Athens,
It was one of the oldest named cities in the world, continuously inhabited for at least seven thousand years.
Located in southern Europe, Athens became a major city of Ancient Greece in the first millennium BC, a little after Thaumas's time.
Its cultural achievements in the fifth century BC laid the foundations of Western civilization.
The name Athens was linked to that of its patron goddess, Athena, the Goddess of Wisdom, and originated in an even older pre-Greek language.
Herodotus, Apollodorus, Ovid, Plutarch, and Pausanias had all described how Athens got its name through a legendary contest between Poseidon and Athena.
In Ancient Greek, the name Athens came from Athena, goddess of wisdom and victory.
Legend had it that when Athens was first founded by a Phoenician, Poseidon and Athena competed for the honor of naming it.
In the end, they agreed that whichever god could give humanity the most useful gift would become the city's patron.
Poseidon struck the ground with his trident and brought forth a warhorse.
Athena brought forth an olive tree—a symbol of peace and prosperity.
Because the warhorse was seen as a symbol of war and sorrow, the city was named Athens after the goddess, who soon took it under her protection.
Another legend concerned Cecrops, a king who was half man and half snake.
The king decided to name the city he had built Cecropia.
But the Olympian Gods envied the city's prosperity and decided it should bear a god's name.
After a contest, Poseidon and Athena emerged as the main rivals.
Poseidon gave the people seawater, but it was salty;
Athena planted an olive tree, offering food, oil, and firewood.
The people chose Athena's gift, and the city was named Athens.
Whichever legend you believed, Poseidon had lost hands down!
Athens used