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"","Webpage","History of the Agora The excavations of the Athenian Agora have uncovered about thirty acres on the sloping ground northwest of the Acropolis (Fig. 3). Material of all periods from the Late Neolithic to modern times has been excavated, shedding light on 5,000 years of Athenian history. The area was occupied long before it became the civic center of Athens. During the Late Bronze Age it was used as a cemetery, and some 50 graves have been found, dating from 1600 to 1100 B.C. These are mostly chamber tombs, with multiple burials. It continued in use as a cemetery throughout the Iron Age (1100–700 B.C.) and over 80 graves, both burials and cremations, have been found. Several dozen wells reflect the position of houses and indicate that the area was given over to habitation as well. Figure 3. Panorama of the Agora viewed from the south, with the Hephaisteion (Theseion) at left and the restored Stoa of Attalos (museum) at right. [King Cyrus speaks]: ""'I have never feared men who have a place set apart in the middle of their city where they lie and deceive each other. If I keep my health, the Hellenes will have their own sufferings to worry about, not those of the Ionians.' This threat he uttered against all Hellenes because they have agoras and buy and sell there; for the Persians themselves do not use agoras, nor do they have any."" (Herodotos 1.153) A gradual change from private to public land seems to have occurred during the middle of the 6th century, and the first certain public buildings or monuments (Southeast Fountain House [15], Altar of the Twelve Gods [2]) were erected in the 520s, during the tyranny of the Peisistratids. The creation of the new democracy in 508/7 B.C. led to the construction of the Old Bouleuterion on the site of the later Metroon [8], the setting of boundary stones [10], and, perhaps, the construction of the Royal Stoa [27]. The Persian destruction of 480/79 left the city a shambles, but the buildings in the Agora were repaired and many more were added in the 5th and 4th centuries to accommodate the Athenian democracy at its height. The Stoa Poikile [28], Tholos [6], New Bouleuterion [7], Stoa of Zeus Eleutherios [3], South Stoa I [14], Mint [16], and Lawcourts [23] were all added to the periphery of the great square, as were fountain houses, temples, and shops. The rise of Alexander of Macedon eclipsed Athens politically and the 3rd century B.C. saw Athens dominated by his successors. Recovery in the 2nd century was fueled by Athens’ reputation as the cultural and educational center of the Mediterranean, and the philosophical schools founded by Plato, Aristotle, Zeno, and Epicurus flourished. Three large stoas were built in the Agora in the 2nd century (Middle Stoa [17], South Stoa II [19], and Stoa of Attalos [22]) and the archive building (Metroon [8]) was rebuilt with a colonnaded facade. The influence of Rome becomes clear in Athens in 86 B.C., when Sulla besieged the city after it sided with Mithradates of Pontus. Despite this poor choice, the city flourished, thanks again to her reputation for education and culture. Temples were built in the Agora to accommodate worship of the imperial family [25], and a great Odeion [24] or concert hall was set down in the middle of the square late in the 1st century B.C. Athens prospered through the 2nd century under the emperor Hadrian (A.D. 117–138) and is described in detail by the traveler Pausanias in the years around A.D. 150. Hard times began in the 3rd century, when the city was destroyed by northern invaders, the Herulians, in A.D. 267. When the city was rebuilt, the old Agora was not even within the new fortified circuit [20]. The area was given over to a variety of large villas in the 4th and 5th centuries A.D. The buildings show the effects of further barbarian incursions: Visigoths under Alaric in A.D. 395, the Vandals in the 470s, and the Slavs in 582/3. The area was abandoned in the 7th century and only recovered with the growth of the city in the 10th century A.D.","","","","","","","http://agathe.gr/guide/history_of_the_agora.html","AgoraPicBk 16 2003: History of the Agora","Agora","Agora:Webpage:d7aaf0c19ac7722e638ff25f14fc140b",""
"","Webpage","The Agora and Pnyx Center of public activity, the Agora was a large open square where all the citizens could assemble (2, 3). It was used for a variety of functions: markets, religious processions, athletic contests, military training, theatrical performances, and ostracisms. Around its edges stood the buildings needed to run the democracy: the Council House (Bouleuterion), magistrates’ headquarters, archives, mint, lawcourts, and civic offices. Boundary stones, such as the one shown below (4), indicate that the Agora had well-recognized geographical limits. 2. Model of the Agora in ca. 400 B.C., from the southeast. 3. Plan of the Agora in the fourth century B.C.. 4. Boundary stone of the Agora, ca. 500 B.C. In letters which run right to left the inscription reads: “I am the boundary of the Agora.”. The Agora is located immediately north of three rocky heights: the Acropolis, which was Athens’ citadel, sacred center, and treasury; the Areopagus, seat of Athens’ oldest and most august court; and the Pnyx, meeting place of the legislative Assembly (Ekklesia). It was on the Pnyx (5) that policies initiated by magistrates and committees in the offices of the Agora were submitted to the Athenian citizens. Stated meetings were held four times a month to enact legislation, hear embassies, and deal with such matters as food supply and the defense of the country. The meetings convened at dawn, and reluctant citizens were swept up from the Agora by slaves holding the ends of a long rope wet with red paint which would mark the clothes and thus make liable to a fine anyone who lingered or attempted to evade the call of duty. 5. Speaker’s platform (bema) on the Pnyx, fourth century B.C.","","","","","","","http://agathe.gr/democracy/the_agora_and_pnyx.html","AgoraPicBk 4 2004: The Agora and Pnyx","Agora","Agora:Webpage:e2b3ab38a2b0d232bde309d60ff5228d",""
"","Webpage","South Stoa I Measuring some 80 meters long, South Stoa I takes up much of the south side; its eastern end is the better preserved (Figs. 31, 32). It had a double colonnade, with sixteen rooms behind. It dates to ca. 430–420 B.C. and economies brought on by the Peloponnesian War may have determined the use of mudbrick and reused blocks in its construction. The off-center doors indicate the placement of dining couches in the rooms, perhaps used by magistrates fed at public expense, and an inscription found in the building suggests that at least one room was used by the metronomoi, the officials in charge of weights and measures. Numerous coins found in the excavations also reflect the commercial function of the building. The stoa was dismantled in the middle years of the 2nd century B.C. to make way for South Stoa II. Figure 31. Reconstruction of a dining room in South Stoa I, ca. 430–420 B.C. Figure 32. Aerial view of the east end of South Stoa I, ca. 430–420 B.C.","","","","","","","http://agathe.gr/guide/south_stoa_i.html","AgoraPicBk 16 2003: South Stoa I","Agora","Agora:Webpage:5c0616359cbb23fc6338ddac72f3272b",""
"","Webpage","Boundary Stones and House of Simon the Cobbler Inscribed marble posts were used to mark the entrances to the Agora wherever a street led into the open square. Two have been found in situ, inscribed with the simple text ""I am the boundary of the Agora,"" in letters that should date somewhere around 500 B.C. (Figs. 23, 24). The limits of the square had to be well marked for two reasons. First, people who were underage or who had been convicted of certain crimes (e.g., mistreatment of parents, failure to show up for military duty, impiety) were not allowed into the Agora. Second, markers were needed to define what was public land, to prevent encroachment by private buildings. Figure 23. Agora boundary stone found east of the Tholos, ca. 500 B.C. Figure 24. Agora boundary stone found deep under the Middle Stoa. Text, letter-forms, and tooling all indicate it is part of the same series as that in Figure 23, except all the letters and words run backward (retrograde), from right to left. One such building, found just behind the northern boundary stone (horos, in Greek), produced bone eyelets and iron hobnails, suggesting that a cobbler worked here in the 5th century B.C., while a fragmentary drinking cup found nearby preserved the incised name of Simon (Figs. 25, 26). Diogenes Laertius records that Sokrates, when he wished to meet with those pupils too young to enter the Agora, would meet them at the shop of Simon the cobbler, which lay near the square. The evidence is circumstantial, but we may well have here the remains of one of Sokrates’ informal classrooms. Figure 25. The remains of the house of Simon the cobbler, 5th century B.C., built against the Agora boundary stone (bottom left). Figure 26. Material found at the house of Simon the cobbler: bone eyelets, iron hobnails, and the base of a cup inscribed with Simon’s name.","","","","","","","http://agathe.gr/guide/boundary_stones_and_house_of_simon_the_cobbler.html","AgoraPicBk 16 2003: Boundary Stones and House of Simon the Cobbler","Agora","Agora:Webpage:0e5b7a24ca347065aea15c6a06a7385f",""
"","Webpage","The Archaeologists The First Generation The Agora Excavations staff and work force, 1933. Archaeologists, staff, foremen, and workmen gathered under the Hephaisteion for a group photograph. The staff of the Agora Excavations, 1934. Front row (left to right): Gladys Baker, Joan Bush [Vanderpool], Lucy Talcott, T. Leslie Shear, Josephine Shear, Dorothy Burr [Thompson]. Standing: Sophokles Lekkas, Piet de Jong, Catherine Bunnell, Alison Frantz, Dorothy Traquair, Rodney Young, Eugene Vanderpool, James Oliver, Arthur Parsons, Sterling Dow, Charles Spector, Homer Thompson. “Professor Shear had numerous qualities which contributed greatly to the School over many years, generosity, vision, vigorous action, but the one for which he will be best remembered and for which the School is most in his debt was his remarkable ability to select a staff of excavation workers of unusual capabilities, to forge them into a harmonious team and to keep them together in their hard-working activities of field work, study and publication, inspired by his own energy and scholarly care for meticulous observation and recording and prompt sharing of results with the scholarly world” (L. S. Meritt, History of the American School of Classical Studies at Athens, 1939–1980 [1984], p. 176). T. Leslie Shear, director of the Agora Excavations, 1931–1945. Homer A. Thompson, director of the Agora Excavations, 1946–1967. Dorothy Burr Thompson, though diminutive in stature, brought energy and intellectual acumen to her work as an excavator and scholar. Above, she inspects the rock face of the north slope of the Areopagus in 1934. Dorothy married Homer in 1934. E.V. studying the text of the “Law against Tyranny” inscription (I 6524). Affectionately known by students and colleagues by only his initials, Eugene Vanderpool began his career at the Agora in 1932. Later he was appointed Professor of Archaeology of the American School, 1947–1971. John Travlos began working at the Agora excavations in 1935.Architect of the School, 1940–1973. Piet de Jong at work in the Old Excavation House, 1937. Virginia Grace joined the records staff of the Agora in 1932. Miss Grace is best known for her lifelong study of amphoras from the Agora which she used to form the basis of her research concerning transport amphoras in the Mediterranean. Lucy Talcott, one the original members of the 1931 staff, was responsible for developing the card catalogue system for the objects. She also coauthored, with Brian Sparkes, Agora XII. Alison Frantz came to the Agora in 1934 as an assistant to Lucy Talcott. An interest in photography was soon rekindled, and by 1939 she was staff photographer of the excavation, a position she held until 1964. Her talent for shooting archaeological subjects was such that she was asked to photograph throughout the Mediterranean, but Frantz was also a Byzantine scholar and she worked closely with John Travlos to restore the Church of the Holy Apostles. She authored two Agora volumes, Agora XX and Agora XXIV. Margaret Crosby studying architectural fragments in the basement of the Agora museum, 1956. “Her primary responsibility at the Agora was the supervision of fieldwork, and from 1935 to 1939, and then again from 1946 to 1955, she spent every season in the field” (Agora Picturebook 26 [2006], p. 53). Crosby also coauthored, with Mabel Lang, Agora X, combining her interests in weights and measures and inscriptions. Rodney Young began excavating in the Agora in 1934. The photograph above was taken in 1947 for an article entitled “Pot’s Progress,” published in the first issue of Archaeology Magazine (vol. 1, no. 1, 1948, p. 13). Young was posed sitting amidst stacks of pottery removed from a well (Deposit A 17:2) that were ready for sorting. Mary Zelia Pease [Philippides], shown here flanked by Eugene Vanderpool and Virginia Grace, was a member of the staff in 1933. Together with Gladys Baker, she assisted Josephine Shear in cataloguing the coins that year. She returned to the Agora on fellowships in 1957/8 and 1967/8 to study the Attic black-figured pottery, and later coauthored, with Mary B. Moore, Agora XXIII. Mrs. Philippides was the Librarian of the School from 1958 to 1971, and is the last surviving member of the excavation’s original staff. Spyros Spyropoulos The spirit of Spyros Spyropoulos still lingers in the stoa many years after his death. A “jack of all trades,” he assisted all who came to the Agora Excavations for research and study. Spyros was the individual behind the scenes who worked tirelessly at any task asked of him. Many fondly remember experiencing a symposium hosted by him when he relaxed, often in the nearby Epirus Taverna. Spyros Spyropouolos mending a pot. Caretaker of an injured owl that had found shelter in the Agora, Spyros and Bouphos contemplate each other in the upper colonnade. A symposium held by Spyros at the Epirus Taverna, July 1975: (left to right) John Traill, Hardy Hansen, Spyros, waiter, Dan Geagan and Merle Langdon. A Radical Departure in the Conduct of Excavation In 1980, there was a major change in the way the Agora was excavated. While a professional staff was maintained, including a core group of experienced Greek workmen, the actual digging would be done for the first time by student volunteers. The staff of 1980 and visiting scholars. Standing (left to right): Leslie Mechem, Spyros Spyropoulos, Sally Roberts, Susan Rotroff, Robert Pounder, Lynn Grant, Helen Townsend, Mary Moore, Malcolm Wallace, Steve Koob, Alison Adams, Margie Miles, Robert Vincent, Kyriaki Moustaki. Sitting: John Camp, T. Leslie Shear Jr., Dorothy Thompson, Homer Thompson, Virginia Grace, Bill Dinsmoor Jr. Excavation staff, 1980. From left to right: Kostas Pikoulas and his father, Elias Pikoulas, foreman Nikos Dervos, Yiannis Dedes, Ioannis Paiipetis, Dionysios Soundias Agora staff and student volunteers, 1980. Front row (left to right): Martha Payne, Vasso Petsas, Kathi Donahue, Liz Bartman, Frayna Goodman, Jody Melander, Athena Sax, Chris Renaud, Nadine McGann, Alexandra Shear, Betsy Flood. Second row: Marc Pershan, Lora Johnson, Panetha Nychis, Lisa DeRensis, Judy Weinstein, Mary Lou Ross, Ann Bozorth, Julia Shear, Pam Posey, Bonnie Leah Griffin, Ann Schelpert, Barbara Hamann, Nancy Moore. Third row: Georgia Karagianni-Giorgoulea, Brian McConnell, Dean Politis, Claire Gabriel, Margie Miles, Alison Adams, Helen Townsend, Ione Shear, Peter Zimmerman, Pam Coravos, Charles Hedrick, Kyriaki Moustaki. Fourth row: Andy Sherwood, Frank DeMita, Richard Liebhart, Hans vander Leest, John Camp, Leslie Shear, Bill Dinsmoor, Richard Hamblen, Kevin Donovan, Mark Fullerton, Robert Vincent.","","","","","","","http://agathe.gr/overview/the_staff.html","Overview: The Staff","Agora","Agora:Webpage:c93bdbb7e617a64d340e8ee16d2e8df5",""
"","Webpage","South Stoa II South Stoa II ran westward from the south end of the East Building, parallel to the Middle Stoa (Figs. 38, 41). Dating to the second half of the 2nd century B.C., it consisted of a single Doric colonnade of limestone, the superstructure reused from a building of the 4th century B.C. Its only adornment is a small fountain set into the back wall. South Stoa I was put out of use by South Stoa II, and much of the earlier building was quarried away at the west to accommodate the lower floor levels of the South Square. Figure 41. Plan of the buildings at the southeast corner of the Agora.","","","","","","","http://agathe.gr/guide/south_stoa_ii.html","AgoraPicBk 16 2003: South Stoa II","Agora","Agora:Webpage:39474281b03ee43b259561dc4f3be041",""
"","Webpage","Picture Books The Athenian Agora Picture Book series, started in 1951, aims to make information about life in the ancient commercial and political center of Athens available to a wide audience. Each booklet describes a particular aspect of everyday activity, as revealed through the work of archaeologists and historians. The authors are all experts in their fields and many of the books are written by the original excavators. The texts are illustrated with material from the Agora excavations, much of which is either on display at the site or in the museum. Physical copies of these books are easy to obtain from our distributors in either the USA or UK. By clicking on the associated links, you will be transferred to your nearest outlet. Class sets can be ordered via bookstores. You can also immediately download low resolution PDFs by clicking on the download links. These are free for personal use. For permission to use in course packs, or for other commercial purposes, please contact the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01983, USA; Tel: 978 750 8400; Fax: 978 750 4250; http://www.copyright.com. Pots and Pans of Classical Athens Authors: Sparkes, B., Talcott, L.Publication Date: 1958ISBN: 0876616015Picture Book: 1 By mingling images on well-preserved Greek vases with the more fragmentary ceramics recovered during excavations at the Agora, the authors show how different vessel forms were used in Classical Athens. By linking the shapes of pots with their social functions, this book gives meaning to the ancient names, such as skyphos, olpe, kantharos, lekane, and hydria, that one encounters when visiting museums. The booklet is illustrated with over 60 black and white photographs. Google Books | English PDF | Buy Online | Search for Items Inside The Stoa of Attalos II in Athens Author: Thompson, H. A. T.Publication Date: 1992ISBN: 0876616341Picture Book: 2 Named after its donor, the King of Pergamon, the Stoa of Attalos was originally built around 150 B.C. Between 1953 and 1956 this long, columned, marble building was rebuilt by the American School of Classical Studies to store and display finds from the Agora excavations. Using original materials and techniques, the modern builders learned much about the construction and purpose of stoas, a ubiquitous classical building type. This heavily illustrated account presents some of their findings. Google Books | English PDF | Buy Online | Search for Items Inside Miniature Sculpture from the Athenian Agora Author: Thompson, D. B.Publication Date: 1959ISBN: 0876616031Picture Book: 3 Small sculptured figures of humans and animals have been found all over the Agora, ranging in date from the earliest occupation of Athens to the end of the Late Roman period. This booklet presents a representative sample of these carvings, ranging from elegant ivory figures of Apollo to small toy horses recovered from children’s graves. Illustrated with almost 80 black and white photographs. Google Books | English PDF | Buy Online | Search for Items Inside The Athenian Citizen. Democracy in the Athenian Agora Author: Lang, M.Publication Date: 2004ISBN: 0876616325Picture Book: 4 The artifacts and monuments of the Athenian Agora provide our best evidence for the workings of ancient democracy. As a concise introduction to these physical traces, this book has been a bestseller since it was first published almost 20 years ago. Showing how tribal identity was central to all aspects of civic life, the text guides the reader through the duties of citizenship; as soldier in times of war and as juror during the peace. The checks and balances that protected Athenian society from tyrants, such as legal assassination and ostracism, are described. Selected inscriptions are illustrated and discussed, as are ingenious devices such as allotment machines and water clocks, which ensured fairness in the courts. The book ends with some of the lasting products of classical administration; the silver coins accepted around the known world, and the standard weights and measures that continue to protect the consumer from unscrupulous merchants. Now illustrated entirely in color, with updates and revisions by the current director of excavations at the Agora, this new edition of an acknowledged classic will inform and fascinate visitors and students for many years to come. Online Version | Google Books | English PDF | Buy Online | Search for Items Inside Ancient Portraits from the Athenian Agora Author: Harrison, E. B.Publication Date: 1960ISBN: 0876616058Picture Book: 5 Although the famous bronze statues seen by the Roman tourist Pausanias have been melted down, the Agora preserves a number of fine portraits in stone. While a few of these are named, most of the portraits in this booklet represent ordinary men and women; priests, athletes, and officials. Referring to over 40 black and white photos, the author discusses hairstyles, clothing and facial expressions to shed light on the individuals depicted. Google Books | English PDF | Buy Online | Search for Items Inside Amphoras and the Ancient Wine Trade Author: Grace, V. RPublication Date: 1961ISBN: 0876616198Picture Book: 6 Although this booklet is based on broken pottery found during the excavation of the Agora, the author ranges far beyond the confines of Athens in her discussion of the purpose and significance of different amphora types. She shows how chronological variations in shape and the geographical clues offered by stamped handles make amphoras a fascinating source of economic information. The booklet illustrates many different forms of amphora, all set into context by the well-written text. Google Books | English PDF | Buy Online | Search for Items Inside The Middle Ages in the Athenian Agora Author: Frantz, A.Publication Date: 1961ISBN: 0876616074Picture Book: 7 The story of the Agora did not end in A.D. 267, when the Herulians invaded the city. This booklet illustrates the ornate Early Christian carving and colorful green and brown glazed pottery that distinguished medieval Athens. Finds and architecture from the private houses that covered over the Classical remains are discussed, and the book ends with a survey of the Church of the Holy Apostles, the 11th-century church that stands at the southeast corner of the Agora. Google Books | English PDF | Buy Online | Search for Items Inside Garden Lore of Ancient Athens Authors: Burr Thompson, D., Griswold, R. E.Publication Date: 1963ISBN: 0876616082Picture Book: 8 In the spring, the ground of the Agora archaeological park is covered in poppies and daisies while poplars and oaks shade many of the pathways. Some of these plants are wild and some were deliberately introduced to Athens in Classical times. This booklet presents evidence for ancient horticulture in the Agora (for example, structured antique gardens were uncovered around the Temple of Hephaistos). Its color plates also provide a useful guide to identifying modern Greek vegetation. Google Books | English PDF | Buy Online | Search for Items Inside Lamps from the Athenian Agora Author: Perlzweig, J.Publication Date: 1963ISBN: 0876616090Picture Book: 9 At night, the darkness of the ancient Agora would have been pierced by the lights of oil lamps, and thousands of fragments of these distinctive objects have been found. This booklet presents the development of different styles of lamps and includes a very useful identification guide. The author discusses the manufacture of lamps in Athens, a major industry with over 50 known workshops in the 3rd and 4th centuries A.D. She also provides illustrations of particularly fine examples, including ornate festival lamps with many nozzles and bizarre shapes. Google Books | English PDF | Buy Online | Search for Items Inside Inscriptions from the Athenian Agora Author: Meritt, B. D.Publication Date: 1966ISBN: 0876616104Picture Book: 10 Many types of written records are found in the Agora, and this booklet presents a sample of more than 10,000 inventoried inscriptions on stone. The texts illustrated include diplomatic agreements, commemorative plaques for athletic victories, records of court judgements, boundary stones identifying different buildings, and fragmentary inscriptions featuring names (over 30,000 individual Athenians are now recorded). In a city of letters, even the problems faced by the librarians of the Library of Pantainos seem familiar: “No book shall be taken out for we have sworn an oath. Open from the first hour to the sixth.” Google Books | English PDF | Buy Online | Search for Items Inside Waterworks in the Athenian Agora Author: Lang, M.Publication Date: 1968ISBN: 0876616112Picture Book: 11 Preserved beneath the surface of the Agora are thousands of terracotta pipes, stone drainage channels, and lead pressure lines. These form a complex chain of waterworks, constructed and repaired over many different periods. This book discusses the complex engineering that channeled fresh water into the Agora and disposed of waste water, and shows some of the ornate wells and fountain houses where ancient Athenians gathered to drink and bathe. Google Books | English PDF | Buy Online | Search for Items Inside An Ancient Shopping Center: The Athenian Agora Author: Burr Thompson, D.Publication Date: 1971ISBN: 087661635XPicture Book: 12 As well as being a political center, the Agora was the focus of a noisy and varied commercial life. This booklet illustrates the archaeological, documentary, and pictorial evidence for such diverse trades as shoe-making, fishmongering, weaving, and the manufacture of luxury goods and perfumes. Shopping was just one aspect of this public space: ancient Athenians would also have received medical treatment, been married and buried, made sacrifices, and received education in the Agora. The material remains from all of these activities are also discussed. Vivid illustrations and useful resources, such as a table of prices and coinage, bring the bustling marketplace to life. Google Books | English PDF | Buy Online | Search for Items Inside Early Burials from the Agora Cemeteries Author: Immerwahr, S. A.Publication Date: 1973ISBN: 0876616139Picture Book: 13 Before the creation of the Agora as a civic center in the 7th century B.C., the region northwest of the Acropolis was a vast cemetery. Over 150 ancient burial places have been found by excavators, and a few of the more remarkable are described here. These range from a wealthy Mycenaean chamber tomb, filled with the vases and jewelry of a rich noblewoman, to the poignant pithos burial of an infant from around 725 B.C., accompanied by eight tiny vases. As well as describing the assemblages found, the author discusses the symbolism of funeral rites and the information about social status and identity that burials reveal. Google Books | English PDF | Buy Online | Search for Items Inside Graffiti in the Athenian Agora Author: Lang, M.Publication Date: 1988ISBN: 0876616333Picture Book: 14 “Return the stamnos to Philippa’s brother Philip,” “cheap wine,” “Alkaios seems beautiful to Melis,” “Of Tharrios I am the cup.” Like fragments of overheard conversations, the thousands of informal inscriptions scratched and painted on potsherds, tiles, and other objects give us a unique insight into the everyday life of the Athenian Agora. Some are marks of ownership, or the notes of merchants, but many are sexual innuendos, often accompanied by graphic illustrations. Using her wide contextual knowledge, the author suggests why these scraps of sentences were written, and what they can tell us about one of the first widely literate societies. Google Books | English PDF | Buy Online | Search for Items Inside Greek and Roman Coins in the Athenian Agora Author: Kleiner, F. S.Publication Date: 1975ISBN: 0876616155Picture Book: 15 Over 75,000 coins have been found during excavations at the Agora, many minted in the city but others brought from Athens’s far-flung commercial contacts. In addition to the mostly bronze and copper coins themselves, a building that may have served as the Athenian mint is described in this booklet. After describing the physical techniques of production, the author takes a chronological approach and includes numerous black and white photographs, making this concise guide a useful aid to the identification of lower-value Greek and Roman coinage. Google Books | English PDF | Buy Online | Search for Items Inside The Athenian Agora, A Short Guide in Color Author: Camp, J.Publication Date: 2003ISBN: 0876616430Picture Book: 16 In a newly revised version of this popular site guide, the current director of excavations in the Athenian Agora gives a brief account of the history of the ancient center of Athens. The text has been updated and expanded to cover the most recent archaeological discoveries, and the guide now features numerous color illustrations. Each monument still visible on the site is described in turn, and helpful maps and plans are a particular feature of this edition. Birthplace of democracy, the Agora remains one of the most fascinating archaeological sites in the world, and this is the essential companion for any visitor. Online Version | Google Books | English PDF | Greek PDF | Buy Online | Search for Items Inside Socrates in the Agora Author: Lang, M.Publication Date: 1978ISBN: 0876616171Picture Book: 17 As far as we know, the 5th-century B.C. Greek philosopher Socrates himself wrote nothing. We discover his thoughts and deeds entirely through the writings of his followers, disciples who accompanied him on his walks through the Athenian Agora or engaged in dialogue with him in the Stoa Basileios. Rather than examining his ideas in abstract, this stimulating little book aims to place Socrates in his physical setting, using textual references to follow his progress through the material remains still visible. The author not only sheds new light on the great philosopher’s life, but also provides a vivid reconstruction, through following the career of one of its most famous citizens, of daily life at the center of classical Athens. Google Books | English PDF | Buy Online | Search for Items Inside Mediaeval and Modern Coins in the Athenian Agora Author: Kleiner, F. S.Publication Date: 1978ISBN: 087661618XPicture Book: 18 From the thousands of pieces of Late Roman “small change” discovered trodden into beaten earth floors and dropped into wells to the hoards of 19th-century A.D. silver French francs discovered beneath modern houses, many post-classical coins have been discovered during excavations at the Agora. This booklet presents Byzantine, Frankish, Venetian, Turkish, and modern Greek coins, with many pieces illustrated with clear black and white photos of both obverse and reverse. Google Books | English PDF | Buy Online | Search for Items Inside Gods and Heroes in the Athenian Agora Author: Camp, J.Publication Date: 1980ISBN: 0876616236Picture Book: 19 Religion played a part in almost every aspect of civic life, so shrines, temples, altars, and dedications are conspicuous at almost every turn during a visit to the Agora. The author of this booklet shows where and how the major Olympian gods were worshipped, and then turns his attention to lesser known deities, such as Hekate, the triple-bodied goddess of the crossroads. He argues that the cults of heroes, such as Theseus, one of the legendary founders of Athens, were much more popular than the official state religion focused on the Olympian gods. Google Books | English PDF | Buy Online | Search for Items Inside Bronzeworkers in the Athenian Agora Author: Mattusch, C. C.Publication Date: 1982ISBN: 0876616244Picture Book: 20 The conspicuous Temple of Hephaistos, Greek god of metalworkers, prominently situated on the western side of the Agora, reflects the esteem in which bronzeworkers were held by the Athenians. Although many of the objects these craftsmen produced have now been melted down, the statues, lamps, and vessels that remain testify to the high standards of their craftsmanship. As well as illustrating some of the surviving finished products, the author discusses the techniques used to cast bronze and the level of skill involved in producing complex metal statuary. Google Books | English PDF | Buy Online | Search for Items Inside Ancient Athenian Building Methods Authors: Camp, J., Dinsmoor Jr., W. B.Publication Date: 1984ISBN: 0876616260Picture Book: 21 While this booklet is illustrated solely with materials from the Athenian Agora, it also provides a concise introduction to building styles and techniques that will be useful to anyone interested in ancient Greek architecture. From financing to tools, and from mason’s marks to the clamps that held blocks together, no detail is ommitted in this well-illustrated text. The different parts of monumental buildings, from the foundations to the tile roofs, are all discussed with clear drawings to indicate how the whole was constructed. Google Books | English PDF | Buy Online | Search for Items Inside Birds of the Athenian Agora Authors: Lamberton, R. D., Rotroff, S. I.Publication Date: 1985ISBN: 0876616279Picture Book: 22 As well as the Little Owl, or glaux, so often seen accompanying the goddess Athena, many other birds played an important role in Greek art and symbolism. This booklet describes the ways in which the Greeks viewed birds, from useful hawks and fowl to exotic parakeets and peacocks. Some of the birds most often depicted are imaginary—from the griffin to the “phallos bird,” whose head and neck consisted of an erect penis. The book ends with a birder’s guide to species likely to be seen on a visit to the Agora archaeological park today. Google Books | English PDF | Buy Online | Search for Items Inside Life, Death, and Litigation in the Athenian Agora Author: Lang, M.Publication Date: 1994ISBN: 0876616376Picture Book: 23 Athens was a famously litigious city in antiquity, as the sheer quantity of evidence for legal activity found in the Agora makes clear. Every kind of case, from assault and battery to murder, and from small debts to contested fortunes, were heard in various buildings and spaces around the civic center, and the speeches given in defence and prosecution remain some of the masterpieces of Greek literature. As well as describing the spaces where judgments were made (such as the Stoa Basileios, office of the King Archon), the author discusses the progress of some famous cases (known from the speeches of orators like Demosthenes), such as the patrimony suit of a woman named Plangon against the nobleman Mantias, or the assault charge leveled by Ariston against Konon and his sons. Google Books | English PDF | Buy Online | Search for Items Inside Horses and Horsemanship in the Athenian Agora Author: Camp, J.Publication Date: 1998ISBN: 0876616392Picture Book: 24 This concise and beautifully illustrated book demonstrates the many roles played by the horse in the lives of the Greeks, from its place in myth and early history to its significance as a marker of social status and its use in warfare, transportation, games, and festivals. From their arrival in Greece, at the start of the Middle Bronze Age (ca. 2000 B.C.), horses were a powerful symbol of rank. Bridles and other horse trappings are often found in graves, alongside vases depicting horses grazing, racing, and parading. Sculpture is also full of horse imagery, from monumental equestrian statues (a bronze leg and gilded sword are all that remain from one of these) to tiny terracotta figurines, perhaps a child’s toys. As well as presenting many examples of horse imagery found in the Agora, the author reports on recent finds near the ancient hipparcheion, the stables of the Athenian cavalry. Google Books | English PDF | Buy Online | Search for Items Inside The Games at Athens Authors: Neils, J., Tracy, S. V.Publication Date: 2003ISBN: 0876616414Picture Book: 25 This attractive book presents a general introduction to the Greater Panathenaia, the week-long religious and civic festival held at Athens every four years in honor of the city’s patron goddess, Athena. The highlight of the city’s festival calendar, with its musical, athletic, and equestrian contests, tribal events, processions, sacrifices, and other activities, the Greater Panathenaia involved all the residents of Athens—not just adult males but women, children, metics (resident aliens), foreigners, and even slaves. The facilities, administration, program events, prizes, and associated monuments are described. Google Books | English PDF | Buy Online | Search for Items Inside Women in the Agora Authors: Rotroff, S., Lamberton. R.Publication Date: 2006ISBN: 0876616449Picture Book: 26 Using evidence from the Athenian Agora, the authors show how objects discovered during excavations provide a vivid picture of women’s lives. The book is structured according to the social roles women played—as owners of property, companions (in and outside of marriage), participants in ritual, craftspeople, producers, and consumers. A final section moves from the ancient world to the modern, discussing the role of women as archaeologists in the early years of the Agora excavations. Google Books | Buy Online | Search for Items Inside Marbleworkers in the Athenian Agora Author: Lawton, C.Publication Date: 2006ISBN: 0876616547Picture Book: 27 The 5th-century B.C. poet Pindar remarked on the rich sculptural decoration of the Athenian Agora, and, indeed, over 3,500 pieces of various types of sculpture have been uncovered during its excavation. This full-color guide sheds new light on the marble industry in and around the Agora, including rich evidence for sculptors’ workshops, their tools, and techniques. The text discusses the works of both famous and anonymous artists. Google Books | Buy Online | Search for Items Inside","","","","","","","http://agathe.gr/publications/picture_books.html","Publications: Picture Books","Agora","Agora:Webpage:13d1c3f4a073ae9908f4b8a37cf3f883",""
"","Webpage","Sokrates The philosopher Sokrates was one of many Athenians critical of the people and their control over affairs of state. His probing public debates with fellow citizens led to his trial for impiety and corrupting the youth of Athens, his approach and opinions having exceeded the limits on freedom of speech acceptable to the Athenians. The Agora, as the political center of Athens, was the scene of many of the events played out in the drama of his teaching, trial, and death. According to custom, youths were not expected to spend time in the great square; the gymnasia of the city -- the Academy and Lyceum -- were their proper haunts. Sokrates, therefore, met them in a shop near the Agora, according to Xenophon (Memorabilia 4.21), and Diogenes Laertios preserves the name of Simon as the owner of the establishment where these meetings took place: ""Simon, an Athenian, a shoemaker. When Sokrates came to his workshop and discoursed, he used to make notes of what he remembered, whence these dialogues were called 'The Shoemakers""' (2.13.122). Regrettably, the shoemaker dialogues have not survived, but in the excavations of the Agora, a small house of the 5th century B.C. was excavated east of the Tholos, just outside the Agora boundary stone. Within it were found bone eyelets and iron hobnails dearly used for shoemaking, and nearby was found the broken fragment of a drinking cup, inscribed with the name of the owner, ""Simon.' The archaeological evidence suggests that we have here the very shop, visited by Perikles, which Sokrates used as an informal classroom, meeting here those students too young to frequent the square. Photograph of the House of Simon the Shoemaker. Athens, Agora excavations. The photograph shows the foundations of a house to the left of a roadway. It has been identified as a shoemaker's establishment by the discovery in the rooms of iron hobnails and bone shoelace eyelets (below). The base of a black-glaze drinking cup found in the roadway is inscribed ""of Simon,"" so it seems likely that this was the house of Simon the Shoemaker to whom the literary texts refer. Bone shoelace eyelets, Sth century B.C. D.: 0.015-0.025 m. Athens, Agora Museum BI 738. Iron hobnails, 5th century B.C. L. of shafts: 0.015 m. Athens, Agora Museum IL 1361. Base of an Athenian (Attic) black-glaze kylix (drinking cup), 5th century B.C. D.: 0.073 m. Athens, Agora Museum P 22998. The inscription ΣΙΜΟΝΟΣ, ""of Simon;' is scratched on the upper surface of the cup base. The cup can be dated by details of its shape to about 460 B.C., a time rather earlier than would be consistent with the Simon known to Sokrates and mentioned in the literary sources. It has been suggested that by the end of the 5th century, the base had become separated from the bowl of the cup and had been reused as a door knocker. The name Simon thus indicates whose house it was, and the findspot in the roadway is logical. The preliminary indictment leading to Sokrates' trial took place in the Royal Stoa and he was tried before a jury of 501 Athenians, in one of the lawcourts of the city, not as yet excavated. The trial was fairly close: 221 to 280 votes, according to Sokrates; in the penalty phase of the trial, however, he was condemned to death. According to Athenian law, the defense could propose an alternate penalty. Plato, in the Apology, tells what Sokrates suggests: What penalty do I deserve to pay or suffer, in view of what I have done? ... I tried to persuade each one of you not to think more of practical advantages than of his mental and moral well-being, or in general to think more of advantage than of well-being in the case of the state or of anything else.... What else is appropriate for a poor man who is a public benefactor and who requires leisure for giving you moral encouragement? Nothing could be more appropriate for such a person than free maintenance at the state's expense (Apology 36B, translated by Hugh Tredennick). Sokrates' confinement and execution in the state prison of Athens are described in some detail by Plato, and his description corresponds in several respects to a large building lying southwest of the Agora square. Here were found the thirteen little clay medicine bottles that may have held the poison hemlock with which the Athenians dispatched their political prisoners, and here, too, was found the small marble statuette that closely resembles the known portraits of Sokrates. Set of thirteen clay medicine bottles, 4th century B.C. H.: 0.036-0.042 m. Athens, Agora Museum P 20858. These small bottles are of a type generally used for drugs and medicine. This set of thirteen, found in the annex to the state prison, may have been used to hold the hemlock that was measured out in the exact dose necessary to cause death. After his trial in 399 B.C., recorded in Plato's Apology, Sokrates was executed in this manner. Fragmentary marble statuette, 4th century B.C. H.: 0.105 m. Athens, Agora Museum S 1413. Only one statue of Sokrates is recorded in ancient literature. After executing him, the Athenians felt such remorse that eventually they commissioned a bronze statue of Sokrates, the work of the renowned sculptor Lysippos, which they set up in the Pompeion in Athens (Diogenes Laertios 2.43). A bust in Naples may reproduce the original by Lysippos. This small statuette found in the state prison may have been a memento recalling the Lysippan bronze.","","","","","","","http://agathe.gr/democracy/sokrates.html","Birth of Democracy: Sokrates","Agora","Agora:Webpage:8307df62c572f791a374e632a40f4710",""