© 2019 Snapping the Globe, L.L.C. All rights reserved.
Our feet were tired and we were hot and thirsty.
But…there was “one last thing” that I wanted to see on our way back to our hotel.
The Ancient Agora of Athens.
I had been here many years ago, but only remembered that it was during the winter and I was so cold that I cut our visit short. What was within the gates? I didn’t remember any of the major landmarks, only walking through some of the small ruins.
Having had such a long day, I think that if my husband and son had realized how much there was to do and see here, I don’t think they would have agreed to this “one last thing”. Nevertheless, our entry was free with the Combined Ticket we had purchased with our admission to the Acropolis, so I was determined that we would get our money’s worth!
The grand Stoa of Attalos, closest to the entry gate was where we decided to begin our exploration of the area. This column-fronted building is a remarkable example of Hellenistic architecture, fully restored from 1952-1956, and contains the Museum of the Ancient Agora.
The stoa, dating back to 150 BC, was built by Attalos II, the ruler of Pergamon, as a gift to the city of Athens for the education he received there. It was thought to have once operated as a commercial center with shops on each floor. Built of marble and limestone, it was much larger and elaborate than most of the buildings constructed in ancient Athens and exhibited different types of architectural orders. As we walked through the colonnades, on the main floor we noticed that the Doric order was used for the exterior and Ionic for the interior. Similarly, on the upper floor, the exterior was Ionic and the interior, Pergamene. Moving throughout the building, even with the intense heat of the day, the building was well lighted and ventilated through doorways and small windows.
The museum was especially interesting with it collections of clay, bronze and glass objects, coins, inscriptions from the 7th to the 5th century BC and pottery from the Byzantine period and Turkish conquest. Most captivating were the detailed sculptures depicting some of the Athenian citizens…so detailed in some cases that you almost expected movement. Also related in great detail, throughout the museum, is the history of the Agora area and how it developed over the ages.
Once our visit to the museum was complete, we moved out into the Ancient Agora, the area where Athenians would often gather to trade information and goods. There were many paths among the ruins and much to discover.
Making our way toward the north-west side of the property, we discovered the Temple of Hephaestus, one of the most well-preserved pieces of architecture in the city. Situated atop the Agoraios Kolonos hill, construction on the building began in 449 BC and took almost three decades to complete as attention to building the Parthenon took priority.
The temple, dedicated to Hephaestus, the ancient god of fire and Athena, goddess of pottery and crafts, had a variety of uses over the years, resulting in the buildings continual upkeep. It’s longest purpose, however, was serving as the Greek Orthodox church of Saint George Akamates from the 7th century until 1834. Shortly after the arrival of the first King of Greece, Otto I, it was ordered that the building be used as a museum. It remained in this capacity until 1934, when it was reverted to the status of ancient monument.
The building’s grounds are well kept and heavily planted with shrubs and a well-paved walkway around its perimeter. As you make your way around the building, be sure to take note of the eastern and western friezes, the grand Doric columns (6 on the east and west sides and 13 on the north and south sides) and the sculptures depicting the labors of Hercules and the Battle of Theseus with the Pallentides, the fifty children of Pallas and the Fall of Troy.
Heading back along the southern rim of the property, we discovered the Church of the Holy Apostles (also known as the Holy Apostles of Solaki). When excavations began on the Ancient Agora in 1931, there were many churches located in the area. All were removed except for this small, Byzantine church, which has been dated back to 1000 AD, one of the oldest in Athens. After extensive restorations, this little church is now one of the highlights of the Ancient Agora with its colorful frescoes and intricate stone work.
With the heat wearing us down, we headed toward the exit. Leaving my husband and son near the exit I made a quick detour, moving toward the Monument of the Eponymous Heroes. This marble podium previously displayed the bronze statues of the ten heroes of the tribes of Athens, Erechtheus, Aegeus, Pandion, Leos, Acamas, Oeneus, Cecrops II, Hippothoon and Aias. Once used as a pulpit where proposed legislation, decrees and announcements were announced, I must admit that I was a bit disheartened to find it in poor condition, only displaying a shell of its former grandeur.
As I spotted my husband and son waiting patiently for me under the shade of a large tree, I stopped quickly to inspect Odeon of Agrippa statues that remain as the only part of the concert hall that once stood in the center of the Ancient Agora. Built in 15 BC, it was a gift to the people of Athens from Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa (Roman statesman and general) and was able to seat crowds of 1,000. After architectural damage throughout the years, it was finally destroyed by the Herulians in 267 AD.
Thinking about he destruction of the Odeon of Agrippa, I thought about how many times the Agora was destroyed and rebuilt over the centuries. Abandoned and forgotten, it was finally brought to light when excavations began in 1931.
Learning so much more on this visit than on my previous, I was glad that I had dragged my husband and son here. It is strange to think that only eighty-eight years ago, the citizens of Athens did not know that this site would someday become a place for thousands of tourists to wander about, learning about the commerce of the ancient Athenians.
Though we were ready for a nap and a cold shower, I was glad that we had made the detour and that my family had agreed to my impulse.
Sometimes that “one last thing” is the thing you remember most.
Other notable sites within the Ancient Agora:
- The Ruins of the Tholos
- The Propylon to the Bouleuterion
- The surviving torso of a statue of the Roman Emperor Hadrian
- Ruins of the Metroon
- Great drainage canal on the agora
- The Altar of Zeus Agoraios
- The ruins of the civic offices.
- The Klepsydra (water clock used to time speeches).
- Southeast Fountain House
- Remains of the Triangular Shrine
- Two noteworthy ancient streets, The Road to Pireas and the street of the marble workers.
- The ruins of the state prison
- The Dekasterion (court house)
- The NE Bath
- The Middle Stoa
For more pictures, check out Facebook, Snapping the Globe and Instagram, @snappingtheglobe.
Ancient Agora of Athens
- http://odysseus.culture.gr/h/3/eh355.jsp?obj_id=2485#_=_
- Address: Adrianou 24, Athina 105 55, Greece
- Hours: November to March, 0800-1500, April to October, 0800-2000, daily
- Admission: Adult, €8.00, Reduced rate, €4.00, Children under 18 years, free. Combination ticket, includes admission to Acropolis, Temple of Zeus, Ancient Agora, Roman Agora, Hadrian’s Library, Keramikos Cemetery and Lyceum of Aristotle, €30.00