Ancient Agora of Athens

This is the place where democracy came to be. The agora was the heart of the city where all activities--commercial, political, social, etc.--were centered.
The 1st picture looks over the agora from the hill with the Temple of Hephaestus. In the distance on the far side of the agora is the restored Stoa of Attalos. The original had 42 spaces for shops on 2 levels. The 2nd picture is taken from the upper story looking back towards Hephaestus. Today there are museums on both levels of the stoa.
The 3rd catches a lot of the ruins. The entrance to the Odeon of Agrippa is in the back.
The 4th and 5th pictures look along the 2 levels of the restored stoa. You can get a sense of scale and see some of the artifacts recovered from the agora
The last picture is tangentially related to the agora. This is Socrates (who did hang out here) and Confucius (who didn't) in conversation. I would love to see a transcript of such a conversation.Read more