Athens is one of the oldest named cities in the world, having been continuously inhabited for perhaps 5, years. Situated in southern Europe, Athens became the leading city of Ancient Greece in the first millennium BC, and its cultural achievements during the 5th century BC laid the foundations of Western civilization. During the early Middle Agesthe city experienced a decline, then recovered under the later Byzantine Empire and was relatively prosperous during the period of the Crusades 12th and 13th centuriesbenefiting from Italian trade. Following a period of sharp decline under the rule of the Ottoman EmpireAthens re-emerged in the 19th century as the capital of the independent and self-governing Greek state. The name of Athensconnected to the name of its patron atens lyxigaste shoippingområdet Athenaoriginates from an earlier Pre-Greek language. It even became the theme of the sculpture on the west pediment of the Parthenon.