Agora

After the Acropolis we walked down to the ancient Agora, which has been under excavation since the 1930s by the American School of Classical Studies.

A view of the Agora, and the Temple of Hephaestus, from

the Acropolis



In the American School of Classical Studies Agora

Museum, "ballots" for ostracism

An ostracism ballot for Arissteides

Speaking of ballots, here's the Stele of

Democracy

Athenian BBQ grill



The label said this was a toy; OK...



Portico of the Stoa of Attalos, recreated by the American

School



View from the Agora back to the Acropolis



Thought to be the House of Simon, an associate of

Socrates, who, like Plato, took notes on Socrates' dialogues

Looking back across the Agora to the Stoa of Attalos

The Temple of Hephaestus, in the Agora; perhaps the best-

preserved of all such temples; had it been on the Acropolis,

someone would have used it for target practice...

In the vicinity of the various civic buildings in the Agora,

near where, we were told, would have been the jail where

Socrates drank his hemlock cocktail

A block away from the excavated Agora, the remains of the

Library of Hadrian

A nice lunch in the souvlaki alley

And everywhere around, more ruins, more excavation