The Classical Agora
(as part of the Athens all sites ticket)
(click on the small image below to see the full size image)
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The Agora was the commercial center of ancient Athens. It was also a political arena for the city. People like Plato and Socrates taught their philosophies here. The picture to the right is the view of the Agora from the Acropolis. |
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| The main road through the Agora points straight to the Acropolis. | 
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| When you enter the Agora take a long look at this map. Unlike the other archaeological sites in Athens, the Agora does not provide a brochure with at map explaining what everything is. So, unless you purchase a guidebook (and the ones we found onsite were not well done) you are pretty much on your own. | 
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| To the far right of the Agora entrance is the temple to Hephestus. It is most likely the best preserved temple in the ancient world. It is mostly in tact as it managed to avoid being destroyed in the many attacks on Athens. Despite being small in comparison to other temples, this temple provides an excellent idea of what all the temples looked like at their height. | 
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| To the left of the Agora entrance is a reconstructed Stoa of Attulus. It is another impressive site. This would have housed merchants and have been the primary commercial area of the Agora. Now that it has been restored, the Stoa is a museum housing artifacts found in the Agora. | 
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| In the middle of the Agora there was a lecture hall. It had a porch that was supported by 4 "giants". The lecture hall was destroyed by an earthquake, but parts of the giants remain. The one shown here is the one that is the most complete. | 
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