Attica

Attica, ancient region of south-eastern central Greece, a peninsula jutting into the Aegean Sea and separated from Boeotia to the north by the hills of Parnis in the east and Kithairon in the west. The name Attica probably derives from the Greek word for “peninsula”.

In Greek legend Attica was originally divided into 12 Pelasgian states, which were later unified by Theseus, king of Athens. In fact, the region was inhabited by Ionian Greeks, whose small villages and towns were united politically into the city-state of Athens by 700 bc. Because of that city's long dominance in Greek political and cultural affairs, the Attic dialect became the standard literary language of ancient Greece. Attica was rich in natural resources, notably clay for the pottery industry, marble, lead, and silver which financed the Athenian navy. Today, Attica is divided among the modern departments (nomes) of Attiki and Boeotia and of Greater Athens, the capital of Greece.