Athens (/ˈæθɪnz/ ATH-inz;^[3] Greek: Αθήνα, romanized: Athína [aˈθina] (listen); Ancient Greek: Ἀθῆναι, romanized: Athênai (pl.) [atʰɛ̂ːnai̯]) is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, with its recorded history spanning over 3,400 years^{[citation needed]} and its earliest human presence started somewhere between the 11th and 7th millennium BC.^[4]

Classical Athens was a powerful city-state. A center for the arts, learning and philosophy, home of Plato's Academy and Aristotle's Lyceum,^[5][6] it is widely referred to as the cradle of Western civilization and the birthplace of democracy,^[7][8] largely because of its cultural and political impact on the European continent, and in particular the Romans.^[9] In modern times, Athens is a large cosmopolitan metropolis and central to economic, financial, industrial, maritime, political and cultural life in Greece.