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General view of the Ancient Agora
The word “Agora” drives from the word “ageiro”
meaning “I gather”. In the beginning somebody spoke in
an open space and people gathered around. He came back and they came
back to listen. Another orator took his place and people went on gathering
around the speakers. Pedlars came with their goods, and gradually
shops were built around this open space, and the orator’s stand
finds its permanent place. The Agora – market place –
is born.
The Agora was the great center of the city, for in ancient times
it was not only trade, that conducted there. The city’s administrative
buildings, courts of justice, temples, shrines and altars, open
spaces for reunions and porticoes giving shady comfort for debates,
and springs of drinking water, covered the space, which was marked
out by boundary stones. One of these still stands with its inrcription:
“I am the boundary of the Agora”.
The Athenian Agora was bordered to the North, East and South by
longa porticoes with shops at the back. On the South there was a
second portico parallel to that which bounded the market place.
The shops of these two long buildings faced each other, and in this
manner a passage was formed between them closed on the East by another
small portico. This was the only area reserved exclusively for trade.
Under the slope of the Thesseion stood most of the administrative
buildings. The “Bouleutereion” or council house of the
500 representatives of the people; the “Metroon” where
the shrine of the mother of the Gods used to be, and where the archives
of the city were kept; and a round building which was the State
dining hall. Here free meals were offered to the 50 city councillors,
to guests of honour and to the Olympic winner if an Athenian, whom
the city rewarded in this manner. The official standart weights
and measures were also kept there.
To the South of the State dining-hall stood the “Heliaea”,
the court of the people. The judges were elected by ballot among
all citizens. Pleading had to be done by the accused himself, but
he had the right to learn his speech by heart. There were men in
Athens whose job it was to draw up these speeches and many have
been found which are marvels of eloquent equivocation.
In front of the Metroon stood the statues of the “Eponymoi”
the ten heroes, fathers of the ten tribes of Attica. It is on this
structure supporting the statues that the laws, decrees, city decisions
and the names of those summoned for military service were posted.
The religious building included: The temple of “Apollon Patroos”
(the father).
A great altar to "Zeus Agoraeos" (the orator) stood in a prominent
place in the Agora. To Zeus also was dedicated a portico, erected
in gratitude to the God for his assistance to the Athenians in their
battles against the Persians. It was beautifully decorated with paintings
and was one of the favourite places where Socrates used to stand or
walk with his followers.
Ancient Agora. Middle Stoa. Hill of Agoraios Kolonos - Temple
of Hephaistos (Theseio).
more...
A small sanctuary took care of all twelve Gods. This was considered
as the center of the city, and distances were counted from there.
A large temple of Ares, God of War, also had its place of honour
in the Agora. This temple had been built elsewhere and was transported
stone by stone in Roman times. On the blocks were found markings,
which were meant to help the workmen in putting them back on the
new site.
In the central part of the Agora, where in ancient Greek days there
was a large open space for gatherings, the Romans built an odeum
with 1000 seats. This building was later chnged into a gymnasium
and finally closed in Christian times. At its entrance, instead
of columns, stood six pillars with a serpent’s tail instead
of legs, the other two are Tritons ending in fish tails.
Many statues adorned the roads and paths; one of the Emperor Hadrian
still stands near the Great Altar of Zeus.
The mint of Athens was also located in the Agora. Remnants of furnaces
and water basins have been found. It is propably here that the coins
with the Athenian owl were made.
The East Portico had been built by Attalos II, King of Pergamon,
in the second century B.C. He had studied in Athens during his youth
and presented this magnificent building to the city in gratitude
for the education and knowledge he had acquired there.
more...
The shops at the back are used as a museum in which the finds of the
Agora are displayed.
Looking over these exhibits one gets a vivid impression of the
life of the ancient Athenians, their religion, the state machinery
and their every-day facilities.
A large statue of Apollon Patroos of the fourth century B.C. stands
under the portico and facing it at the other end is a lovely Victory
with the wind flowing through her drapery. A statuette of Apollon
in ivory stands inside; this is a copy of a statue by Praxiteles.
Small terra cottas of the third century B.C. are placed in one
of the cases, and over it are hung clay offerings representing theatrical
masks.
A mould for casting a bronze statue of Apollon of the sixth century
B.C. shows us the technique of bronze work of those days.
A stele with a relief of Democracy crowing the Deme is inscribed
with a law against tyranny. Other proofs of this democracy to be
seen in the Museum are: bonze ballots; an allotment-machine, used
for the selection of officials, made of marble with slots for the
names of the candidates of each tribe and a passage for dropping
in the white and black balls for selection or rejection; and the
ostracism ballots of the fifth century B.C. There were used to banish
undesirable citizens. It was necessary for at least 6000 citizens
to vote and whoever had the most votes against him was astracised
and, within ten days had to leave the city for ten years. Famous
names such as those of Aristides and Themistocles can be read on
these ballots. It is interesting to see how many have been found
written in the same hand. They were propably prepared for use before
the voting took place.
To remind us of the great Athenian victories we see: a fragment
of an inscribed base erected in honour of the battle of Marathon
and a bronze shield taken by the Athenians from the Spartans in
425 B.C. in the battle of Pylos.
A beautifully preserved clay flask in the form of an athlete with
the eyes painted, kneeling and binding his hair with a woolen ribbon,
is of the sixth century B.C.
Then there are all the utensils of everyday life: ivory toilet
boxes of the Mycenaean period; a water clock and standart measures;
ovens and pots of the sixth, fifth and fourth centuries B.C.; wine
jars from all the wine-producing areas of the ancient Greek world;
a decorated clay chamber-pot for babies (a very human touch among
the exhibits); coins of all periods and metals; oil lamps; and a
wonderful collection of pottery of Neolithic, Mycenaean, Geometric,
Corinthian, Attica, Roman and Byzantine periods; gold from Mycenaean
tombs; and a large jar with bones and pottery inside, was the tomb
of a baby.
From old descriptions and archeological studies we know that the
Agora did not only consist of buildings and monuments bordering
barren roads. Poplars, willows and plane trees, olive trees, laure
and myrtle gave shade and fragrance to this area.
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See also: museums,
nightlife, Athens
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