The great defeat of Athens and Thebes at the battle of Chaeronea and the victory of the Macedonians at the Battle of Crannon in 322 BCE marked the end of an era for Athens. Now subservient to the Macedonians, the city lost political power and began struggling to find a role in the new regime. Despite heavy losses, the Athenians managed to retain a small piece of their former glory as a great center of culture and learning.

Athens was liberated from Macedonians around 220 BCE and in the following decades the city experienced a cultural and architectural renaissance that revived the spirit of the classical period with its brilliant monuments, gymnasiums, villas, and gardens.

Many years later, in 86 BCE, the city was besieged and captured by the Roman general Sulla. Its walls were demolished, monuments destroyed, and great works of art were looted and taken to Rome. Athens was completely weakened and impoverished, reliant on loans and donations from private individuals and philhellenic foreigners in order to regain its strength and rebuild.