Ancient Agora of Athens

The Agora was the marketplace and civic centre of classical Athens, where the assembly met, the courts sat and Socrates argued. The Temple of Hephaestus above it is the best-preserved Doric temple in Greece.

Overview

This is where Athenian democracy was administered rather than celebrated — the council house, the mint, the law courts and the offices of the magistrates all stood here, and the excavated foundations are labelled. The Stoa of Attalos was rebuilt in the 1950s to its original design and now houses the site museum, which is the clearest way to see what a stoa was for. The Hephaisteion survived because it became a church in the seventh century.

Highlights

Start at the Hephaisteion for the complete temple, then walk down through the foundations with the plan in hand. The Stoa of Attalos museum holds ostraka — pottery shards inscribed with the names of men proposed for exile, including Themistocles. It is far quieter than the Acropolis and included in the combined ticket.

Overview

Highlights

Location