Fortification walls have surrounded the city of Athens since ancient times. The Themistoclean Wall, which was built in 479 B.C., was one of the main lines of defense, and a smaller secondary wall known as a proteichisma was built in strategic areas beyond it. Remains of the Athenian proteichisma can still be seen today, including this section in the neighborhood of Thissio. Both the Themistoclean Wall and the proteichisma were constructed using materials gathered from buildings and monuments that were destroyed during the Greco-Persian Wars, and mixed together with mudbrick. In 404…
