. The port of Phalerum was located 20 kilometers from Athens City, while Piraeus was only 7 kilometer from Athens, which made it easier for the Athenian people to connect from Athens to Piraeus.[49] From this point, it is clear that the location of the port of Piraeus was more satisfying in comparison to other ports that were from and to Athens. As such, when people were trading in Athens, and the ports that surrounded the region, the nearest distance that they would use to facilitate commercial activity was that of Athens and Piraeus.[50] In fact, with the port of Piraeus being located near Athens that port was merely an open area for trade as it had open roads and quite exposed to the wind.
Furthermore, since Piraeus had a civic area that was well planned and set up with street grids that were called architect Hippodamos, this made the port to be an important area for commercial activity for the Athenian people.[51] The planning of the City of Piraeus was executed in the 5th century, and the planning focused on changing the appearance of the city for business activity.[52] As a result, this enabled the port of Piraeus to have systems that made the port to become suitable for the Athenian people compared to other ports such as Phalerum. Similarity, researchers, have found out that the aspect street pattern that were made in Piraeus allowed the port to became a better place for business activities compared to other ports in Greece.[53] The way Piraeus was designed together with its street distinguished the port with Phalerum port. The street pattern at Piraeus that made the port to became a model city in Greek, which enhanced that port of Piraeus was formed in a unique way that contrasted with other ports in Greece.[54]
The creation of systems that changed the street pattern in Piraeus was one way to convince the business people that the port was the best region for business activity when compared to other port in the Mediterranean region.[55] The location of Piraeus port was strategic to the business people as the port was located in the region where it possessed two-market center in Greek, which was a contrary case to other ports in Greek land. As such, the port maintained areas such as Pausanias that was referred to as Hippodomeia lying land and it also possessed the Emporium market that was situated in Greek for Athenian people to carry out and access commercial activities.[56] In this situation, the research demonstrated that Piraeus had several advantages over other ports in Greek and for this reason, the port promoted commercial activities for ancient Athenian people as one of the major purposes that facilitated to its creation of the port.
The massive increase of trade in Athens due to the establishment of the port of Piraeus had positive implications to the people in Greece. As such, the opening of the port contributed to case of feeing slaves within the regions. The freed slaves and non-Greek people were allowed to participate in the commercial activities, as the port brought about many opportunities that required attention and participation from all the people within Athens and Greece.[57] The creation of port of Piraeus was important for the women in Athens and Piraeus City. In fact, with the port in operation, young women were involved in the procession activities. This means the port of Piraeus did not encourage only the Panathenaic merchant people to carry out the commercial activities, but it opened up businesses opportunity to every person in Athens and Piraeus.[58] Contrarily, this was not the case with other ports in the region, as the processions activities were only entrusted to the Greek people who were showing the capabilities to do trading of different kind that were reflected in Greece during the 5th century.
Piraeus as a Fortified and Easily Defensible Military Port
In Greece, many islands lying in the country were recognized as the site of the camps that were built for the military organization. With the majority of the islands in Greece taking the transformation to become important business ports, some areas were transformed to fortifications, which were used for defensive purposes and trading activities.[59] The defensive purposes within the ports in ancient Greece were done through the construction of sites that were surrounded by walls running from the land area to the seas sections. For the objective of making Piraeus more defensive, the protective walls were built of rubble that consisted of large blocks made of brownstones that were prevalent to the island.[60] Within the port of Piraeus and the way it was set to provide preventive services to the Athenian people, the walls in the city were covered areas that were narrowly comparative sloppy with a protective height.
The idea of making Piraeus a fortified city was introduced by the regional rulers, with Themistocles arguing that with the way the city was situated, it was necessary for the people within the region to realize its advantage relating to fortification cases.[61] The process of making Piraeus a fortified City began in 493 BC, whereby the rulers at the region treated the case of fortification an urgent matter that was being strengthened by the failure of fortification of other Cities in the area.[62] Themistocles’ idea of building two long walls that were separated, but protective communication made the port to become a fortified area, as the walls were making Piraeus City and port to take the look of a fortress and a land that was easy to defend even during the wartime.[63] The aspect of constructing protective walls at the entrance of Piraeus also made the port to be fortified, as through the circuits that were built in all harbors that were connecting Piraeus and other region was a clear indication of a fortified city that was protected from the attack of other groups that occupied the Mediterranean region.
The port of Piraeus was more useful than other cities in Greece and the Mediterranean region. From the perspective of the political leaders within the region, Piraeus helped the Greek people to survive military emergencies. For example, Themistocles, as one of the leaders in the region believed that Piraeus was above the Acropolis City when it came to the issue of holding with military activities, organization, and coordination.[64] In fact, the leader in Greece advised the Greeks people to abandon other cities to preserve Piraeus. On the other hand, with the construction of long walls that were set from Athens to Piraeus and others from Athens and down to the coast of Phaleron, it meant that the lands or cities were joined as a fortified site. Despite the construction of the long walls in Athens being a strategic plan that was set to ensure that the Greece people are safe from the attack of other communities, this created a challenge to the business people within the region.[65] The long walls assumed a reliance on the sea, which implied the abandonment of everything outside the City of Athens with the aim of protecting the city from unopposed enemies within the region.[66]
However, after the port of Piraeus was fortified with the Long Walls, the aspect of strengthening the port started receiving more and more attention from the Athenian military group. Consequently, the port was rebuilt by the Hippodamus, with the aim of making the port of Piraeus a thriving center of trade within the seas region.[67] Here, an important point to note is that when the port was fortified many foreigners became permanent Piraeus residents and this brought numerous changes within the area. Some of the notable change in the region included religion practice and other social activities.[68] At the same time, the aspect of making the port of Piraeus a fortified city made Piraeus become a naval center and most of it all an area for the military group in Greece. In fact, the military people used the port of Piraeus to carry out the issue of shifting their strategy from land to sea. Consequentially, the military organization at Piraeus utilized the area to brought democratic reforms to the Athenian people in the 5th century.
In addition, the port of Piraeus region was influential to other regions, especially when there is the involvement of the military organization.[69] As the harbor became fortified and recognized by the army and political leaders as a region that can bring people of different culture together, Piraeus region was the place where the military people would use to pass greater imperialist policies concerning the city and their neighbors. As a fortified region where people enhanced political reforms, this was a positive implication to the development of the port. The reforms were significant to the Athenian people, particularly the merchant, as they were encouraged to perfume trade within the land and sea.[70] In fact, the number of the business people grown so prosperous, with the people at the Piraeus making allies with the people from other regions such as Europe, Asia, and America.
Piraeus as a Defensible Military Port
Since the port of Piraeus was one of the largest seaports in Europe, the act of Themistocles to fortify the port turned Piraeus into a largest military base and a port that offered all sort of commercial services to the people in Europe and Asia.[71] In the port, the construction of a vessel that was used for the purpose of military services was one way that made Piraeus become a logical military port. Studies reveals that the largest military vessel in Europe was established at the port of Piraeus, where the ship carried more 800 oarsmen (people who were set to row the boats and ships that were the military soldiers), 400 military soldiers, and military tools such as massive catapult stone throwing that were used in defensive tasks.[72]
The port of Piraeus paid much attention to the task of accommodating people who were accessing the commercial services in the area, whereby this lead to many people living in a secured environment. As such, the military vessels were applied, in which the merchant within the Piraeus locality would trade in a safer region.[73] Besides, what made the port of Piraeus be a defensive military port was the construction of the defensible walls.[74] As discussed earlier, the walls in Athens were essential to people in the city and other regions. For the case of Piraeus, the walls were constructed so that they offer defensive functions along the roads connecting the port to the City of Athens. Each wall was built 25 miles long from each other, which was a sign of a careful planning and the desire to ensure that the port is secure and can deal with any military threat from either the local people or other communities in the neighboring regions.[75]
The port of Piraeus was also fortified with protective gates and houses, especially in the waterfront areas.[76] More so, within these gates and houses, a defensive tower was adapted to withstand the firearms that were used to attack the enemies attacking the people who were staying in the port.[77] This is an indication of the port of Piraeus being a defensible port, in which the military people would assess the firearms to use in the war and ensure that the people in the region live in a protected area that had strong walls and gates that were situated on the waterfront. For an improved transportation services for the military group in the City of Athens and Piraeus, the port was built as an area of jetties that provided the landing facilities for the craft used by the military group in Athens and Piraeus.[78]
For a better understanding of the simplicity of the port and the way it was constructed, Pireaus took the structure of a military port, which a core function that made the port to be viewed as a city that was developed to protect the people. As the Greek Cities had a prominent and architectural dignity to the local people and regional visitors, it is evident that the construction of the walls, gates, and houses within the port of Piraeus was a sign of defensible systems.[79] Therefore, what is important about the port of Piraeus in this case is that one of the principal focus of port was to enhance that military service and to increase reforms within the region and Greece as a whole.[80] Finally, the military vessels were set to transport the soldier and ship rowers; this was another clear indication of a port of Piraeus being a city that was characterized by military activities in the land of the Greeks.
The Way Military Made the Port Favorability for the Merchants
When Themistocles fortified the port of Piraeus as a military base, this had positive impacts on the merchant from Athens and across the Mediterranean region. With the military providing security services to in the Piraeus, this provided opportunities to enhance the urban environment that appropriates for the business people who had the interest to carry out the trading task in the Piraeus and Mediterranean region.[81] One thing that is clear concerning the port of Piraeus as being regarded as a military port is that it had an appropriate structure that was suitable for the merchants. As such, the structure of the port with defensible walls and gates in the Waterfront line was a better one because as it was changing the temperature within the area. Therefore, with the construction of the protective structures within the port portrayed a temperature that was efficient for the traders from different regions across the world.
Historically, in Greek, the scale of water transportation and the development of trade were two things that had a relation. This means that the prominent merchant that were visiting the region were attracted by the fact that there was security in the region, as the military joint within the port was an assurance of a region that people were protected from the issue of the enemy attack that would be led to the looting and theft issues. The military organizations in the port were also instrumental in trading activities since it provided traders with strength and confidence.[82] Most of the merchants who were involved with trading at the port of Piraeus used a large scale of ship raging from the considerable size, speed, and application. For the ship to travel safely without any security challenges, the military system at the port were applicable, in which the presence of harbor arsenals and docking fortification was signifying the presence of security that was needed to protect the ship’s cargo transported by the merchants from different parts globally.[83]
Specific Commercial Activities That Were Happening At the Port Of Piraeus
The port of Piraeus was an important part of the Greece’s commercial activities in the 5th century, and it continued to offer significant services to the business people globally. For the 5th century period, waterborne transportation was the dominant mode of trading, especially in the Mediterranean region.[84] The availability of different island in the Mediterranean region was influential to the commercial activities that were being carried out in the port of Piraeus and other areas within the Mediterranean Sea. [85]Apparently, the establishment of the port of Piraeus opened up trade in the Mediterranean region, in which the European trade extended into Asia and North Africa, particularly trading activities that were based on land and water routes.
The creation of centralized space cities in Greek, especially Athens was another commercial activity that was conducted in the port of Piraeus.[86] The need for coming up with more centralized cities that had enough space for business activities was idealized by the fact that the port of Piraeus required appropriate space that would hold different trading activities. When the City of Athens was transformed from a radicalized to a centralized city, most of the business and state affairs in Greek were accessible particularly the things concerning trading at the port of Piraeus. The Athens City centralization processes were also influential to the creation of major streets that connected both the City of Athens and the port, thus making trading accessible for the business merchant at both regions.[87] From the discussion concerning the issue that was happening at the port, it is vivid that most of the commercial activities had an implication to the City of Athens and business people who had opportunities to carry out the commercial operation. Most of the activities were set to improve the core focuses that were being carried out at Athens City and the port of Piraeus.
Impact of the Port to Athens
The port of Piraeus was a pillar of the Greek port system and the port played a significance role in the economy the growth of Athens’s economy and Greece as a whole. The port brought about the development of the infrastructure in Athens, in which with its establishment, there was construction of the main roads within the City of Athens.[88] The roads were built to connect the port of Piraeus with Athens and major cities in Greece for transportation purposes. As the aspect of infrastructure development was a key factor in the growth of commercial activities in Athens, this brought about economic growth in the city. The building of major roads in Athens brought sustainability in the city and integrated the management of Greek ports to specific commercial activities that were set to be carried out in the port of Piraeus.[89] In other words, developing infrastructure through digging of vessels and constructing roads that connected both Athens and the port of Piraeus had a measurable economic impact on the city and other Greece regions that had a relationship with the port’s services.[90]
The establishment of the port of Piraeus had an impact on the formation and structure of the City of Athens. As such, before the introduction of the port to the Athenian people, the City of Athens was just a typical city.[91] However, the port made the Athenian people create more space within the City of Athens through the destruction of the walls that were set for defensive purpose. The abolishment of the Long Walls created more space for different purposes within the City, which lead to the change of the city’s structure and formation.[92] In other words, with the connection of Athens and port of Piraeus, the city took a centralized structure, whereby most of the commercial activities in Mediterranean were being carried out in Athens. Here, one can clearly see that the creation of the port made Athens be center of most of the commercial activities that were for the merchant trading. Consequentially, the establishment of the port of Piraeus was influential to the settlement of the foreigners in the city of Athens.[93]
Since the port brought about significant pathways in the Athens, the region becomes accessible to the foreigners who had the idea of settling in the region when doing business with people from Athens or other areas of the world. This brought the aspect of collaboration in the City of Athens, of which people from different background shared their cultural beliefs and social activities.[94] For example, there was the introduction of political gatherings in Athens and the adaptation of foreign religious activity, whereby the Athenian people started following the act and beliefs of other communities settling at the City of Athens[95]. Thus, from this point, it is apparent that with the foreign people bring new ideas to the Athenian people; this had an impact on the Athens City, as there was the construction of new joints and introduction of a different form of gatherings within the city.
Conclusion
In essence, from the discussion it is evident that port business in ancient Greek had a role to play in the development of major cities within the country. As such, the paper aims at providing a preliminary insight on the importance of the port of Piraeus, especially on the City of Athens. As the port of Piraeus was one of the fastest growing port globally, the port had various potentials to strength the City of Athens and the people who were living in the region. This is to say that in the 5the century, Piraeus had direct impacts on the Athens and the people. Mostly important the port brought out the opening of trade within the Mediterranean Sea region. Since the establishment of the port, the Greek port sector took a new direction, in which the port brought changes in the structure of major cities in Greece and the transformation of the port sector in the country. The port had an impact on the development of areas such infrastructure, as it leads to the built of the main roads that were used to connect both the port of Piraeus and the City of Athens. On the other hand, the port had an impact on the military organization in Greece, as it brought the construction of defensive walls, gates, and houses that were used by the military group in Athens. Besides, the transportation of the soldiers and war equipment were facilitated through the waterways that were built together with the port. Finally, the paper reveals that the port was importance to the business people in Athens and Piraeus City. As such, when the port was constructed this lead to the review of several business rates charges with the aim of improving trade within the region. This made trade affordable for every person who had the interest to carry out business activities. Some of the business charges that were analyzed for affordable commercial activities include container and storage fees, as they were the main activities in Piraeus and Athens.
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