The Roman Agora () is a ruined

agora The agora (; , romanized: ', meaning "market" in Modern Greek) was a central public space in ancient Ancient Greece, Greek polis, city-states. The literal meaning of the word "agora" is "gathering place" or "assembly". The agora was the center ...

Athens Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...

built in the Roman era to the east of the Ancient Agora and the north of the

Acropolis An acropolis was the settlement of an upper part of an ancient Greek city, especially a citadel, and frequently a hill with precipitous sides, mainly chosen for purposes of defense. The term is typically used to refer to the Acropolis of Athens ...

History

The Roman Agora was built around 100 metres east of the original

Eucles of Marathon Eucles of Marathon () was a leading Athenian statesman early in the reign of Augustus. He was responsible for the construction of the Roman Agora in Athens and was the male-line ancestor of the 2nd-century aristocrat, Herodes Atticus. Life Euc ...

between 27 BC and 17 BC (or possibly in 10 BC), using funds donated by

Augustus Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian (), was the founder of the Roman Empire, who reigned as the first Roman emperor from 27 BC until his death in A ...

, in fulfilment of a promise originally made by

Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (12 or 13 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC) was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in Caesar's civil wa ...

in 51 BC. The Roman Agora has not today been fully excavated, but is known to have been an open space surrounded by a

peristyle In ancient Ancient Greek architecture, Greek and Ancient Roman architecture, Roman architecture, a peristyle (; ) is a continuous porch formed by a row of columns surrounding the perimeter of a building or a courtyard. ''Tetrastoön'' () is a rare ...

. To its south was a fountain. To its west, behind a marble colonnade, were shops and a Doric

propylon In ancient Greek architecture, a propylaion, propylaeon or, in its Latinized form, ''propylaeum''—often used in the plural forms propylaia or propylaea (; Greek: προπύλαια)—is a monumental gateway. It serves as a partition, separat ...

(entrance), the Gate of Athena Archegetis. To its east was an Ionic gate, the

East Propylon The East Propylon is the eastern entrance of the Roman Agora in Athens. Built in 19-11 BCE, it consisted of Ionic columns made of gray Hymettian marble Marble is a metamorphic rock consisting of carbonate minerals (most commonly calcite (CaCO3 ...

, next to the

Tower of the Winds The Tower of the Winds, known as the in Greek, and by #Names, other names, is an octagonal Pentelic marble tower in the Roman Agora in Athens, named after the eight large reliefs of wind gods around its top. Its date is uncertain, but was compl ...

and a set of " vespasianae" (public toilets). An inscription records the existence of an Agoranomion (an office for market officials), while another, set on the propylon of Athena Archegetis records a decree from Hadrian's reign regarding the tax obligations of oil merchants.Ζαρμακούπη, 2023: 139

Footnotes

Bibliography

* * *Ζαρμακούπη, Μ. (2023)
"Ρωμαϊκή Αθήνα
. ''Αρχαιολογία και Τέχνες'' 141, 125-127, 139.

External links

at The Stoa Consortium (www.stoa.org).
''The Roman Agora: the first commercial centre of Athens''
at National Hellenistic Research Foundation (www.eie.gr). {{coord, 37.9742, 23.7265, format=dms, type:landmark, display=title Roman Athens Ancient Roman buildings and structures in Greece Buildings and structures completed in the 1st century BC

History

See also

Footnotes

Bibliography

External links