Agora of Athens

The Ancient Agora of Classical Athens is the best-known example of an ancient Greek agora (central public space in ancient Greek city-states), located to the northwest of the Acropolis and bounded on the south by the hill of the Areopagus and on the west by the hill known as the Agoraios Kolonos, also called Market Hill. The Agora's initial use was for a commercial, assembly, or residential gathering place. 

Agora contains several remains of ancient temples and buildings. Temple of Hephaestus is one of the best-preserved Greek temples, built around 450 BCE. The excavations has uncovered most of the over 30 known major buildings from the Agora, along with thousands of artifacts. Conservation efforts have restored thousands of pieces of pottery and amphora (the standard storage vessel of the ancient world), studied thousands of marble statues and reliefs, and analyzed the remains of human and animal bones to give us a better understanding of what life was like in the ancient Athenian world.

Address

Vrisakiou 17, Athens, Greece

Details

Founded: 5th century BCE
Category: Prehistoric and archaeological sites in Greece