Athens, the Birthplace of Democracy (3/39)

Athens, the Birthplace of Democracy (3/39)

Athens is still one of the liveliest cities of Europe, an Antique city which has stayed young. At an early stage the Athenians adopted a questioning attitude to life and began to develop new ideas. Thus, about two and a half thousand years ago, in this city there emerged the idea of democracy which has exerted a decisive influence on modern history.

In this cultural environment literary forms such as the satire, the drama, the satirical drama and also the comedy were created. The fine arts of Central Europe are deeply indebted to the metropolis of Athens. Many of the surviving statues and temples which have been preserved are among the finest examples of Antique art. Here the roots and the role models of our own western culture are to be found.

Athen ist heute noch eine der lebendigsten Städte Europas, eine antike Stadt, die jung geblieben ist. Die Athener haben sich schon früh kritisch mit dem Leben auseinandergesetzt und neue Ideen entwickelt. So entstand in dieser Stadt vor etwa zweieinhalbtausend Jahren die Idee der Demokratie, die unsere jüngere Geschichte entscheidend geprägt hat.

In diesem kulturellen Umfeld bildeten sich erstmals literarische Formen wie die Satire, das Drama, das satyrische Drama, sowie die Komödie. Die bildende Kunst Mitteleuropas verdankt der Metropole Athen ebenfalls sehr viel. Viele der erhaltenen und überlieferten Statuen und Tempel Athens zählen zu den Höhepunkten der antiken Kunst. Sie wurden zu wichtigen Vorbildern und Wurzeln unserer abendländischen Kultur.

This series portrays landscapes, metropoles, sacred sites and monuments, all of which have made a unique contribution to the cultural heritage of mankind. Each episode breathes life into civilizations which thrived in the past ten thousand years, some of them then vanishing without a trace into the shadows of history. The films describe epochs whose legacy lingers in the perceptions and ideas of our own age, and cult sites which have managed to preserve their religious and cultural power up to the present day.