Travel Secrets by V

The Ancient Agora was the heart of ancient Athens. An agora is a kind of like a marketplace. It was where all the justice, political and administrative matters took place as well as commerce. This is a large site with a lot of different things to see. Don’t forget to visit the museum inside the Stoa of Attalos. It has a large variety of ancient statues that were excavated at this location. It’s a wonderful site to visit. I loved all the different statues on display.

Restorations

Even though the first excavations took place in 1859, it wasn’t fully discovered until 1890, when a trench was cut for the Athens-Piraeus railway which exposed a bunch of ancient buildings. In order to uncover the Ancient Agora, four hundred modern buildings, covering an area of about 12 hectares had to be demolished.

Must See!

Stoa of Attalos

Built in 150 BC by king Attalus II. The two-story building served as a shopping mall. Each floor had 21 stores and customers could relax in the shaded area between the columns. It was destroyed by the Heruli in 267 AD. It was rebuilt between 1953-1956. Today it houses the Agora Museum.

Agora Museum Exhibit

The museum features sculptures that were excavated from the Ancient Agora, coins, inscriptions, glass and clay objects. All the objects were excavated from the site and give you an idea of what life might have been like back then.

Temple of Hephaestus

Built in 415-415 BC in honor of the patron god of metal-working, craftsmanship and fire. The images carved on the east side depict the labors of Hercules and those of Theseus. They can still be seen today.

Tritons of the Odeion of Agrippa

During the early 19th century, the four giant Titan figures in front of the Odeion of Agrippa were restored. These are enormous!

Tours

Tours are a great way to visit Athens. They will pick you up at your hotel and drive you to the site. There is a driver and a guide and the guide will give you all sort of information about the history and culture. Once you arrive at the site, he will already have your entry tickets ready. He will give you a guided tour of the site pointing on special features that you may not have noticed on your own as well as tell you all about them. You will then have some free time to explore the site on your own after which you will be taken to a location for lunch and once the tour is over, they will take you back to your hotel.

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