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http://agathe.gr/guide/church_of_the_holy_apostles.html Church of the Holy Apostles Several churches were removed following the excavation of the modern neighborhoods overlying the Agora. The Church of the Holy Apostles, because of its early date, was deemed ... The fragments of frescoes inside are of the 17th century, some from this building and the rest recovered from other churches in the area. Figure 67. Church of the Holy Apostles, ca. A.D. 1000. Figure 68. Plan of the Church of the Holy Apostles. Figure 69. Church of the Holy Apostles before restoration. (1953) Figure 70. |
http://agathe.gr/guide/history_of_the_excavations.html History of the Excavations Some of the Agora monuments have never been fully buried and were explored by the Archaeological Society starting in the 19th century: the Stoa of Attalos (1859–1862, 1874, and ... Figure 72. The area of the Agora before the start of excavations in 1931, view from the west. Figure 73. Panorama of the Agora excavations, also from the west. (2002) Figure 74. Watercolor of the Agora in 1834 (Wolfensberger), view looking west. Figure 75. Giants and tritons of the Odeion of Agrippa before the start of excavations, view looking east. |
http://agathe.gr/guide/southwest_fountain_house.html Southwest Fountain House Closer to the agora proper a row of five public buildings lined the south side of the square in the Classical period (Fig. 29, 36). They comprise several important monuments, though ... They are slightly more comprehensible if viewed from the ancient road that ran above them to the south. Figure 29. Cutaway view of the Archaic and Classical buildings along the south side of the Agora. Figure 36. South side of the Agora, ca. 400 B.C. ... One of the largest fountains of the city, the building is dated on the basis of pottery to the years around 350–325 B.C. Figure 30. Model of the Southwest Fountain House, one of the largest in Athens, ca. 350–325 B.C. |
http://agathe.gr/guide/boundary_stones_and_house_of_simon_the_cobbler.html Boundary Stones and House of Simon the Cobbler Inscribed marble posts were used to mark the entrances to the Agora wherever a street led into the open square. Two have been found in situ, inscribed with ... Second, markers were needed to define what was public land, to prevent encroachment by private buildings. Figure 23. Agora boundary stone found east of the Tholos, ca. 500 B.C. Figure 24. Agora boundary stone found deep under the Middle Stoa. ... Figure 26. Material found at the house of Simon the cobbler: bone eyelets, iron hobnails, and the base of a cup inscribed with Simon’s name. |
http://agathe.gr/guide/bouleuterion.html Bouleuterion Just uphill from the Tholos was the Bouleuterion, meeting place of the boule, or senate. Five hundred Athenian citizens were chosen by lot to serve for a year, and met in this building every ... Five hundred Athenian citizens were chosen by lot to serve for a year, and met in this building every day except during festivals to prepare legislation for the meetings of the ekklesia (assembly of all citizens), which met at the Pnyx every ten days. Figure 17. Model of the Old Bouleuterion. ... (Figs. 17, 18) that lies under the Metroon. Figure 18. Restored perspective view of the interior of the Old Bouleuterion, ca. 500 B.C. |
http://agathe.gr/guide/royal_stoa.html Royal Stoa On the west side, lying just south of the Panathenaic Way, are the remains of the Royal Stoa (Stoa Basileios), one of the earliest and most important of the public buildings of Athens (Figs ... Two projecting wings were added between 410 and 400 to display new copies of the law code of the city. Figure 62. Reconstruction of the Royal Stoa, as it would have appeared in ca. 300 B.C. ... (Pollux 8.86) Figure 63 (right). The lithos or oath-stone, set up on the steps of the Royal Stoa. Figure 64. The remains of the Royal Stoa, view from the south. |
http://agathe.gr/guide/southeast_fountain_house.html Southeast Fountain House The slight traces just south of the Church of the Holy Apostles have been identified as the remains of an early fountain house (Figs. 33, 34). The identification is based on a ... Pausanias identified this building as the Enneakrounos (nine-spouted) fountain, built in the 6th century B.C. by the tyrant Peisistratos, but Thucydides -- who presumably knew better -- locates that famous monument south of the Acropolis, below the sanctuary of Olympian Zeus. Figure 33. Actual state and restored plans of the Southeast Fountain House, second half of the 6th century B.C. Figure 34. Model of the Southeast Fountain House, view from the north. Figure 35. Juncture of overflow pipes from the basins of the Southeast Fountain House. |
http://agathe.gr/guide/northwest_corner_and_the_hermes.html Northwest Corner and the Hermes The area of the northwest corner is where the Panathenaic Way, leading from the main gate of Athens, the Dipylon, entered the Agora square (Figs. 58, 59). This was accordingly ... (Harpokration) Figure 58. Plan of the northwest corner of the Agora, principal entrance into the public square. Figure 59. A reconstruction of the northwest corner of the Agora in ca. 420 B.C., with the Royal Stoa at left and the Painted Stoa at upper right, looking northwest. Figure 60. Three Herm heads found at the northwest corner of the Agora (from left to right): 2nd century A.C., late 5th century B.C., and early 5th century B.C. |
http://agathe.gr/guide/library_of_pantainos.html Library of Pantainos Lying partially under and behind the Late Roman wall are the remains of a building identified by its inscribed marble lintel block as the Library of Pantainos, dedicated to Athena ... [The library] is to be open from the first hour until the sixth" (Fig. 45). Figure 43. Plan of the Library of Pantainos, ca. A.D. 100. Figure 44. The north stoa of the Library of Pantainos, looking east toward the Gate of Athena. Figure 45. Rules of the Library of Pantainos: "No book is to be taken out because we have sworn an oath. |
http://agathe.gr/guide/metroon.html Metroon (Archives) The Metroon served two functions; it was both a sanctuary of the Mother of the Gods and the archive building of the city, a repository of official records (Fig. 19). The present remains ... Fig. 20), seen by Pausanias, are unclear. Figure 19. Cutaway view of the Metroon in the late 2nd century B.C.; the building housed both a cult of the Mother of the Gods and the State Archives. Figure 20. A dedicatory relief of the Mother of the Gods, 4th century B.C.; one of several dozen copies found in the Agora. |
http://agathe.gr/guide/south_stoa_i.html South Stoa I Measuring some 80 meters long, South Stoa I takes up much of the south side; its eastern end is the better preserved (Figs. 31, 32). It had a double colonnade, with sixteen rooms behind. It ... The stoa was dismantled in the middle years of the 2nd century B.C. to make way for South Stoa II. Figure 31. Reconstruction of a dining room in South Stoa I, ca. 430–420 B.C. Figure 32. Aerial view of the east end of South Stoa I, ca. 430–420 B.C. |
http://agathe.gr/guide/lawcourts.html Lawcourts Underlying the north end of the Stoa of Attalos are the slight remains of a group of buildings dating to the 5th and 4th centuries B.C. (Fig. 50). Largely open courtyards, they seem to have served ... The identification is based largely on the discovery of a container made of drain tiles set on end holding seven of the inscribed bronze ballots used by jurors to render their verdicts (Fig. 51). Figure 50. Plan of the lawcourts under the north end of the Stoa of Attalos. (5th–4th centuries B.C.) ... (Athenaios 14.640b–c) Figure 51 (right). Ballot box found underneath the north end of the Stoa of Attalos. |
http://agathe.gr/guide/temple_of_apollo_patroos.html Temple of Apollo Patroos Next to the Stoa of Zeus at the south are the remains of a small temple of Apollo Patroos (Fatherly), so-called because he was the father of Ion, founder of the Ionian Greeks, ... A monumental marble statue found in the ruins seems to be the cult statue by Euphranor mentioned by Pausanias (Fig. 11). Figure 10. Reconstructed plan of the Temple of Apollo Patroos, dating from the second half of the 4th century B.C. ... (Pausanias 1.3.4) Figure 11. Monumental cult statue of Apollo Patroos by Euphranor. |
http://agathe.gr/guide/stoa_of_zeus_eleutherios.html Stoa of Zeus Eleutherios Lying just south of the railroad tracks, along the west side, are the remains of the Stoa of Zeus Eleutherios (Freedom) (Figs. 8, 9). This cult of Zeus was established after the ... This cult of Zeus was established after the battle of Plataia in 479 B.C., when the Greeks drove the Persians out of Greece. Figure 8. Plan of the buildings along the west side of the Agora as they would have appeared in ca. 100 B.C. Figure 9. Reconstruction of the Doric Stoa of Zeus Eleutherios, ca. 430–420 B.C. |
http://agathe.gr/guide/tholos.html Tholos The south half of the west side was given over to the major administrative buildings used to run the Athenian democracy (Fig. 14). The buildings are poorly preserved, but the identifications are ... The buildings are poorly preserved, but the identifications are secure thanks to the account of the traveler Pausanias, who visited Athens in the years around A.D. 150. Figure 14. Plan of the administrative buildings at the south end of the west side of the Agora. ... In a sense, then, the Tholos represents the heart of the Athenian democracy, where citizens serving as senators could be found on duty twenty-four hours a day. Figure 15. Model of the Tholos, ca. 470 B.C.; dining hall and the headquarters of the prytaneis (executive committee of the senate). ... Wine jars and cups labeled as public property were found around the building (Fig. 16). Figure 16. Public dining ware found near the Tholos, 5th century B.C . |
http://agathe.gr/guide/mint.html Mint Just east of the fountain house lie the miserable remains of a large square building with several rooms; the northern half lies under the Church of the Holy Apostles and the Southeast Temple (Early ... There is nothing to suggest that Athenian silver coinage was minted in this building. Figure 37. Restored plan of the Mint, ca. 400 B.C. |
http://agathe.gr/guide/odeion_of_agrippa.html Odeion of Agrippa Late in the 1st century B.C. the Athenians were given money for a new marketplace by Caesar and Augustus, and the northern half of the old Agora square was filled with two new structures, ... Entry to the Odeion was either from the upper level of the Middle Stoa on the south or through a modest porch at ground level on the north (Fig. 53). Figure 52. Cross section of the Odeion, 1st phase (late 1st century B.C.), looking east. Figure 53. Ground plan of the Odeion of Agrippa, 1st phase. ... The Giants and Tritons were reused for a monumental entranceway, and their present position on high piers dates to this last phase of the building. Figure 55. Drawing of the Late Roman reuse of the Odeion of Agrippa as part of a large palace-like complex, early 5th century A.C. |
http://agathe.gr/guide/panathenaic_way.html Panathenaic Way Numerous roads led in and out of the Agora square. By far the most important, however, was the broad street known as the Dromos or Panathenaic Way, the principal thoroughfare of the city ... Halfway along, it enters the Agora at its northwest corner and passes through the square on a diagonal, exiting at the southeast corner. Figure 4. Model of the Agora and northwest Athens in the 2nd century A.C., looking along the entire course of the Panathenaic Way from the Dipylon Gate (bottom) to the Acropolis (top); view from the northwest. ... Basins in the line of the channel caught sediment and helped keep the channel clean; those off to the side presumably provided water for draft animals. Figure 5. Limestone channel with water basins along the Panathenaic Way. ... It seems also to have served as the running track for foot races before a proper stadium was built, and as the training ground for the young recruits of the Athenian cavalry. Figure 6. Sculpted base for a monument celebrating a victory in the apobates at the Panathenaic Games, 4th century B.C. |
http://agathe.gr/guide/stoa_of_attalos.html Stoa of Attalos Lining the east side of the Agora square is the Stoa of Attalos (Fig. 47), built during the reign of Attalos II of Pergamon (159–138 B.C.), who studied in Athens under the philosopher Karneades ... The column capitals used upstairs for the inner colonnade are of an unusual type ("Pergamene"), a late adaptation of early Egyptian prototypes. Figure 47. Plans of the Stoa of Attalos, 159–138 B.C. ... The reconstruction demonstrates the effectiveness of the stoa as the ideal architectural form for a public building in Greece: the colonnaded walkways provide light and fresh air for literally thousands of people, while protecting them from the intense sun of summer or the wind and rain of winter. Figure 48. Reconstructed Stoa of Attalos (1953–1956), viewed from the north-northwest. Figure 49. Interior view of the lower colonnade of the Stoa of Attalos. |
http://agathe.gr/guide/south_stoa_ii.html South Stoa II South Stoa II ran westward from the south end of the East Building, parallel to the Middle Stoa (Figs. 38, 41). Dating to the second half of the 2nd century B.C., it consisted of a single ... South Stoa I was put out of use by South Stoa II, and much of the earlier building was quarried away at the west to accommodate the lower floor levels of the South Square. Figure 41. Plan of the buildings at the southeast corner of the Agora. |
http://agathe.gr/guide/southwest_area.html Southwest Area - Industry and Houses Leaving the area of the boundary stone, one can head southwest up a valley leading toward the Pnyx, meeting place of the Athenian assembly. Here are the complex remains ... Walls were of sun-dried mudbrick on stone foundations, with tiled roofs; most floors were of beaten clay with only occasional mosaics. Figure 27. The "Industrial District," southwest of the Agora. ... The date, location, and plan are all appropriate, though the building may equally well have served some commercial function. Figure 28. The Poros Building, possibly the State Prison, seen from the north, 5th century B.C. |
http://agathe.gr/guide/east_building.html East Building Running southward from the east end of the Middle Stoa is the East Building. Its eastern half takes the form of a long hall with a marble chip floor and stone slabs designed to carry wooden ... The western half of the building consisted of four rooms and a stairway designed to take people down to the lower (ground) level of the South Square. Figure 40. Detail of the floor of the East Building, showing the marble slabs with cuttings for the attachment of wooden furniture, 2nd century B.C. |
http://agathe.gr/guide/temple_of_ares.html Temple of Ares Just north of the Odeion lie the ruins of a building identified by Pausanias as a temple of Ares (Figs. 56, 57). The foundations are of Early Roman construction and date, but the marble ... The probable origin of the Ares temple architecture is the sanctuary of Athena Pallenis (at modern Stavro), where large foundations for a temple have been found but with no trace of any superstructure. Figure 56. Plan of the Temple of Ares, second half of 5th century B.C., rebuilt in the Agora in the late 1st century B.C. Figure 57. Architectural remains of the Temple of Ares. |
http://agathe.gr/guide/middle_stoa.html Middle Stoa The appearance of the south side of the Agora was radically changed during the 2nd century B.C. with the construction of several new buildings. This South Square, as it is called, was made ... The new square can best be understood from the so-called East Building, just north of the Church of the Holy Apostles. Figure 38. Cutaway view of the South Square, 2nd century B.C. ... It was built between ca. 180 and 140 B.C. Figure 39. Watercolor of the restored upper parts of the Middle Stoa, mid-2nd century B.C., showing the colors used to decorate this and most Greek buildings. |
http://agathe.gr/guide/hephaisteion.html Hephaisteion Overlooking the Agora from the hill to the west (Kolonos Agoraios), is the Hephaisteion, the best preserved example of a Doric temple in mainland Greece (Fig. 12). It was dedicated jointly ... Traces of a garden planted around the temple in the 3rd century B.C. were found in the excavations. Figure 12. The Hephaisteion ("Theseion"), seen from across the Agora, ca. 460–415 B.C. Figure 13. Plan of the Hephaisteion, showing also the conversion of the temple into the Church of St. |
http://agathe.gr/guide/introduction.html Introduction Classical Athens saw the rise of an achievement unparalleled in history. Perikles, Aeschylus, Sophokles, Plato, Demosthenes, Thucydides, and Praxiteles represent just a few of the statesmen ... Nowhere is the history of Athens so richly illustrated as in the Agora, the marketplace that was the focal point of public life. Figure 1. Plan and restored drawing of the Agora at the height of its development in ca. ... Here administrative, political, judicial, commercial, social, cultural, and religious activities all found a place together in the heart of ancient Athens. Figure 2. Athenian silver tetradrachm, 5th century B.C., with the head of Athena on the obverse, and her sacred owl, an olive sprig, and the legend (ΑΘΕ) on the reverse. |
http://agathe.gr/guide/monument_of_the_eponymous_heroes.html Monument of the Eponymous Heroes Across the street from the Metroon lie the remains of the Monument of the Eponymous Heroes (Fig. 21). When Kleisthenes created the democracy in 508/7 B.C., he assigned ... Citizenship depended on membership in a tribe, the army was arranged in tribal contingents, one served in the boule as a member of one’s tribe, and festivals were held in honor of one’s tribal hero; the tribal system was the foundation on which the new Athenian democracy was built. Figure 21. The Monument of the Eponymous Heroes, second half of the 4th century B.C. ... In the days before radio, television, newspapers, and the telephone, the monument was essential for the dissemination of official information. Figure 22. Restored drawings of the Eponymous Heroes, second half of the 4th century B.C Only parts of the stone sill and the surrounding fence survive, along with five limestone blocks from the base itself and two marble blocks from the crown. |
http://agathe.gr/guide/late_roman_fortification_wall.html Late Roman Fortification Wall East of the East Building and Mint we arrive once again at the Panathenaic Way, which in this area is lined along its eastern side by a massive wall built in the 3rd century ... Square towers, now largely dismantled, projected from the face of the wall at regular intervals. Figure 42. Late Roman Fortification Wall, ca. |
http://agathe.gr/guide/stoa_poikile.html Stoa Poikile Across modern Hadrian Street are the most recent excavations (2003), along the north side of the square. Here have been revealed the remains of another large stoa, identified on the basis ... Pottery suggests a date in the years around 470–460 B.C. for the construction. Figure 65. Cross section of the Stoa Poikile, with Doric columns outside, Ionic within; ca. 470–460 B.C. Figure 66. Reconstructed drawing of the west end of the Stoa Poikile as it would have appeared in about 400 B.C. |
http://agathe.gr/democracy/women.html The Unenfranchised I - Women Numerous people resident in Athens and Attica had little part in the political life of the state. Most glaring by modern standards was the exclusion of women, although a similar ... (Thucydides 2.45) Athenian (Attic) red-figure fragment of a kylix (drinking cup), late 6th century B.C. ... Athenian (Attic) red-figure fragment of a vase, about 460 B.C. |
http://agathe.gr/democracy/the_athenian_aristocracy.html The Athenian Aristocracy Before democracy, from the 8th to the 6th century B.C., Athens was prosperous economically but no more significant than many other city-states in Greece. Silver deposits south ... Athenian (Attic) black-figure olpe Oug), 540-530 B.C. ... The vase is decorated in the black-figure technique in which the figures are rendered in black on the natural red clay surface of the vase; details are done by incision through the black, or with red and white colors. |
http://agathe.gr/guide/altar_of_the_twelve_gods.html Altar of the Twelve Gods Near the middle of the open square, somewhat to the north, lay the Altar of the Twelve Gods (Fig. 7), today largely hidden under the Athens–Piraeus railway (1891). A corner of ... The upper surface of the present sill (4th century B.C.) preserves traces of the stone fence that would have defined the sacred area around the altar, now missing. Figure 7. Altar of the Twelve Gods, originally dated 522/1 B.C., with later rebuildings. |
http://agathe.gr/democracy/slaves_and_resident_aliens.html The Unenfranchised II - Slaves and Resident Aliens Also excluded from political participation were two other large segments of the population: slaves and metics (resident aliens). Slavery was common in ... Athenian (Attic) red-figure kylix (drinking cup), about 480 B.C., attributed to the painter Onesimos. ... Athenian (Attic) red-figure plate, 520-510 B.C. |
http://agathe.gr/democracy/factional_politics.html Factional Politics: The Ostracism of Themistokles A group of ostraka found together in a pit on the North Slope of the Acropolis is of special interest. There were 190 ostraka, mostly the round feet of ... Seen in retrospect, Themistokles was as great a figure in Athenian history. |
http://agathe.gr/democracy/tyranny.html Tyranny As happened in many other Greek states, a tyrant arose in Athens in the 6th century B.C. His name was Peisistratos, and after several unsuccessful attempts he seized power in 546 B.C. and ruled ... The impact of this fine new water system is reflected in the fountainhouse scenes painted on dozens of black-figure hydrias (water jars) and other pots in the late 6th century. ... Athenian (Attic) white-ground, black-figure lekythos (oil container), about SOO B.C. |
http://agathe.gr/democracy/the_athenian_army.html The Athenian Army From the very beginning, the Athenians were compelled to fight for their new democracy. Their dramatic victories over the Boiotians and Chalkidians in 506 B.C. led many to attribute Athenian ... Fragment of an Athenian (Attic) red-figure bell-krater (mixing bowl), Stb century B.C. ... Athenian (Attic) red-figure lekythos (oil container), late 6th century B.C., attributed to the Roundabout Painter. |
http://agathe.gr/democracy/the_prytaneis.html The Prytaneis (Executive Committee) The senators administered their meetings themselves. Each tribal contingent in the Boule served in rotation for a period of 35 or 36 days as the Prytaneis, or Executive ... A woman sits on a stool nearby, with another male figure on the left. |
http://agathe.gr/guide/history_of_the_agora.html History of the Agora The excavations of the Athenian Agora have uncovered about thirty acres on the sloping ground northwest of the Acropolis (Fig. 3). Material of all periods from the Late Neolithic to ... Several dozen wells reflect the position of houses and indicate that the area was given over to habitation as well. Figure 3. Panorama of the Agora viewed from the south, with the Hephaisteion (Theseion) at left and the restored Stoa of Attalos (museum) at right. |
http://agathe.gr/democracy/theater.html Theater Western drama was an Athenian invention which developed late in the 6th century B.C. out of the festivals celebrated in honor of the god Dionysos. Originally held in the Agora, the plays were soon ... A male figure wearing the mask of a slave sits at the foot of the couch. |
http://agathe.gr/democracy/state_religion.html State Religion: The Archon Basileus There was no attempt in Classical Athens to separate church and state. Altars and shrines were intermingled with the public areas and buildings of the city. A single ... (Athenian Constitution 57) Fragmentary Athenian (Attic) red-figure kylix (drinking cup), about 47S B.C. |
http://agathe.gr/democracy/solon_the_lawgiver.html Solon the Lawgiver By the early 6th century B.C. social tensions in Athens had become acute, pitting the poorer citizens against rich and powerful landowners. Many citizens were reduced to the status of ... The zeugitai (teamsters), those who maintained a pair of oxen for plowing and whose land produced 200 medimnoi a year Terracotta figure of a pair of oxen driven by a man, 6th century B.C. |
http://agathe.gr/democracy/the_council_and_magistrates.html The Council and the Magistrates Like selection for military service, allotment to the Council was organized according to the division by tribes; 50 members from each tribe acted as a unit in the Council ... In front of the price appears another figure, the sales tax, which averaged 1%. 18. |
http://agathe.gr/publications/monographs.html Monographs Excavations in the civic and cultural center of classical Athens began in 1931 and have continued almost without interruption to the present day. The first Athenian Agora volumes presenting ... The latter are the Hekataia (a triple Hekate figure) and the herms. ... B.Publication Date: 1997ISBN: 978-0-87661-230-9Volume: 30 This volume presents the inventoried red-figure and white-ground pottery found in the Agora Excavations between 1931 and 1967. ... Because almost all the shapes known in Attic red figure have been found in the Agora, these pieces provide a unique opportunity for study. |
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