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Agora of Athens. Ancient agora - the historical center of Athens

Coordinates 37°58"30"N 23°43"21"E / 37.97500°N 23.72250°E / 37.97500; 23.72250 story material Marble founded 6th century BCE periods Classical era Cultures Ancient Greece site notes Dates of Excavation not 1931 until today Archaeologists American School of Classical Studies in Athens State destroyed Possession Common property control Minister of Culture Public access Yes

Ancient Agora Classical Athens is the best known example of an ancient Greek agora, located northwest of the Acropolis and bordered on the south by Areopagus Hill and on the west by the hill known as Agoraios Kolonos, also called Market Hill. The original use of the agora was for a commercial, meeting, or residential gathering place.

Buildings and structures of the classical agora

Plan showing the main buildings and structures of the agora of Athens as they were in the 5th century BC. Number 13 is the Temple of Hephaestus.

Peristyle court
Enneakrounos
Southern Stoa I and Southern Stoa II
Aiakeion
Agora stone
Metroon (Old Bouleuterion)
New Bouleuterion
Temple of Hephaestus (Hephaestion)
Stoa Basileios (Royal Portico)

Other famous monuments

A number of other famous monuments were added to the agoras. Some of them include:

The Middle Portico, which was the most extensive monument built during the AD 100s
A small Roman temple was added in front of the Middle Stoa.
The Altar of Zeus Agoraios was added to the east of the monument of the heroes of the same name.
The Temple of Ares, dedicated to Ares, the god of war, was added in the northern half of the agora, just south of the altar of the Twelve Gods.
The Odeon of Agrippa and the accompanying gymnasium were added in the center of the agora.
The substantial Stoa of Attalus was built along the eastern edge of the agora.
A collection of buildings were added to the southeast corner: the East Stoa, the Pantainos Library, the Nymphaeum and the Temple.
The Library of Pantainos was more than just a library, but to the west and north flanked a series of rooms that were used for purposes other than storing books. With the construction of the Pantainos library, the official entrance to the agora is now between the library and the Stoa of Attalus.
There is evidence of a Synagogue in the Agora in Athens in the 3rd century.
A statue of the Roman Emperor Hadrian was located next to the Metroon.
The Temple of Zeus Phratrios and Athena Phratria are dated to 300S BC. and is located near the Temple of Apollo Patroos.
The southern end of what is believed to be a basilica was uncovered near Adriana Street and dated to the mid 100s AD.
Monopterus was located south of the basilica, also dated to the mid-100s AD. It had no walls, it was a dome supported by columns and was about 8 meters in diameter.
The bema was a column platform and was located next to the Stoa of Attali.

excavations

The ancient Athenian agora has been excavated by the American School of Classical Studies in Athens since 1931 under the direction of T. Leslie Shear, Sr. They continue to this day, currently under the direction of John MCK Camp.

After the initial excavation stage, in the 1950s the Hellenistic Stoa of Attalus was reconstructed on the eastern side of the agora, and today it serves as a museum and as storage and office space for the excavation team.

The virtual reconstruction of the Ancient Agora of Athens was produced as part of a collaboration with the American School of Classical Studies in Athens and the Hellenic World Foundation, which had various outputs (3d video, VR real-time performance house, Google Earth 3d models).

Museum of the Ancient Agora

The museum is located in the Stoa of Attali, and its exhibits are related to Athenian democracy. The museum's collection includes clays, bronzes and glass objects, sculptures, coins and inscriptions from the 7th to 5th centuries BC, as well as ceramics from the Byzantine period and the Turkish occupation. On display in the museum is a work of art that describes private and public life in ancient Athens. In 2012, a new sculpture exhibition was added to the museum, which includes portraits from the Athenian Agora excavations. The new exhibition revolves around portraits of idealized gods, officially honored men of the city, wealthy Roman citizens of the 1st and 2nd centuries; CE, citizens of the third century and finally on a work of art from private art schools of late antiquity.

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They are proud of their eventful history. The Greek capital has experienced a change of eras, rulers and civilizations. And from each era the city has inherited a great many interesting sights. One of them is the Athenian Agora, or market center at the very foot of the Acropolis. Another name for the Agora, Greek, is often used to distinguish it from the later, and more modest in size, Roman Agora.

History of the Athenian (Greek) Agora

As in other policies, in Athens the market square was formed near the center of worship of pagan gods - it was located in the northwest of the Acropolis. From the Greek, the word “agora” is translated as “to convene” or “to gather.” And indeed: already in the 6th century BC, the Agora was the heart of Athens, where the political, social and commercial life of the city was in full swing. In this area, meetings were scheduled and problems were discussed, noisy discussions took place on any topic that worried society, trade was conducted and competitions were held.

General view of the Agora.

In Athens, special attention was paid to public life, so the area grew rapidly - the Agora began to play an increasingly significant role with the establishment of democracy. Over the long history of its existence, the Agora was destroyed several times by Roman troops, Persians and Slavic tribes. From Byzantine times until Greece gained independence, the area was already formed as a residential area of modern Athens.

What to see and do in the Agora

In the 19th century, the territory of the Agora revealed to archaeologists many secrets from the past of Athens. Countless artifacts were discovered here, and at least 400 modern buildings were demolished for research, which is still ongoing. Therefore, today there is something for tourists to see in the Agora.

Temple of Hephaestus on the Athenian Agora.

Temple of Hephaestus.

The most famous of the ancient monuments is the Temple of Hephaestus. This is the best preserved ancient temple in Athens. Its architecture belongs to the Doric order, but the author of the structure is unknown.

In the 5th century, the sanctuary was turned into an Orthodox church. It operated until the 19th century, so the Temple of Hephaestus is perfectly preserved. The ancient decoration has been damaged, but some sculptures on the facades and pediments can still be seen. They depict mythological scenes, including those dedicated to Theseus and his adventures. Therefore, many believe that the temple is actually dedicated to Theseus.

Another interesting attraction of the Agora is the Stoa of Attalus, or portico gallery. It was destroyed by the Heruls many centuries ago, so a modern copy stands on the site of the monument. Today, the Stoa of Attalus serves as the building of the Agora Museum, which every tourist needs to visit. Its main exhibition contains bronze and clay objects, coins, sculptures, inscriptions, Byzantine ceramics, amphorae - everything that was found on the Agora during excavations.

Standing Attalus.

The Agora preserves the Monument of Eponyms, which in the past was the notice board of ancient Athens. Here they reported on new laws, military conscription and lawsuits.

In the western part of the area there are the remains of the Metroon Temple, which had administrative significance.

While exploring the Agora, you should pay attention to the Panathenaic Road. It crosses the central square and in ancient times was the main transport artery of the Athens Agora.

View of the Agora from the Panathenaic road.

Neighborhoods of the Athens Agora

Today, the Agora has become more than just a place for excursions and understanding of Athens' past. It's ideal for walking, and many walking routes around the Greek capital include a visit to this area. One of the oldest streets in Athens, Hadrian Street, originates from the Agora. It contains souvenir shops, numerous cafes and jewelry stores.

Just a few minutes' walk separates the Agora from Monastiraki, perhaps the most famous flea market in Southern Europe and the area of the same name. In addition to shopping for souvenirs and antiques, in the Monastiraki area you can visit the Church of the Virgin Mary, the mosque and the Ceramics Museum. Not far from the Agora is the open-air cinema Fision, built back in the 30s. In the summer, there is a queue of people wanting to attend a film show in the historical heart of Athens.

Around the Agora, on the streets of Apostle Paul and Adrian, there are many decent taverns and restaurants. Here you can take a break, enjoy traditional Greek cuisine and impressive views. Among the most popular establishments is the Diodos restaurant, which offers panoramic views of the Acropolis and the Stoa of Attalus. The Kouti restaurant overlooking the Acropolis will also provide excellent service.

How to get to the Athens Agora

The historical excavations of Agora are located in the center of Athens, so getting to them is easy. The most convenient way to get to the Agora and its main monument, the Temple of Hephaestus, is by metro. You can get off at Monastiraki or Fision stations, after which you need to walk about 7 minutes to the main entrance. It is located on the Adriano street side. Bus 227 also runs to this area.

The Agora is open to visitors every day. In high season - from early morning to 19:30, on Monday - from 11:00. During the low season, it receives visitors until 15:00.

Hotels around Agora

There is a wide variety of hotels around the Athens Agora. Here you can find many different options, but the best are those that have balconies and terraces overlooking the Agora and Acropolis. Among the hotels are those that have been recently built with an excellent level of comfort, and those that have long been located in houses that are hundreds of years old.

The Athenian Agora in Greece" is the city square of Athens, covering an area of approximately 5 hectares and located on a gentle slope northwest of the Acropolis. In ancient times, the Athenian Agora became the center of secular and public life, civil administration and court, the most important place of trade and entrepreneurship, theatrical a stage for Greek drama, a venue for athletic competitions and a favorite place for intellectual discussions.
1.View of the agora from

2. You can get to the agora from if you go to the right.

3. The Agora consists of two zones. Top and bottom. If you're lucky, you'll be allowed into the upper zone from above.

4.And you won’t have to, like us, stomp along the fence to the lower entrance.

5.You can take the metro to the station, as Wikipedia says, Fision or Theseion. I don’t know how to go from there to the entrance. But knowing that you can get to the metro station and exit the metro go to the right. This is the street with shops and eateries. Snack bars are convenient because if you don’t know Greek or English, they will take you to a stand with pictures and prices. There are more and more Russian speakers in Greece. And in many eateries there are people who speak Russian or understand us. Sometimes the menu is even in Russian. But often this is not the case. And then you have to explain it with your fingers or with the help of pictures.

6.Metro line running along the top. Then she dives to the ground.

7. Entrance 2 e. or one of the Acropolis tickets.

Finds of ceramic fragments indicate that people settled here as early as the 2nd millennium BC. According to many researchers, in the 6th century BC. e. During the time of the Athenian ruler and legislator Solon, it was decided that there would be a city square here. With the establishment of democracy in Athens, more attention was paid to public life. Therefore, at the beginning of the next century, construction expanded rapidly. A new life began for Agora, and she began to play a more significant role.
8. Model of the Ancient Agora.

9.Plan of the location of buildings in the 2nd century BC. If on the model Attalus is standing on the left. It's on the plan on the right.

On the territory of the Ancient agora there are well preserved (21) , standing Attala (6) and the Church of the Holy Apostles from the 11th century. Those who like to watch something like this may be disappointed. Everything else is indicated by foundations and the remains of walls and columns.
This happened because, having become part of the Roman Empire, Athens turned into a quiet provincial city. The city's defenses fell into disrepair, and the population was too small to defend them. Athens became easy prey for the Goths who came from the north and attacked them in 267 AD. During this invasion, the city was sacked and the buildings and monuments of the agora were demolished. After the barbarians left, the destruction was completed by the inhabitants themselves, who used parts of the demolished structures to build a new city wall, which covered a much smaller area. Since people continued to live on the agora both in the Byzantine era and during the Turkish rule, its destruction continued.

Panathenaic street.(2) The main, wide street crossing the Agora was Panathenaic Street. Its name and special flavor are associated with the folk festival of Panathenaia, which was celebrated regularly in Athens. During the festival, clothes for the statue of the goddess Athena were carried along this road from the Processional House, located next to the city gates, to the Acropolis. The pomp and grandeur of the festive procession can be judged by the frieze on the Parthenon. There you can see cavalry, chariots, the sacrifice of cows and sheep, as well as how boys and girls carried everything necessary for the sacrifice. The architects made sure that it was convenient for the citizens of Athens and guests of the city to watch the procession on the Agora. For example, colonnades with projections and steps were cleverly placed to allow the progress of the procession to be followed. Many spectators could fit on the steps of the facades.
10. In the lower zone.

11.In the upper zone.

12.To the Acropolis.

In the upper zone there are remains of walls, some columns with inscriptions, pedestals, and much more that was dug up and lying around. Probably, later, when they get their hands on everything, they will restore something.
13.

14.

15.

16.

17.

18.

It's more interesting in the lower zone. From the east, the territory is limited by the **Attalova Stand (6), named after its founder, King Atgalus II of Pergamum (159-138 BC). The quadrangular elevation in front of its central part is the place where the bema was (7). oratory platform of the market. Archaeologists and architectural historians in 1953-1956. restored the stoa of the 2nd century BC. e. in its original form, using the wreckage of an old building. The length of this two-story hall with a colonnade is 116 m and the width is 20 m. Two rows of rooms facing in opposite directions, 21 in each row, served as shops. After restoration, a place appeared for the *Agora Museum. The exhibition halls occupy ten of these shops in one row and display objects from the Neolithic to the Ottoman period: sculptures, ceramics, glass, reliefs and other finds reflecting the daily life of Athens over thousands of years. *Ostracons, clay shards with the names of major politicians (in particular, Themistocles) deserve special attention. They served as a means of counting votes during voting (ostracism): whoever received the most “ballots” had to go into exile for ten years.
19.

20.

21. A very beautiful building both outside and inside.

22.and very long. In front of the standing monopteros. That round building on the model.

23. Colonnade below.

24.second floor.

25.one of the statues.

Another building, although it has nothing to do with the Ancient Agora, is the Church of the Holy Apostles. The Church of the Holy Apostles (Agii Apostoli) (8) from the 11th century is painted with frescoes on the inside. This is the only building that remained after the start of excavations, after all the interfering buildings were demolished. It stands on the semicircular foundation of an ancient nymphaeum (9), i.e., a pavilion with a source, and the city mint (10) used to be adjacent to it at the back.
26.

Another Temple (21) Construction of the Temple of Hephaestus and Athena began in 449 BC. And it still stands, in very good condition.
27.

And now about what has been poorly preserved and only from the outlines of the foundations and small remains of the walls one can only guess how large and beautiful they were. Or look at the reconstruction models of these buildings in the agora museum.
The southern stoa (11) was built between 450 and 425 BC. e. along the southern edge of the Greek Agora. Opposite it, closer to the center of the territory, was the Central Stand (12) more than 150 m long. It was the largest building on the Agora. Together with the Eastern Stoa (13) connecting them, they formed the central business district of the classical and Hellenistic Agora, of which only the foundations remain. The southern stand adjoins the building of Heliaia (14), the jury court founded by Solon.
Most likely, the building was used by bankers who placed their desks under its portico. As in Tholos, standard measures of length and mass were kept in it. The rooms were intended for officials.
The stoa, made primarily of poros, stood on a high terrace. It consisted of a series of 15 rooms over two bays, each of which consisted of two rows of Doric poros columns, an inner one in the middle of the building and an outer one forming the façade of the stoa. The interior and side walls were made of sun-dried porosity bricks.
The rooms were almost identical. Only the central room was different from the others - it was entered through the vestibule. The rooms were most likely used as dining rooms, each with seven sofas. This is confirmed by the plan of the fifth room to the east, which had a slightly raised border lined with pebbles, as was then customary in ordinary dining rooms. The doors of the rooms were slightly offset from the center to the east.
The stoa had a size of 80.47x14.89 m, the depth of the portico was 9.2 m, the rooms were about 4.8x4.86 m. The outer diameter of the Doric columns was 0.53 m.
Several centuries later, in 150 BC. e. another stoa was built on this site. Archaeologists designate the old one as “Southern Stoa I” and the new one as “Southern Stoa II”.
It was a Doric single-nave stoa, open to the north. In the north there were 30 columns in antas, in the south, west and east the stoa was surrounded by walls. On the south wall there was a small rectangular niche, off-center, most likely an exedra or fountain. South Stoa II was located on the south side of a place known as the Eastern Square. The stoa had a size of 93.6x8.5 m, the distance between the columns was 3 m.
28. All this was found approximately in the area where these buildings were located.

29.Central standing (12)

30.Eastern standing (13)

31. The southern standing is adjacent to the building of Heliaia (14).

32.

33.

34.South Stoa (11).

35.

36.This group of buildings in front

The line of buildings in the western part of the Agora begins on the left side with a tholos (15), a round temple with a painted tiled roof resting on six internal columns, built in 456 BC. e., from which a clearly visible foundation and altar remain. Here, before their meetings, 50 prytans, the ruling committee of the people's assembly (Council of Five Hundred), ate and made sacrifices.
Adjacent to the tholos was a kitchen annex and a small fountain, as well as water tanks and wells. The tholos was not only a place of worship for various minor cults and a repository for samples of official units of weights and measures, but also served as a dining room and bedroom for the prytanes (members of the executive committee of the Council).
Above the drainage canal (16) (6th or early 5th century BC), which in winter drained precipitation from the Acropolis to the Eridanus stream, on the left stood Metroon (17) - the temple of the Mother of the Gods and the Athenian state archive. At its rear is the bouleuterion (18), the city municipality. Behind the ruins of the Temple of Apollo the Father (Apollon Patroos) (19) (c. 330 BC) and the stand of Zeus the Liberator (Zeus Eleutherios) (20)
At the end of the 30s of the 5th century. On the site of the sanctuary of Zeus, construction began on the long double stoa (gallery) of Zeus Eleutherius with protruding wings decorated with pediments on both sides. The outer columns were of the Doric order, the inner ones were of the Ionic order. In front of the stand, between its wings, stood a statue of Zeus, after which the stand was called. Pausanias also mentions the Royal Stoa, where the archon-basileus (member of the college of 9 archons, in charge of religious issues) was located. However, Pausanias's description is rather unclear, so topographers have not come to a consensus whether there were two different stoas in Athens, Zeus Eleutherius and the King's, or whether they were the same structure.
47.

48.Capital of the Corinthian order from one of the columns of the Odeon of Agrippa.

49.

50.

The Athenian agora, or market square, was the center of political, economic and cultural life in Athens. The word "Agora" comes from the ancient verb "agiro", which means to gather and orate, that is, public speaking. The Agora covers an area of approximately 5 hectares and is located on a gentle slope northwest of the Acropolis.

Finds of ceramic fragments indicate that people settled here already in the 2nd millennium BC. e. According to many researchers, in the 6th century BC. e. During the time of the Athenian ruler and legislator Solon, it was decided that there would be a city square here.

In ancient times, this place was the center of public life - almost all government services were located here, from the courthouse to the mint. It also housed schools, theaters, and a large number of monuments dedicated to public figures.

The main street that crosses the Agora diagonally is Panathenaic Street. Its name and special flavor are associated with the folk festival of Panathenaia, which was celebrated regularly in Athens. During the festival, clothes for the statue of the goddess Athena were carried along this road from the Processional House, located next to the city gates, to the Acropolis. The pomp and grandeur of the festive procession can be judged by the frieze on the Parthenon.

Separate parts of the market, called circles, were designated by the goods sold in them. Trading usually took place from 9 o'clock to noon. Goods were displayed on tables in rows of partitions made of boards or reeds under light awnings. After noon everything was cleared away until the next day. The list of goods, although random, is quite complete, is found in the comedies of Aristophanes. Athens exported wine, olive oil, honey, marble, and goods such as ceramics and processed metals, and imported mainly wheat. Since Attica (the area where Athens is located) did not produce enough food to feed its inhabitants, the rules of trade in the agora were very strict.

Also on the square were popular and judicial meetings of free citizens in the open air. Thus, by the verdict of the Agora court, Socrates was executed in prison. Somewhat south of the Agora is the Areopagus, a hill on which the highest authority of the same name sat in Athens, which considered both civil and criminal cases.

Nowadays, visitors to the agora, turned into an open-air museum, among the ruins can see two buildings as the ancients saw them: a fairly well-preserved Doric temple of Hephaestus (5th century BC) and a long two-story portico - the Stoa of Attalus.

The temple is dedicated to Hephaestus (Hephaestion) - the god of fire and blacksmithing, and was located in close proximity to the forges of the city. The popular name of the temple, Theseion, comes from the fact that scenes from the life of the legendary King Theseus were used in the sculptural decoration of the temple. During Byzantine times, a Christian church was built in the temple, which functioned until the 19th century.

The Stoa of Attalus, erected by King Attalus of Pergamon, was restored with funds from John D. Rockefeller Jr. Now the funds of the agora museum are located here.

Next to the Arch of Attalus is the Church of the Holy Apostles of Solaki (Agioi Apostoli Solaki). It dates back to the last quarter of the 10th century. It is the first of the significant churches of the mid-Byzantine period of Athens and the first built in the so-called Athenian style.

Agora is the center of ancient Athens. Here townspeople gathered to discuss important issues, elections were held and speakers spoke. Criminals were tried on the Agora and there was a lively trade. The Athenian Agora was a place where many public institutions were located - a library, a temple, an odeon, a mint and others. Little has survived to this day. Today, the Athens Agora is visited by numerous tourists who are interested in the history of the ancient Greeks. A brief description and photo of the Agora can be found in all Athens guidebooks.

Where is the Athens Agora?

The archaeological park is located in the center of Athens.

How to get there:

By metro to the station. Monastiraki or St. Fision. Then walk for about 7-10 minutes.

History of the Athens Agora

Excavations at the Agora site have shown that the site was inhabited approximately WithXVII century BC e. Burials from this period have been found.

The Agora acquired importance inVI century BC e., it was at this time that public buildings began to appear here. Some historians believe that The first to be built was a fountain house and an altar dedicated to the 12 gods.

The main street of the Agora was the Panathenaic road, connecting the Acropolis and the Diplona gate. On the days of the Panathenaic holiday, processions passed along it, and chariot competitions were held here. Buildings were erected along the Panathaean road.

In the 5th century BC. e. Athens is captured by the Persians. Many buildings in the city are being destroyed, including the Agora. After the war, new buildings were erected.

In the 4th century BC. Athens was captured by Alexander the Great. After his death, his governors were expelled from the city and independence was restored. During this period, schools of philosophers were opened; their founders were Plato, Epicurus, Aristotle and others. The Agora is being actively built up, the middle and southern galleries and the famous Stoa of Attalus are being built.

In the 1st century BC. e. Roman commander Lucius Cornelius Sulla captures Athens. His army plundered the city. Many buildings on the Agora were destroyed and they were not restored. But around this time, several new buildings were built - temples, an odeon.

Athens actively developed under the reign of the Roman Emperor Hadrian, who had great respect for the history and culture of Greece. Under him, the stadium and theater of Dionysus were rebuilt, and the Temple of Olympian Zeus was completed. A monument to the emperor was erected on the Agora; it has been partially preserved.

In the 3rd century AD e. the next conquerors - Heruli tribes, destroyed Athens. City buildings were badly damaged. Agora was the front line of defense, which could not but affect its condition. Now this place was not the center of the city, and residential buildings began to be built on the site of the destroyed buildings.

INIn the 6th century, Athens survived the attack of the tribes of the southern Slavs, after which the Agora was abandoned and abandoned untilX century. At this time, the Church of the Holy Apostles was built, which has survived to this day.

XIX and XX centuries - archaeological research

Research and excavations on the Agora began in the middle of the 19th century. By this time, little remained except foundations and ruins. We found part of the Odeon of Agrippa, an altar of 12 gods, the remains of several temples and a buleftheron. More serious research began in 1931 by American specialists. Four hundred residential buildings that interfered with excavations, several churches and other buildings were demolished.

Agora today

Today the Agora is a popular Athens attraction. Nothing here has been preserved in its original form from ancient buildings (except for one temple). But every stone in this place breathes history. Let's look at the most interesting monuments of the Agora in more detail and find out what remains of them.

Altar of the 12 Gods

The sanctuary did not differ in scale, according to Wikipedia, the altar had the following dimensions: 9 m 35 cm by 9 m 86 cm. It is unknown which gods were worshiped here. The ancient altar was found by chance when construction of the railway began. Most of it is located under the railway track. You can only inspect the corner of the structure.

Fountain house

The estimated construction date is 530 BC. e. Fresh water was delivered here. From the house it flowed through pipes to other buildings.

Panathenaic road

The road is well preserved. It is quite wide - 15 m, and not very long - almost a kilometer. The road was dirt. When the top layer became unsuitable for use, it was filled in and compacted. Six dozen layers were discovered.

Tholos

In the second half of the 5th century Tholos was built. Round structure (18 m in diameter). The roof was shaped like a cone. This building was built specifically for the city advisory body of 500 people. They were divided into 10 groups, and each performed its duties for 35 days. These people dealt with city problems around the clock, working in shifts. The council was elected every year and was supposed to be always available to any citizen of Athens. Today, all that remains of Tholos are ruins.

Temple of Hephaestus

The temple was built in the 5th century BC. e. This is the only building of the Agora and Athens that has survived to this day in its original form. All columns, pediments and roofing have been preserved. Since the 7th century, there has been a Christian church in the temple. That is why the structure remained intact. Our website has a detailed overview of the Temple of Hephaestus.

Stoa of Attalus and museum

Stoa is an ancient “shopping center”. The buildings were erected in one or two floors. Three walls of the building were blank; a portico-colonnade was built on the façade. Not only was trade conducted in the stoa, people came to this place for walks. The Stoa of Attalus was built in 159 BC. e. It was a gift to Athens from the Pergamon ruler Attalus. The building was massive its dimensions: length 115 m, width 20 m, columns were slightly less than 5 m high. There were 21 retail spaces on each level. The structure was completely destroyed during a raid by the Heruli tribes. The remaining ruins were used as the foundation for protective walls.

During excavations at the end of the 19th century, archaeologists discovered the remains of the Stoa. In the 50s of the last century, the building was restored, or rather, rebuilt, in the same form as it was before the destruction. The Rockefellers allocated money for this project. All that remains of the ancient Stoa of Attalus is the foundation and fragments of the colonnade. The restored building houses the Agora Museum, where you can see the artifacts found during the excavations. The exhibition is located on two floors. The exhibits are distributed chronologically from the 7th century BC. e. until the 17th century. Here you can see a wide variety of objects: ancient children's toys; decorations; household and religious items; coins; amphorae and other exhibits. There are sculptures on the second floor. According to reviews from tourists, the museum is small but interesting.

Odeon of Agrippa

In ancient times, it was a large-scale concert hall with a capacity of 1,000 people. In 150, the roof of the building collapsed, and the odeon was reconstructed. It was at this time that they were installed statues of giants that have survived to this day. The foundation, fragments of columns, and part of the walls have also been preserved.. After reconstruction, the Odeon was not used as a concert venue; orators and philosophers gave speeches there.

Church of the Holy Apostles

The Byzantine temple was built in the 10th century. Today it is considered one of the most ancient Christian shrines of Athens. All buildings built on the Agora after the Roman period were demolished, except this temple. In 1954, the church was restored. The extensions that appeared after the 10th century were dismantled and the frescoes were preserved.

What else was on the Agora?

The agora was a place where public buildings were located. In addition to the above structures, there were other buildings here: several stoas, temples, an arsenal, a prison, a mint, a library, a fountain, and a gate. And this is not a complete list. Unfortunately, almost all of these structures have survived to this day in the form of ruins. Although even “ruins” is a strong word. From many buildings, only stones peeking out of the ground remained.

The Agora Museum has exhibits related to Athenian democracy. For example, a clerotherium device was used in elections. The special watch – the clepsydra – is also interesting. The mechanism counted down the time of performances. Signs with the names of Athenians who were expelled from the city have been preserved.
The Monument of Eponyms has survived to this day. This is an ancient notice board on which important news was announced - new laws adopted, litigation, conscription and more.
By the middle of the last century, the main excavations at the Agora were completed. To say that this place looked dull would be an understatement. There were no trees or bushes; ancient stones protruded from the bare ground. To rectify the situation, a landscape designer from America, R. Griswold, was invited. He made a plan and got to work. Trees were planted, and exactly the same ones that grew in ancient times - oaks, plane trees, olives, myrtle, laurel. The slopes were planted with local subtropical plants.

Working hours

The archaeological park is open seven days a week.

Winter season from 08.00 to 15.00.
Summer season from 08.00 to 18.00.

Ticket prices

Entrance ticket – 8 euros.
Children under 18 years old are free.

What to see nearby

Tower of the Winds appeared in Athens in the 1st century BC. e. The author of the project was Andronikos of Cyrrhus, a Greek astronomer. This is one of the oldest meteorological towers on the planet. With its help, they determined the direction of the wind and found out the exact time. Under Christians, the tower was used as a baptistery.
- the main attraction of the capital of Greece. Everyone who travels to Athens visits the Acropolis and examines its structures. Temples built in the 5th century BC. e. are in varying degrees of preservation. Some buildings are better preserved, some worse. The “pearl” of the Acropolis, the Parthenon, was restored from ruins. And although today it is not as magnificent as it was 2,500 years ago, it still makes an impression. Other monuments of the Acropolis: Temple of Nike, Propylaea, Erechtheion.
Stadium- An ancient sports arena. During the times of ancient Hellas, athletes from different cities competed here. The First Olympic Games were held here at the end of the 19th century. Since then, the Olympics have been held regularly. For more than 100 years, the whole world has been watching these most prestigious international competitions.

In the past, the Agora was the center of public life in Athens. There was a lively trade here, holidays and public meetings were held. Here they listened to performances by musicians and speakers, learned news and worshiped the gods. Today the Agora is a large archaeological park where excursions are held among the ancient ruins.

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