Ancient Agora of Athens

The ancient Agora of Athens (also called the Classical Agora) is the best-known example of an ancient Greek agora, 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. Stoa Poikile (Painted stoa), a building built in the 4th century B.C. used purely for socialising unlike many other buildings in the agora. Altar of the Twelve Gods Stoa Basileios (Royal stoa) Temple of Aphrodite Urania The south end of what is believed to be a Basilica has been uncovered near Hadrian Street and is dated to the mid 100s C.E. The Stoa of Attalos, a stoa lined with shops built in the 2nd century B.C. which has since been reconstructed for use as the Museum of The Ancient Agora. The Peristyle Court was a law court originally located under the northern end of the Stoa of Attalos. A collection of buildings were added to the south-east corner: the East stoa, the Library of Pantainos, the Nymphaeum and a temple. The Library of Pantainos was more than just a library, the west and north wings were series of rooms that were used for other purposes other than storing books. With the construction of the Library of Pantainos, the official entrance into the agora was now between the Library and the Stoa of Attalos. The Mint, a building which was used for the minting of bronze coinage in the 2nd and 3rd centuries B.C. but there is no evidence for it being used for the minting of Athenian silver coinage. The Monopteros was located south of the Basilica and also dated to the mid 100s C.E. It had no walls, was a dome supported by columns and was about 8 meters in diameter. The Bema was a speakers platform and was located near the Stoa of Attalos. The Middle stoa which was the most extensive monument built during the 2nd century B.C. A small Roman temple was added in front of the Middle stoa.