A democratic city-state, the birthplace of Western civilisation, a Byzantine backwater, an Ottoman provincial town, the capital of a young nation – Athens has been it all.

In The Shortest History of Athens, Jennifer Roberts takes us on a journey through 2500 years of the city's extraordinary story. She covers the birth of democracy, tragedy and philosophy (as well as Socrates, 'the most irritating person in history'). With wit and pace, she explores the ancient golden age, medieval decline, the War of Independence, the catastrophe at Smyrna, the Nazi occupation, the junta and the crash of 2008.

She goes beyond the obvious, capturing the voices of occupation diarists and the story of the teenagers who tore the swastika from the Acropolis. And she takes on the idealised 'lost paradise' that has haunted Athenians since antiquity.

Closing with a stroll through Athens' most remarkable landmarks and hidden gems, The Shortest History of Athens is the quintessential guide to this energetic yet enigmatic metropolis.