Make sure to go to the east rear porch (opisthodomos) of the Temple of Hephaestus. The ancient temple is perched on the hill Agoraios Kolonos. Below your feet is a spectacular view of the Ancient Agora of Athens. The panorama is the only way to fully comprehend the sprawling 30 acres of this amazing archeological landscape. Agora means marketplace in Greek. The Athenian Agora was the epicenter of political, social and business life in Athens for over 3,000 years. The ruins reflect the city’s major historic periods: Archaic (700-480 BC), Classical (480-323 BC), Hellenistic (323-31 BC), Roman (31 BC – 323 AD) and the early Byzantine (starting in 323 AD). The Athenian Agora was destroyed by the Slavs in 580 AD. Your imagination (or a good reconstructed map) will have to picture the 35 grand buildings that once occupied the heart of ancient Athens.
