{"id":4462,"date":"2016-12-22T11:56:56","date_gmt":"2016-12-22T11:56:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.visionpubl.com\/en\/?p=4462"},"modified":"2016-12-22T11:56:56","modified_gmt":"2016-12-22T11:56:56","slug":"ancient-agora","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.visionpubl.com\/en\/cities\/ancient-agora\/","title":{"rendered":"Agora of Athens"},"content":{"rendered":"

To the north of the Acropolis<\/a> stands the great Agora<\/strong> (square): it was a meeting place for citizens, a large, open space<\/strong> full of buildings and people.<\/p>\n

The entrance<\/strong> to the square was located off the street leading from the Dipylon Necropolis<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The agora originally occupied a larger area<\/strong> than the current archeological site. The metropolitan line to Piraeus and the Odhos Adrianou cut through the public area, which extended beneath what is now a built-up area, to the north of the modern road.<\/p>\n

On the north side of the agora stood the stoa Poikile<\/em><\/strong> (painted), so called after the paintings by Polygnotos<\/strong> which it contained, depicting scenes of mythic battles<\/strong> (between Athenians and Amazons, and between Greeks and Trojans), and also historical ones, such as the Battle of Marathon<\/strong>, and the stoa of the Herms<\/em>, which is so called because the surrounding area was occupied by a large number of herms (ithyphallic half-figures of Hermes, ie represented with a large erect phallus).<\/p>\n


\nPhoto credits by Min Zhou<\/a> under CC-BY-2.0<\/p>\n

On the West side of the agora there were several public buildings: the stoa of Zeus Eleutherios<\/em><\/strong>, protector of freedom; the Temple of Apollo Patroos<\/em><\/strong>, the place where the births of Athenian citizens were registered; the Metroon<\/strong>,<\/em> the sanctuary of the Mother of the Gods; the Bouleuterion<\/strong>, a rectangular area with a central cavea which seated those participating in the Assembly of the Five Hundred, the bouleutai<\/em> (councillors elected to represent the tribes).<\/p>\n

Before the Metroon, on a long marble pedestal, there were the bronze statues of the ten \u201ceponymous\u201d<\/strong> heroes<\/strong>, those who gave their names to the ten tribes of Attica. On the fa\u00e7ade of this pedestal there were wooden boards where all the official laws and notices were displayed.<\/p>\n

Further to the south the square was closed by another big stoa<\/em>, known as the South stoa<\/em><\/strong>, built partly in the late Classical period and partly in the Hellenistic age.<\/p>\n

To the mid-second century BC, the agora was closed on its east side by the stoa<\/em> of Attalos<\/strong>, a portico about 116 metres long<\/strong>, containing shops built on two storeys, with a double portico; in the middle of the facade is the marble base upon which stood a bronze statue depicting the quadriga (four-horse chariot) of Attalos II King of Pergamon, who had the monument built at his own expense.<\/p>\n

The stoa<\/em> of Attalos has been rebuilt<\/strong> by the archaeologists of the American School, and it currently houses the Agora Museum.<\/p>\n

During the Roman period, the central area of the square is occupied by the big Odeion<\/em> of Agrippa<\/strong>, a building for concerts, erected at the end of the Ist<\/sup> century BC. by Agrippa, Augustus son-in-law.<\/p>\n


\nPhoto credits by Janmad<\/a> under GFDL.<\/p>\n

A big square hall contained a cavea<\/em><\/strong> for an audience of about a thousand, the orchestra and the stage building. The entrance consisted of a propylon<\/em><\/strong> through which were two long entrance halls; the building was surrounded by a large colonnade.<\/p>\n

On the West side of the agora is the hill known as the Kolonos Agoraios<\/em><\/strong>, upon which stands the temple known as the Hephaisteion<\/em><\/strong> (Temple of Hephaistos); it is also referred to as the Theseion<\/em><\/strong>, a Doric peripteral with six columns across its short sides and thirteen down its long ones.<\/p>\n

The temple, built in the mid Vth<\/sup> century BC, is perfectly preserved, still bearing the sculpted decorations of its Doric frieze: the metopes on the east facade depict the Labours of Herakles<\/strong>, and those on the long sides the Labours of Theseus.<\/p>\n

An Ionic frieze proceeding along the inside walls of the pronaos<\/em> and opisthodomos<\/em> also survives. This represents Centaurs and Lapiths<\/strong> and scenes from the myth of Theseus<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\n
\"Athens<\/div>\n

Do you want to know more about the Agora<\/strong>, the Acropolis\u00a0<\/strong>and the history of\u00a0Athens?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Check out our guidebook to Athens<\/a>, with detailed history and Past & Present images of the Acropolis<\/strong>, the Parthenon<\/strong>, the Propylaea<\/strong> and all the greatest historical and archaeological sites of the greek city.<\/p>\n

Check out our Athens Guide Book now<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n

How to get to the Ancient\u00a0Agora<\/h2>\n