We can find the Roman Agora in the Plaka area.
It was built between 19 BCE and 11 BCE during the Roman occupation, around 100 meters east of the original Agora. The Romans moved the administrative and commercial center of the city from the Ancient Agora to this impressive architectural complex, and the Library of Hadrian.
We have not fully excavated the area yet but we know that it was an open space consisting of a large rectangular court. Colonnades (stoas) surrounded this forming the space for several various shops.
Agora is still today the Greek word for Market. This used to be the central marketplace. It was 111 meters long and 98 meters wide. Apart from all administrative functions, it was also the area where people met to shop and socialize.
- To its south was a fountain.
- To its east, behind a marble colonnade, were shops and an Ionic propylaeum. The word propylaeum means before (pro) the main entrance (pylae).
- To its west was a Doric propylaeum.
- North was the Odeion (Music Hall) and a temple devoted to the god of war, Ares.
Following the Greek independence war in 1821, many of the area’s older Byzantine buildings were torn down. Also, there was a major fire in 1884 which destroyed a big part of it. Six years after the fire, back in 1890, a series of archaeological excavations started firstly by Italian archaeologists and after that by Americans and Greeks. The sights one can enjoy in the area are the following:
The Gate of Athena Archegetis
One of the main sights of the area is the Gate of Athena Archegetis. It was located on the west side of the Agora. Today we can see a monumental gateway with four Doric columns, and a pediment of Pentelic marble. They are in excellent condition.
The Athenians dedicated this monument to their patroness, goddess Athena the Archegetis (Athena the Leader).
The initial donation came from the Roman Emperor Julius Caesar in 11 BCE and later by his successor Augustus. There is an analytical inscription on the architrave that informs us about it.
East Propylaea
In ancient Greek architecture, a propylaeum, ( also called propylea or propylaia ) is a monumental gateway. A typical Greek example is the propylaea one meets at the entrance to the Acropolis of Athens.
The East Propylon is the eastern entrance of the Roman Agora in Athens. Built from 19 BCE to 11 BCE, it constituted 4 Ionic columns made of gray Hymettian marble.
Kyrristus’ Clock – The Tower of the Winds
On the eastern side of the Roman Agora stands an octagonal monument. It is the clock of Andronicus Kyrristus who constructed it in the 1st century BCE. It was a hydraulic clock that could tell the time by sun movement and also predicted the weather.
Due to its height, we can assume that they wanted it to be visible to people in the Agora, thus making it an early attempt to build a clock tower.
On each face of the clock can see bas-reliefs of the eight winds. On the outside, its design resembles the Corinthian Style while on the inside it follows the Doric style.
The monument has taken its name “Winds” from the depictions.
Many consider it to be the oldest weather forecast tower!
Vespasianes – Public lavatories
The Public Latrines (Vespasianae) were housed in a rectangular building and consisted of an antechamber and a square hall with benches bearing holes on all its four sides, and a sewing pipe underneath.
It was built in the 1st century CE and it was named after the Roman emperor Vespasianus.
There were seats for 68 people. It used to be a covered building with an open atrium for ventilation and liting. Seats were 56 cm apart from each other and men were spending casual time while being in the loo. Similar constructions were in all major Roman cities including Rome and Pompey.
The Roman emperor Vespasian was well known for building such facilities in Rome as well, improving thus the everyday life of citizens. He used to place a small tax on their use.
The Fethiye Mosque
Athens was conquered by the Ottomans in 1456 and liberated in 1833. Remarkable buildings of that period have been preserved.
One such example is the Fethiye Mosque which can be found on the northern side of the ancient Roman Agora, very close to the Tower of the Winds.
In 1456 right after the Ottomans conquered Athens, they built this mosque on top of the ruins of an 8th-century Byzantine Orthodox church of the basilica style. The mosque was ready by 1458 to honor the visit of the Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror, an admirer of ancient Greek philosophers.
The mosque was named Fethiye, which means “conquest”. The Athenians called it the “Wheatmarket Mosque” because of its proximity to the Agora, which became a wheat market under Ottoman rule.
The Venetian forces in the Morean War (Oct 1687 – May 1688), converted the mosque into a Catholic church, dedicated to Dionysius the Areopagite.
When Athens was liberated from the Ottomans, the minaret was torn down. The mosque became a school. Up until the 20th century, it changed numerous usages. It became barracks, a military prison, and finally a military bakery.
After such an adventurous path, in the autumn of 2010, the Greek government proceeded into restoration works. The project finished in 2017.
Since that time the venue is open to visitors. Many cultural exhibitions take place at this venue.
The Agoranomion
The Agoranomion is one more rectangular building to the east of the Roman Agora, dated to the 1st century C.E.
It preserves the facade which had three doorways with arched lintels and a broad stairway.
An inscription on the architrave states that the building was a dedication to the Divi Augusti and Athena Archegetis.
Tourists sometimes do not have enough time to visit the Roman Agora. But if one manages to devote the (about) two-hour walk needed will gain knowledge and a variety of images.