The songs fell silent when people reached the austere amphitheatre of the Union Buildings, built in light sandstone a century ago and in the style of the ancients – the government describes it as a "modern-day acropolis" atop a hill.
Troy II was twice as large and had higher, sloping stone walls protecting an acropolis on which stood the king's palace and other princely residences, which were built of brick in a megaron plan.
Its environs are rich in prehistoric remains, notably the cave of Ghar Dalam, a Copper Age temple at Borg in-Nadur, and a Bronze Age acropolis dating from c. 1250 bc.
With this low acropolis as the focus, the plan for New Delhi was laid out.
The "New Town," begun in 1912 by the Italians, extends north of the Old City to the very tip of the island and westward to the foot of Mount Smith, site of the ruined acropolis (2nd century bce).
The western scarp of its acropolis, dating from the 5th to the 3rd century bce, was sculptured into a large number of rock-cut sepulchres, imitating wooden houses and shrines, with pillared facades and reliefs.
Standards of beauty are different in different eras, and in Socrates's time beauty could easily be measured by the standard of the gods, stately, proportionate sculptures of whom had been adorning the Athenian acropolis since about the time Socrates reached the age of thirty.
Already one million tourists have arrived – spilling out of archaeological sites and the narrow alleyways of the picturesque Plaka district beneath the Acropolis, piling into restaurants and cafes and cramming the stores that sell the fodder of every classic Greek holiday: sandals, statues, T-shirts and bags.
Despite a strong presence on the Greek art scene and a prominent location in Plaka, the old Athens neighbourhood beneath the Acropolis, Louizou was forced to close down the space in March last year because of financial difficulties.
On the mainland, Athens continues to rise from economic downturn, with a busy start-up scene, great new restaurants and the Acropolis Museum celebrating its sixth birthday in June.
But the real risk is not that the Greek claims, boosted by the new Acropolis Museum, will discourage lending programmes between museums.
