Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Stoa Foundations
To the northeast of the Temple of Hephaestus lie the foundations of the Stoa of Zeus
Eleutherios , one of the places where Socrates expounded his philosophy. Further north
are the foundations of the Stoa of Basileios and the Stoa Poikile . The Stoa Poikile means
Painted Stoa; it was so-called because of its murals, which were rendered by the leading
artists of the day and depicted mythological and historical battles.
Council House & Tholos
Though the Turks built a residential quarter throughout the Agora, it was demolished by
archaeologists after Independence and later excavated to what you see today. To the south-
east of the Temple of Hephaestus they found the New Bouleuterion (Council House),
where the Senate (originally created by Solon) met, while the heads of government met to
the south at the circular Tholos.
Understand
Panathenaic Procession
The biggest event in ancient Athens was the Panathenaic Procession, the climax of the Panathenaia Festival held
to venerate the goddess Athena. The Lesser Panathenaic Festival took place annually on Athena's birthday,
while the Great Panathenaic Festival was held on every fourth anniversary of her birth.
The Great Panathenaic Festival began with dancing, followed by athletic, dramatic and musical contests. On
the final day, the Panathenaic Procession began at Keramikos, where many of the animals sacrificed to Athena
were eaten at the Pompeion. The procession was led by men carrying sacrificial animals, followed by maidens
carrying rhytons (horn-shaped drinking vessels) and musicians playing a fanfare for the girls of noble birth who
held aloft the sacred peplos (a glorious saffron-coloured shawl). The Panathenaic Way , which cuts across the
Ancient Agora and the middle of the Acropolis, was the route taken by the procession. The peplos was ulti-
mately placed on the statue of Athena Polias in the Erechtheion in the festival's grand finale.
Church of the Holy Apostles
This charming little Byzantine church, near the southern entrance, was built in the early
10th century to commemorate St Paul's teaching in the Agora. During the period of Otto-
man rule it underwent many changes, but between 1954 and 1957 it was stripped of its
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