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I just returned from our daily walk around the streets the article mentioned and opened HN.

> Beneath the seductive surface of the present...

Unfortunately, this surface has become less and less seductive, and history is being buried deeper and deeper. Deep below overpriced coffee shops, AirBnBs, and "luxury apartments". There's no continuity whatsoever. Historians of the future will probably split Athenian history into classical, Roman, and touristic eras.

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I agree that overtourism is a huge issue (greetings from Tokyo), but the real downfall with Athens is the dirt and the graffiti. It’s a city that has lost the will to take care of itself. I almost would prefer if it were a manicured, clean and, by-all-means, overpriced tourist dump if it would mean I can enjoy the historical sites properly. Granted it’s been 5 years…

> Historians of the future will probably split Athenian history into classical, Roman, and touristic eras.

Well, yes, but that's because Athens was abandoned in the post-classical period and had to be refounded. This was a huge blow to the archaeology of the future, but it had good nationalist symbolism.

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