Ancient Agora of Athens

The Ancient Agora in Athens is the city’s most notable agora, and it is pretty a much a shoe-in for all Athens itineraries. In the late Neolithic period, the site was used by civilizations as a housing and burial area. It would then be converted into the city center of ancient Athens and remained as such until the coming of the Roman and Byzantine empires. Today, the Agora in Athens allows visitors to wander among remnants of a past that so shaped the future. The Ancient Agora in Athens is an easy find nestled among some of the city’s most renowned sites. It starts below the northwestern side of the Acropolis and can be followed towards the Roman Agora and Tower of the Winds.

The Agora of Athens was the center of ancient Athens and served as the focal point for most of the city’s civic affairs. It was in the 6th century BC, under Peisistratus, that the site first underwent the necessary procedures to develop it as the center of Athenian government. Whatever other housing or buildings were on the site were removed and replaced. Among the many things Peisistratus developed, was a new drainage system, beautiful fountains and the agora’s first temple, which honored the Olympian Gods. When the statesman Cimon gained power as general, he added trees and a series of new buildings to the agora. By the 5th century BC, other temples at the Agora in Athens had been built to honor Zeus, Apollo and Hephaestus.

As the 3rd century BC rolled around, the Agora of Athens continued to develop as a meeting center, and the city council, presidents of the council and city magistrates performed various duties there. Ancient Athens law courts also took place at the agora, and if you were in the crowd watching, it was understood that you could be spontaneously selected to serve as a juror. A police force known as the Scythian Archers was often found roaming the agora and they were there to more or less enforce jury selections. A separate homicide court wash established at Aereopagus Hill by the Aereopagus. By the 2nd century BC, the agora had grown into an impressive rectangular layout, which in 480 BC would be severely damaged by the Persians. Roman and Byzanine times saw the return of the ancient Agora in Athens to a residential area. Slowly, the Agora would begin to fade away, only to be discovered many years later. Now reborn, it serves as a stop on any good Athens tour, and nearby you can find the Roman Agora Athens site.

Athens seems like a wonderful city! The modern against the ancient! I will have to make time to visit Athens one day!

Paula

hello ))

very nice your photos ...... please visit my photos galaria…

Uşak-Göğem

Greetings Arif

Paula K Thanks a lot for all those kind compliments . Penelope

arif solak Thanks a lot. Greetings ,Penelope

yank in dixie thank you a lot. I like to know the history of every place i see or visits, and also I like more to share it. Penelope