Roman Agora of Athens
Roman Agora of Athens features on the Gingerguide audio walk through Athens. Give it roughly ~45 min: enough to look, hear a two to three minute story on the spot, and ask the AI guide whatever the story leaves open.
- Type historic
- Suggested visit ~45 min
- Athens Athens guide
About Roman Agora of Athens
The tidy marble marketplace the Romans built to take over the city's shopping, entered through the Gate of Athena the Leader, paid for by Caesar and Augustus.
The Roman Agora is a rectangular, marble-colonnaded marketplace built just east of the older Greek Agora, funded from a promise made by Julius Caesar and completed with money from the emperor Augustus, dated to roughly 19-11 BC. It took the form of a large open courtyard, about 112 by 96 metres, surrounded by colonnaded porticoes and shops, and it took over the everyday market functions of the city. Its monumental west entrance is the Gate of Athena Archegetis, dedicated in 11 BC, a Pentelic-marble gate of four Doric columns whose inscription names Caesar and Augustus as its funders and dedicates it to Athena Archegetis, "Athena the Leader".
At the southeast corner stand the Vespasianae, a well-preserved first-century AD public latrine, beside a second, Ionic gateway on the east side. During Ottoman rule the Fethiye Mosque was built on the northern part of the site, and it survives as one of the best-preserved Ottoman buildings in Athens. The octagonal Tower of the Winds stands at the enclosure's eastern end.
Did you know? The west gate still carries its sponsors' names. Its inscription records that Julius Caesar and Augustus paid for the marketplace, and that the people of Athens dedicated the gate to Athena Archegetis, "Athena the Leader".
How long is a visit to Roman Agora of Athens?
Set aside roughly ~45 min for Roman Agora of Athens. That covers a good look and the narrated story, and because you set the pace you can always stay on.
Is Roman Agora of Athens worth your time?
Roman Agora of Athens is among the 35 narrated highlights the Gingerguide team chose for Athens, so it is worth a look. Hear the story for the context, then ask the AI guide for anything more.
Nearby stops in Athens
Sources and further reading
Where to check the facts about Roman Agora of Athens and read more:
Day 1 of the Athens in 2 days itinerary →Day 1 of the Athens in 3 days itinerary →
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Hear the story of Roman Agora of Athens
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