At present Athens is a city of about 180,000 inhabitants. It is the center of the trade of Greece, whose products are chiefly agricultural. Its importance to-day, however, is due largely to the fact that it is the capital of the country. Greece has a king as the head of its government. The Royal Palace, in which he lives, is the most notable of present-day buildings in Athens. It is a large building of marble and limestone. Seen across the palace garden, it is an imposing structure. Its chief point of interest is the portico with huge Doric pillars. Only in recent years has Greece come into a share of its past glory. For centuries it was under the Turkish rule. During the First Balkan War in 1912, Greece helped Serbia to defeat Bulgaria. In the Great European War, the King sided with the Germans, and many of the people with the Allies. The history of ancient Athens would fill volumes. Here lived some of the greatest soldiers, the wisest law givers, and the most famous artists and philosophers (f´ls´ -fr) the world has known. The great nation of Persia was defeated in the land battle at Marathon (mr´ å-thn) and in sea-fight off Salamis (sl´ å-ms) Athenian soldiers and Athenian ships broke the power of the great Persian monarchs. Solon (s´ ln) and Pericles (pr´ -klz) were such renowned statesmen that their names are still applied to wise lawmakers. But it was in the arts of architecture, sculpture, painting, oratory, and philosophy that Athens excelled. We imitate their orations. And we study their words of wisdom. Keystone ID: 7127 Note: All titles, descriptions, and location coordinates are from the original Keystone Slide documentation as supplied by the Keystone View Company. No text has been edited or changed.