The Roman Legacy
When most people, myself included, think of Greece, they think of endless sunny weather, but we had a chance to discover that this is not exactly the case in the Athenian capital. On this day we awoke to a gloomy overcast sky that did absolutely nothing to hinder the beauty of this unique city — and it did help a bit with the heat.
Ρωμαϊκή Αγορά / Roman Agora
The Roman Agora was built between 27 -17 BCE by Eukles of Marathon with funds donated by Julius Caesar and Augustus. An agora was a marketplace, a central public place in the ancient Greek city-states, which makes it similar to the concept of the Roman Forum (though it came earlier). As this particular site was built during the Roman occupation of the city, it receives the name of Roman Agora, while the Ancient Agora occupies a separate site nearby.
Built as a monument to their patron goddess, the Gate of Athena Archegetis marks the entrance to the agora. During the Ottoman occupation, this gate was known as the Gate to the Bazaar, as this served as a wheat bazaar during that time.
While excavations at this site are ongoing, we do know it was surrounded by a peristyle, a continuous porch held aloft by columns. A marble colonnade led the way into a series of shops on the western side, and to the east, another entrance, the Tower of the Winds, and vespasianae, or public toilets. We also know that there was once an agoranomion here, which was an office for market officials.
The agora was destroyed during invasions by the Venetians and the Ottomans, and new buildings were constructed on top of it, including houses, churches, and mosques. The Fethiye Mosque was such a building, and still stands by the site today.
Αέρηδες / Aerides
A structure known by a few names, it is also called the Horologion of Andronikos Kyrrhestes, and Tower of the Winds. It is built out of Pentelic marble, and it served as a horologion, or “timepiece.” It was designed by the Greek astronomer Andronikos Kyrrhestes (of Cyrrhus) around 50 BCE, but there are sources which suggest the structure was built before the rest of the agora.
In antiquity, the structure was topped by a weather-vane with the shape of Triton, which indicated the wind direction. The frieze that lines the top depicts eight wind deities: Boreas (North Wind), Kaikias (Northeastern), Apeliotes (Eastern), Eurus (Southeastern), Notus (Southern), Livas (Southwestern), Zephyrus (Western), and Skiron (Northwestern). Eight sundials once lined the building below this frieze.
Time was marked by a water clock on the inside of the tower with a design comparable to that of the Antikythera mechanism. Its considerable height is explained by the motivation to make it a type of ancient clocktower, visible from other areas of the city. In early Christian times, this was used as a bell tower for an Eastern Orthodox church, and during Ottoman times, the building was buried up to half its height, where Turkish inscriptions can be found on the walls.
The Archaeological Society of Athens excavated the structure in the 19th century, when a survey of the building was published in London in The Antiquities of Athens. As a result of this popularity, it has been influential on the design of later buildings in the UK, the US, Belgium, and Italy.
Βιβλιοθήκη του Αδριανού / Library of Hadrian
Nearby is Hadrian’s Library, built by the Roman Emperor in 132 CE. Papyrus scrolls were stored on the eastern side of the building, including important literary works and legal and administrative documents, with adjoining halls used as reading rooms and lecture halls.
It was the largest library in Athens. It was severely damaged during the Herulian invasion of 267, and repaired in 407-412. Churches were built around it during Byzantine times, the remains of which are still preserved today.
Gold Colored Fox 