Agora Facts for Kids

This page is about the ancient marketplace. For other uses, see Agora (disambiguation).

A view of the Ancient Agora of Athens. You can see the Temple of Hephaestus on the left and the Stoa of Attalos on the right.

The agora ( Ancient Greek: ἀγορά, romanized: agorá) was a very important public space in ancient Greek city-states. The word "agora" means "gathering place" or "assembly" in Modern Greek. It was the heart of city life, where people gathered for sports, art, business, social events, religious ceremonies, and political discussions. The Ancient Agora of Athens is a famous example of this.

What Was the Ancient Agora?
The Famous Agora of Athens
- A Sacred Path and Temples
What an Agora Looked Like
Gallery
See also

What Was the Ancient Agora?

A Roman medal from 216/217 AD showing Emperor Caracalla being welcomed in an Agora.

Long ago, from about 1000 BC to 300 BC, free citizens in Greek city-states met in the agora. They would gather for military duties or to hear important news from their leaders. Over time, the agora also became a busy marketplace. Merchants set up stalls and shops to sell their goods. This attracted artisans, who built their workshops nearby.

Because the agora was both a political meeting spot and a market, two Greek verbs came from its name. ἀγοράζω, agorázō, means "I shop." And ἀγορεύω, agoreúō, means "I speak in public."

The Famous Agora of Athens

The Athenian agora as it looks today.

The Ancient Agora of Athens was located below the northern side of the Acropolis. It was the main meeting place for Athenians. Here, citizens discussed important government matters in their democracy. People also conducted business, socialized, watched performers, and listened to famous philosophers.

A Sacred Path and Temples

Religion was very important in the Athenian agora. It was a sacred place, and its design showed this. The agora was centered around the Panathenaic Way. This was a special road that ran through Athens to the city's main gate, Dipylon. The Panathenaic Way was extremely sacred. It was used for the Panathenaic festival, a big celebration held every four years to honor the goddess Athena.

The agora was also known for housing the Temple of Hephaestus. This temple honored Hephaestus, the Greek god of metalworking and craftsmen. This temple is still in great condition today. Other temples that once stood in the agora honored Zeus, Athena, Apollo, and Ares.

What an Agora Looked Like

A reconstructed Stoa of Attalos in Athens.

Agoras were often built in the center of a city or near a harbor. They featured colonnades, which are rows of tall columns. They also had stoae, which were long, open walkways under the colonnades. Agoras were often beautifully decorated with fountains, trees, and statues. After the Greco-Persian Wars, when the Athenian agora was rebuilt, it was designed without these colonnades and stoae at first. Later, they were added back, like in the reconstructed Stoa of Attalos.