Travel with Ed Gé: Simply Agora-ble!!!

The Agora was the heart of the Ancient Greek cities. It was the political, commercial, spiritual, athletic and artistic center of the community. "Agora" literally means assembly place or meeting place. Agoraphobia, fear of crowds, actually comes from this term. The Agora of Athens was easily the largest and best known Agora of all of the Greek city states. Although the region had been continually inhabited since prehistoric times, the agora itself was officially founded in the 6th century B.C. but underwent many transformations throughout the early life of Athens. It originally had a temple to the 12 Olympian Gods, as well as temples for Zeus, Apollo and Hephaestus. In the 2nd century B.C. a second temple to Zeus and Ares were added and with the advent of Christianity, churches were built in the Agora, even a Synagogue was constructed in the 3rd century A.D. The temple of Hephaestus is one of the best preserved ancient temples in all of Greece.

There were areas in the Agora for the craftsmen who worked in marble, metals, ceramics and other commercial commodities as well as shops that sold a variety of local and imported products. The seat of government was also here, this was where elections took place as well as all the decisions that governed the citizens of Athens, its colonies and its subject states. Here the citizens annually voted who should be ostracized from Athens because their pressence was deemed dangerous to the state. A man who was ostrasized could not return for ten years.

The roads of the Agora saw much history pass across them. The Panathenaic Way began at the Kerameikos cemetery, crossed the agora and lead to the Acropolis. The Athletic races were held on this road, as was the Panatheniac festival that gave the road its name. This was the most important festival in Athens. It was a religious, athletic and cultural festival. There was a procession with a statue of Athena (the protector of Athens), a torch race from the Acropolis to Piraeus, beauty contests, mock battles, javelin throw from horseback, chariot races, poetry and music competitions. The Sacred way lead from the base of the Acropolis through the agora out to Eleusis (now called Elefsina), a small town on the coast. Each year the followers of the sacred Eleusinian Mysteries had a procession from the Kerameikos in Athens out to the Sanctuary of Demeter in Eleusis. This was the most famous of the ancient religious mysteries.

When you walk the roads of the Agora you are following in the footsteps of Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Solon, Thesius, Peisistratus, Pericles, Miltiades, Themistocles, Herodotus, Aeschylus, Aristophanes, Eurpides, Sophocles, Hippocrates, Plutarch, Herodotus, Thucydides, Xenophon, Thasybulus, Aristides, Apostle Paul, Hadrian and countless other major historical characters. This is where Socrates drank that fateful cup of poison hemlock. The museum of the Agora is housed in the beautifully reconstructed Stoa. Stoas were public buildings that were covered walkways supported by columns. The museum features a fine collection of items from various time periods that were found in the Agora's archeological site.

Athens is one of the ten oldest cities in the world but what makes it truly unique and special to me is that it was the Great Human Experiment. It was the place where we humans tried to find the best ways to organize and live together. Athens had kings, tyrants, military leaders, elected leaders, a senate. Many forms and Philosophies of government were discussed and tried here. Athens brought the concept of Democracy to the world. All these discussions, decisions and debates happened here in the ancient Agora. So when visiting Athens don't forget to visit the Agora and walk in the footsteps of the history of not just a great ancient city but of the history of man. It is a wonderful place to take a stroll through the ruins but i would strongly suggest you not accept any hemlock juice.