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Ancient and modern

The Boris Island of ancient Athens

Could the Mayor’s lecture have been dropping a hint about airports? Perish the thought

13 September 2014

9:00 AM

13 September 2014

9:00 AM

During his lecture on Athens at the Legatum Institute (see p. 22), Boris Johnson placed great emphasis on Athens’ development of Piraeus harbour in the 5th century BC. Did he have an analogy with a pet project in mind?
It was the statesman Themistocles who ‘had been the first to propose that the Athenians should take to the sea’, and in 493 BC began to turn Piraeus with its three harbours into a military facility, replacing the old harbour at Phalerum.

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