- Agora
The Agora was an open "place of assembly" in ancient Greek city-states. Early in Greek history (900s–700s BCE), free-born male land-owners who were citizens would gather in the agora for military duty or to hear statements of the ruling king or council. Later in Greek history, the agora served as a marketplace where merchants kept stalls or shops to sell their goods amid colonnades.
Classical Athens boasted a large agora (Agora of Athens) in the heart of the city. Under the Athenian dictatorsPisistratus andHippias , the agora was cleared to a rectangular open area of about 600 by 750 yards, bordered with grand public buildings.Discovery
The American School of Classical Studies has been excavating the ancient Athenian agora since 1931. In the 1950s, the
Hellenistic Stoa of Attalos was reconstructed on the east side of the agora, and today it serves as a museum and as storage and office space for the excavation team.The word
agoraphobia , the fear of critical public situations, derives from agora in its meaning as a temple.External links
* [http://www.agathe.gr Official homepage of the excavations at the Athenian Agora]
* [http://www.kultur.gov.tr/EN/BelgeGoster.aspx?17A16AE30572D3137A2395174CFB32E1C312D1DD2E9EA986 Official homepage of Izmir Agora Museum]
* [http://www.agoramag.com Official homepage of the first and premier free online E-Magazine in South Asia - Agora Magazine ]
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