The Acropolis may be where Athenians went to commune with their gods, but the Ancient Agora is where the real day-to-day business of their city was conducted. Lying in the open, ruin strewn land north-west of the Acropolis, the name itself is a give-away – in Ancient Greek, it means 'gathering place'. All Greek cities had an agora, where politics and trade was done, but the Ancient Agora of Athens is special. It is widely recognised as the birthplace of democracy.
It was in Athens that citizens first gathered to vote on the issues of the day, with all male Athenians allowed to take part. And it was here in the Ancient Agora that the institutions of Athens' unique democracy experiment were based – the senate meeting hall (the Tholos), the law-courts, and the council assembly (the Bouleuterion). Government of the people, for the people and by the people it all started here some 2,600 years ago. Not that the world's first democracy left much behind, in the way of physical remains.
So while you can walk on the same stones, that felt the foot-fall of Athens' voters, council-members and senators, you won't see much left, above ground level, here. A little imagination (and a good guide-book, or guide) will be needed to bring it all back to life. There is one exception, though – the Temple of Hephaestus. It is the best-preserved building on the site, and stands in dramatic contrast to the other ruins. It was dedicated to the patron god of craftsmanship and metal working, and is a splendid reminder of what the rest of the Agora would have looked like.
There were other important public buildings here too – the Metroon, where the city's official archives were housed, the Mint, a library, and public dining rooms. There's the Royal Stoa, where Athens’ king, who had important religious duties, resided. All of these can still be traced by their foundations, occasional pillars and notice stones. Perhaps the most important monument of all, though, is the one you can't see – the legacy of a city that showed the world the way that the people can govern themselves.
