Athén

Athín is a toponym that appears primarily in connection with the Greek name Αθήνα for the city commonly known in English as Athens. In modern Greek, the city is called Athína, with the accent typically indicated on the final syllable; the transliterated form Athín may be encountered in historical, linguistic, or philological contexts to reflect pronunciation or to mark stress. Outside dedicated Greek-language contexts, Athín is rarely used as the standard reference for the city, with Athens remaining the common English form.

Origins of the name are tied to the ancient cult of Athena, the patron goddess of the city. The city-state of ancient Athens played a central role in the development of democracy, philosophy, theater, and the arts, and the name Athena is embedded in the city’s historical and cultural identity. The Greek name Athína thus represents both the historical locale and its enduring linguistic heritage.

Geographically, Athens is the capital and largest city of Greece, situated in the region of Attica along the Saronic Gulf. It functions as Greece’s political, economic, and cultural center, and it forms the core of the Athens metropolitan area, which includes numerous districts, neighborhoods, and cultural institutions. The city is noted for its archaeological heritage, ancient monuments such as the Acropolis, and a diverse modern urban landscape that reflects thousands of years of continuous habitation.

See also: Athens, Attica, Greek place names, Athena (mythology).