VArchitecture Around the World
Athens - Greek Agora
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Photos taken from Likovitos Hill |
Temple of Hephaistos, the blacksmith god. 13 columns on each side and 6 at each end. No entasis. Built c.449-440 BC |
Closer view |
The Agora, or marketplace, formed the political heart of ancient Athens from 600 BC. Democracy was practised in the Bouleuterion (Council) and the law courts, and in open meetings. Socrates was indicted and executed in the state prison here in 399 BC. The theatres, schools, and stoas filled with shops also made this the centre of social and commercial life. Even the city mint that produced Athens' silver coins was here. The American School of Classical Studies began excavations of the ancient Agora in the 1930s, and since then the vast remains of a complex array of public buildings have been revealed.
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