Greece – Spring, 2025

Athen’s Ancient Agora, and a Trio of Historical Hills to Climb

On my second full day in Athens I headed to the Ancient Agora which was the centre of Athen’s commercial, social and political life for some 800 years, from about 600 BC to 300 AD. Agora means “gathering space” and this agora featured shops, piazzas, theatres, temples, tavernas, altars, and government housing, offices, and meeting halls where ministers, elected by the free adult male citizens of Athens, met to debate, make, and oversee the administration of laws. The two main roads of Athens met here: the principal east/west road, which led to the busy Athenian port of Piraeus, and the Panathenaic Way (below), which ran north/south and led towards and up onto the Acropolis.

During its heyday, the Agora thronged with people running their businesses, shopping, visiting theatres and temples, and attending speeches, demonstrations and celebrations. Socrates philosophized here, Plato and Aristotle taught here, and Sophocles produced plays here. Today though, the Agora is a large, quiet, and peaceful expanse of green, marked mostly by the foundations of grand buildings long since gone. There are some notable exceptions, however, the most obvious being the Temple of Hephaistos which I had seen from a distance when up on the Acropolis. It is beautifully set on a low rise and its gorgeous golden colour is complemented by the greenery of the surrounding trees.

I headed towards the temple, but first I stopped to photograph the surviving remnants of what were once six large sculptures that acted as columns for the Odeon of Agrippa, a large theatre built during the Roman period.

The Temple of Haphaistos is one of the best preserved Greek temples. Similar to, but smaller than the Parthenon, it was built around 350 BC in the Doric style. Here, Athenians worshiped Hephaistos, the blacksmith god, as well as Athena as the patroness of arts and crafts.

From in front of the temple, there were great views across the Agora to the Acropolis,

and, in the other direction, across to the reconstructed Stoa of Attalos, which is the long colonnaded building on the right in the photo below. Lycabettus Hill rises dramatically in the distant background.

I was happy to be in such a peaceful green space, and I strolled the site lazily, occasionaly reading information panels, and looking up to the Acropolis often. It really draws the eye! I enjoyed the feeling of space, the trees and flowers, and the pleasing geometry of the ruins and its the blocks and cylinders of stone.

At the far end of the Agora I came upon the Church of the Holy Apostles which was built in the year 1000 AD on the site of an ancient temple and spring. It is built in the Byzantine style, in the shape of a Greek cross, and with a central dome, and it was dedicated to St. Paul who preached Christianity in the Agora and on the nearby Areopagus Hill.

Scattered around and near the church were many pieces of carved stone and I stopped to admire and photograph some of them.

I then made my way to the Stoa of Attola which is a reconstruction that was built in the 1950s on the plan of the original stoa from 150 BC. The stoa had covered walkways and housed shops on its first floor and offices on its second. The covered porch is about 400 feet long and today is lined with statues of gods, heroes, and athletes that were once located on the grounds of the agora.

Here is a view down the inside length of the covered porch from beyond the first set of columns,

and then the second. So elegant!

The stoa houses the Agora’s museum and I enjoyed perusing the cases, many of which held pottery. The Athenians were skilled at the craft and traded their wares widely. The cases were arranged chronologically and showed the development of different styles of pottery over the centuries (from left to right, an amphora and jar from 1500 BC, pieces from the Early and Late Geometric Periods (850 BC, and 700 BC), and finely decorated black on red pottery from c. 500 BC).

There were other kinds of artefacts displayed as well, such as glass items and gold jewellery from the Roman period,

and objects that represented the political life of the Agora, including a special machine called a Kleroteria which was used to randomly select which citizens had to do jury duty and other state duties, and a simple water clock made of two pottery bowls that timed speeches at council meetings – six minutes and you were done! The case on the right shows pottery fragments with names scratched upon them by Athenians who were voting to ostracize fellow citizens who were corrupt or acted as tyrants.

I exited the museum and stoa, and walked along the row of column fragments that mark the site of what was once the 500 foot long Middle Stoa,

and then I found a quiet shaded bench among the trees and sat for a good long while, reluctant to leave the Agora. But, it was nearing noon, and time to move on as I had hills to climb. I exited the Agora onto the pedestrian Adrianou street which is lined with tavernas, cafes, ice cream shops, and souvenir stalls. It was jam-packed with tourists and locals alike, with many Greek families out for lunch and a stroll. I managed to find a quiet corner in one of the less-busy tavernas and enjoyed a tasty falafel wrap for lunch. Then, I headed up the even busier Ag. Asomaton street where I dodged tourists and shoppers that were perusing the arts and crafts and flea market stalls of the Thisseo market. People seemed happy, on this sunny Sunday, and I guess this scene was not very unlike what the Agora might have looked and felt like centuries ago. But, crowds are not for me, and I was very happy to find the entrance into the park-like grounds that surround Aeropaggus Hill. Ahhh, a pleasing and auspicious start to my climb!

Unfortunately, graffiti tags marred parts of the historic hill, but the scenery was still stunning. (Like Paris and Naples, Athens has a lot of graffiti which I cannot abide.)

Thousands upon thousands of footfalls over time have made the rock of this outcropping polished and slippery, and even with my hiking boots I had to be careful of my steps. I stopped halfway up to turn and take in the view over the Agora below,

and across towards Plaka and Lycabettus HIll.

Then I climbed to the very top, where the Apostle Paul is said to have delivered a famous sermon, for this view of the Acropolis!

Here is a zoomed in view of the Propylaea gate and the Temple of Athena Nike, and I sat for a short while and watched an endless stream of visitors make their way up the stone steps.

I descended Areopagus Hill and stopped halfway down to assess the three low hills to the west of me that comprise the “Archaeological Site of Hills of the Muses (Philopappos), Pynx, and Nymph.” I decided to save the furthest, Nymph Hill, for another day and I set my eyes on Pynx Hill across from me to the west,

and on Philopappou Hill, the tallest of the three, and topped by a large frieze depicting the Muses.

At the base of Pynx Hill there was a map that showed the locations of more than 25 historic sites that are scattered over the three hills. I only photographed one historic spot on Pynx Hill, the speaker’s platform. This was the meeting place of the ancient Assembly, from between the 5th and 4th centuries BC, where Athenian citizens came to orate, debate, and vote on laws and customs.

But, I was no longer in the mood for history as I was diverted by the lovely hillside paths, trees, flowers, and the views all around.

Mostly though I was diverted by views of the Acropolis! Here are only two, from slightly different vantage points, and as the sky changed over time, of the probably twenty photos that I took!

I loved being on those hills and I seriously considered walking back down Filopappou, and up and over Pynx, to then climb up Nymph Hill and include it in my day. But, I still had a lengthy walk home, and I decided that my Sunday had already been full enough. It had been another wonderful day in historic Athens!