Map 4. Attica. Attica, the territory of the city of Athens, comprises about 1,000 square miles, and is one of the largest city
territories. The fertile agricultural areas are in the Cephissus valley and the Mesogeia, together with the plains of Eleusis and
Marathon. Upland pastures and woodland cover the rest of the area, together with the bare mountain ranges of Hymettus,
Pentelicum, and Parnes. This map shows the population distribution at the start of the Classical period (509 B.C.): the circles are
graded according to the population of the settlements. Note how in the lowlands the villages are often located just off the plains, and
also the evidence for large centres of population in the uplands.
The adult male citizen population rose from about 30,000 to about 40,000 in the fifth century, and then dropped to the 21,000 shown
in a census of 317 B.C., largely during the Peloponnesian War; the same census reveals 10,000 resident foreigners. These figures
may very approximately be multiplied by four to account for freeborn dependents, and we should add around 100,000 slaves.
Figures available for the corn yield of Attica in the fourth century suggest that in order to feed this population at least half and
probably nearer 80 per cent of corn, the staple food, had to be imported. Trade was therefore a vital component in the Athenian
economy. The corn trade was strictly regulated: it was forbidden for Athenian residents to ship corn except to the Piraeus; there were