Ancient Agora of Athens

Ancient Ruins
Athens
Ancient Agora of Athens
Athens
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The Ancient Agora is a unique location in Athens that was bustling with life in the past times. People were trading here. This place served as the ground for important religious, political, and cultural events. The Ancient Agora is still full of visitors. They come here to admire the ancient monuments and experience the atmosphere of the past times of Athens.

The Ancient Agora of Athens facts you cannot miss learning

The Ancient Agora sits upon its address from ancient times. It is known, that it was the center of public life in the VI century BC. During the prehistoric times, this location was known as the necropolis.
The Ancient Agora got its final appearance in the II century BC. People traded, held various competitions, made appointments, and arranged discussions here. Public life in Athens was very important. It promoted the expansion of the Agora’s territory.
The Ancient Agora was destroyed and ravaged several times by the Persians, Romans, and Slavs. In the VI century, it came to be abandoned. The Ancient Agora started to come to life again only in the X century when people built the church and the houses here. The area of the modern Ancient Agora was known as the living quarters from the Byzantine times to period when Greece got its independence.
In the XIX century, it turned out that the majority of the ancient monuments were buried under the densely populated districts. The first excavations in the area were held by the archaeological community of Greece and German archeologists. In August 1884, the Ancient Agora district experienced a great fire that destroyed most of the buildings. Thus, the researchers got more opportunities for excavations. They also destroyed the houses, which survived the fire. Under these buildings, the archeologists found a lot of historic monuments. The systematic excavations were held in the Ancient Agora only in the XX century: during the period of 1931-1941, from 1946 to 1960, in 1969, and from 1980 up to the present days.

Ancient Agora attractions

The excavation on the territory of the Ancient Agora began not long ago. During the works, which lasted about a century and a half with short breaks, the archeologists kept on finding plenty of new treasures.

  • Strategion — the trapezoidal meeting room serving for meetings of the Ancient Athens’ strategists. The excavations have shown that the city of those times is characterized by the existence of the cult of the hero Strategos. Later, this name became a common name. It was used to denote a commander-in-chief. The Strategion of the Ancient Agora served as the ground for discussion of political and financial questions.
  • Tholos — one of the most important buildings, set in the western part of the Ancient Agora. It was built of travertine in 470 BC. Tholos was decorated with three by three columns on the western and eastern sides and six columns inside. “The Council of Five Hundred” arranged here their meetings. Some of its members stayed in it for a night in the event of something unexpected. The building was also preserving the weight and measure gauges.
  • The Monument of the Eponymous Heroes — the peribolos with the eponymous statues of the Athenian phylum. The phylum was the name of the tribal communities. Later, people started to use it to call the territorial units in Attica. The number of statues on the monument changed over time. The Ancient Athens’ residents used it as an advert board: they published new laws and drafting in the army on it. As of today, travelers can see the marble podium on the Ancient Agora, housing the bronze statues centuries ago.
  • The Metroon — the ancient temple of the Ancient Agora, dedicated to the Mother of Gods. The single–story building preserved its foundations, some fragments of the marble floor, the foundations of the monuments and statues.
  • Bouleuterion — the meeting hall of Boule (state council). The New Bouleuterion, reminding of an amphitheater, was built here in the V BC. On the Place of Old Bouleuterion, you can see the ruins of the Metroon.
  • The Altar of Aphrodite Ourania — it is the temple of the V century BC. According to Pausanias, this historic building preserved the marble statue of the god, created by the ancient Greek sculptor Phidias. It is the best-preserved monument located on the northern side of the Ancient Agora.
  • Stoa of Attalos — the Stoa was established as the gift to Athens from Attalos II, the king of Pergamon. In the III century, the monument was destroyed by the German tribes. The modern construction appeared on the ruins only in the XX century. As of now, travelers can visit the Museum of the Ancient Agora during a tour about the Stoa of Attalos. It boasts a diverse and rich collection of ancient artifacts: the relics from the temples, sculptures, coins, ceramics, inscriptions, and objects, reflecting the political life of Athens.
  • The Church of the Holy Apostles — the Byzantine temple, which appeared on the territory of Agora in the X century. It is one of the few Ancient Agora monuments, which preserved until the present days in its authentic form. There are frescoes, wall-paintings, and decorations of different epochs in the church.
  • The Temple of Hephaestus — is the most popular and well-preserved building of the Ancient Agora. The temple of the V century BC sits at the top of the hill and belongs to the temples of the Doric order. The name of the architect of the Hephaestion is still unknown. At the same, one of the versions says that it was the person who supervised the construction of the temple on the Cape Sounio. The Hephaestion was built of Pentelic marble. Its frisos depict the labors of Heracles and Theseus. Thus, for a long time, people considered that the temple was dedicated to these two personalities, not to honor Hephaestus. After worshipping to pagan deities was prohibited, the Hephaestion turned into the church. It operated till the early XIX century. That is why the building is in an excellent state. Another reason to visit the temple is the view, which opens from the hill on the Ancient Agora.

That is not a full list of attractions you can admire during a visit to the ancient Agora. Among the most popular landmarks is the Panathenaic Way, housing the walk of the Panathenaic Games, the Odeon of Agrippa with the statues of giants, the Multicolor Gallery, the Temple of Apollo Patroos, and the Stoa of Zeus Eleftherios.

Getting around

The Ancient Agora leaves a feeling of a magnificent place. It covers a large territory, which is pleasant to walk about thanks to the abundance of greenery. Moreover, it is less crowded, compared to the Acropolis. To put all historic monuments into a meaningful picture, you should better use the services of a guide. At the same time, you can explore the Ancient Agora by yourself, using the directional signs and detailed plans on special stands. You can also take one of the brochures by the Ancient Agora of Athens entrance, including the scheme of the monuments’ location.

Athens Agora sits in the very heart of Athens. You can get there by Athens Metro (“Thiseio” and “Monastiraki” stations). After that, you will need to take a 5-minute walk to the central entrance of the landmark. Another way to access this location is from the Acropolis. The Ancient Agora sits within a 10-15-minute walk from it.

Tips

  • There are two oldest streets of the Greek capital in the vicinity to the Ancient Agora: Ermou Street and Adrianou Street. They boast a big number of historic monuments , shops, and inviting cafes;
  • During a stay in Athens, you should better buy a multi-ticket at the cost of €30. It provides a traveler with the possibility to visit not only the Ancient Agora but all popular landmarks of the city.