Agora of Athens

Temple of Hephestus and part of the Agora (Thesion). 450 B.C.

The train ride was pleasant although the July heat had begun permeating the Athenian atmosphere late in the morning, and by the time we disembarked at the Thesion station we could feel the summer force in full effect. My daughter Alexandra and I had decided to spend the day at the Ancient Agora of Athens which is more suited for a father/daughter stroll than any other archaeological site in Greece. The entire site is relatively level with many foot paths which meander pleasantly around small trees and historical events, betrayed by scattered ruins of all shapes and sizes.

Middle Stoa

"Agora" in Greek literally means "a place of gathering" and the Agora of Athens was the heart of Athenian life in Ancient times. For centuries It served as a busy marketplace where merchants and artisans had congregated to offer their goods to all who gathered, and it also provided a platform for the Athenian political and intellectual life.

This is the place where Aristocrats and Tyrants enforced their rule on their Athenian subjects, and where later the concept of "direct democracy" was born and flourished. The Agora was the physical place where every Athenian citizen gathered to conduct their business, participate in their city's governance, decide judicial matters, express their opinion for all who cared to listen, and elect their city officials. For every free Athenian citizen, participating in such "common" activities was not merely a duty, but instead it was a privilege and an honor. In fact, the term "idiot" (idiotis=he who acts on his/her own) was used to mock those who avoided participation in the common citizen activities.

"To Vema" Speaker's Platform

Exclusive Gifts and apparel

Strolling through the ruins of the Agora one can't escape the unbearable weight of history that hovers about the place, and yet, the form of the landscape reflects none of the splendor of magnificent buildings that once adored the place. Nothing the eyes rest on eludes to the lacy arguments of ancient Greek philosophers who strolled about leading their pupils, and the exposed stones speak of the fiery orations of Athenian politicians only in a silent sort of way. Despite the magnificent rock of the Acropolis that commands the landscape of the Agora from above, and the majestic presence of the Temple of Hephestus that balances the Parthenon across the plateau, the Agora remains a shy, humble and tranquil place.

Panathenea way

The Agora displays the tranquility that comes only from having stared at the height of absolute Greatness and into the depths of infinite Cruelty. Its presence transcends centuries and cultural influences from prehistoric times to the modern era, and has witnessed the spectacular transformation of prehistoric Mycenaean civilization to the Athenian Golden era, and the Roman culture. It has also suffered through invasions of every imaginable foe who took its vengeance out on the Agora grounds.

Doric Column

The buildings of the Agora were destroyed in 480 BC by the invading Persians, only to be rebuilt again in the subsequent years of the 5th century BC when Athenian culture flourished into a superpower with immense cultural, political, and military influence. It was again plundered in 86 BC by the Romans, and was slowly rebuilt by the same conquerors who added many new buildings like the Odeon which occupies the center of the excavated Agora. In the next few centuries the place remained the center of activity in Athens and suffered several times at the hands of a multitude of invaders, until it was razed by the Slavs in 580 AD and remained uninhabited until the middle of the 19th century when modern Greece won its independence from the Ottoman empire.

The Ruins of the Agora

Stoa of Attalos (Agora Museum) 150 BC

Most of what has been excavated and is visible on the site bears witness to its turbulent history, and the unearthed artifacts juxtapose the diverse cultural influences which at different times imposed their customs on the landscape.

The most visible monument is the temple of Hephestus (or Thesion) which still adorns a low hill in the Northwest end of the Agora. The temple's construction begun in 450 BC and it is still preserved in remarkable shape to our day. In many ways The Thesion resembles the Parthenon with its Doric form, though it was built much smaller in scale.

The Stoa of Attalos which dominates the East end of the site was built around 150 BC and was reconstructed in the 1950's in order to shelter the artifacts that were unearthed from the surrounding area. It frames the Agora on its East end and separates it from the Roman Agora, and the rest of Athens. It is a museum worth visiting for its exhibition of a variety of statues and common artifacts from the Agora excavations.

The temple of the Apostles. 1000 A.D.

The Christian temple of the Apostles is well preserved in the Southeast corner and it houses several wall frescos, while all other buildings expose only their foundations. There is a great variety of buildings that one would expect to find in a marketplaces such as stores and workshops, as well as many structures that housed public events and government functions.


Epilogue

The Agora of Athens emanates a serenity which permeates once time grinds on ancient stones year after year until a millennium or two later the stones are rubbed smooth and shapeless, and begin to distance their form from the intentions of the original creator. No loud declaration exists of the Agora's contributions in the history of the western civilization. Instead, a mass of silent ruins invite the visitors to follow the historical clues and to unravel the Ariadnes thread all the way back to the Theseus' era of heroes.

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