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http://agathe.gr/democracy/democracy.html Introduction Classical Athens saw the rise of an achievement unparalleled in history. Perikles, Aischylos, Sophokles, Plato, Demosthenes, and Praxiteles represent just a few of the statesmen and philosophers, ... Introduction Classical Athens saw the rise of an achievement unparalleled in history. ... Most of the material presented comes from the excavations of the Athenian Agora, carried out by the American School of Classical Studies at Athens from 1931 until today. ... The model of the Agora in 400 B.C. shows the civic center at a time when Athens had provided herself with all the public buildings necessary for the functioning of the fully developed democratic system. |
http://agathe.gr/democracy/practice_of_ostracism.html Ostracism Soon after their victory over the Persians at the battle of Marathon in 490 B.C., the Athenians began the practice of ostracism, a form of election designed to curb the power of any rising tyrant ... Max. dim.: 0.11 m. Athens, Agora Museum P 14490. ... Max. dim.: 0.073 m. Athens, Agora Museum P 6107. ... Max. dim.: 0.07 m. Athens, Agora Museum P 16755. |
http://agathe.gr/guide/history_of_the_agora.html History of the Agora The excavations of the Athenian Agora have uncovered about thirty acres on the sloping ground northwest of the Acropolis (Fig. 3). Material of all periods from the Late Neolithic to ... History of the Agora The excavations of the Athenian Agora have uncovered about thirty acres on the sloping ground northwest of the Acropolis (Fig. 3). ... Panorama of the Agora viewed from the south, with the Hephaisteion (Theseion) at left and the restored Stoa of Attalos (museum) at right. ... The rise of Alexander of Macedon eclipsed Athens politically and the 3rd century B.C. saw Athens dominated by his successors. |
http://agathe.gr/democracy/sokrates.html Sokrates The philosopher Sokrates was one of many Athenians critical of the people and their control over affairs of state. His probing public debates with fellow citizens led to his trial for impiety ... The Agora, as the political center of Athens, was the scene of many of the events played out in the drama of his teaching, trial, and death. ... Athens, Agora excavations. ... Sokrates' confinement and execution in the state prison of Athens are described in some detail by Plato, and his description corresponds in several respects to a large building lying southwest of the Agora square. |
http://agathe.gr/democracy/administration_and_bureaucracy.html Administration and Bureaucracy The economy of Athens was supervised by numerous boards of officials in charge of the mint, the marketplace, weights and measures, and the grain and water supplies. Most ... Administration and Bureaucracy The economy of Athens was supervised by numerous boards of officials in charge of the mint, the marketplace, weights and measures, and the grain and water supplies. Most of these officials held office in or near the Agora, where so much of the city's commercial activity took place. ... Athens, Agora Museum. |
http://agathe.gr/democracy/political_organization_of_attica.html Political Organization of Attica: Demes and Tribal Representation Each tribe was divided into three parts, and each third (trittys) was from one of the three regions of Attica, plain, coast, or hills ... Political Organization of Attica: Demes and Tribal Representation Each tribe was divided into three parts, and each third (trittys) was from one of the three regions of Attica, plain, coast, or hills. ... H.: 0. 03 m. Athens Agora Museum MC 820-822. ... H.: 0.275 m. Athens, Agora Museum I 7030. |
http://agathe.gr/democracy/theater.html Theater Western drama was an Athenian invention which developed late in the 6th century B.C. out of the festivals celebrated in honor of the god Dionysos. Originally held in the Agora, the plays were soon ... H.: 0.27 m. Athens, Agora Museum T 478. ... Athens, Agora excavations. ... L.: 0.08 m. Athens, Agora Museum T 2404. |
http://agathe.gr/democracy/women.html The Unenfranchised I - Women Numerous people resident in Athens and Attica had little part in the political life of the state. Most glaring by modern standards was the exclusion of women, although a similar ... The Unenfranchised I - Women Numerous people resident in Athens and Attica had little part in the political life of the state. ... H.: 0.055 m. Athens, Agora Museum P 23133. ... H.: O.O57 m. Athens, Agora Museum P 29766. |
http://agathe.gr/democracy/the_athenian_aristocracy.html The Athenian Aristocracy Before democracy, from the 8th to the 6th century B.C., Athens was prosperous economically but no more significant than many other city-states in Greece. Silver deposits south ... H.: 0.26 m. Athens, Agora Museum P 24673. ... L.: 0.065 m. Athens, Agora Museum J 148. ... They have been restrung to recreate the original appearance of the necklace. Photograph of vases from the cremation burial of a wealthy woman, including the chest with model granaries shown, Athens, Agora excavations. |
http://agathe.gr/democracy/tyranny.html Tyranny As happened in many other Greek states, a tyrant arose in Athens in the 6th century B.C. His name was Peisistratos, and after several unsuccessful attempts he seized power in 546 B.C. and ruled ... W.: 0.195 m. Athens, Agora Museum I 4120. ... This monument was near the middle of the Agora square, the actual center of Athens, and was the point from which distances from Athens were measured. ... H.: 0.265 m. Athens, Agora Museum P 24106. |
http://agathe.gr/democracy/marble_stele.html Law Against Tyranny In 338 B.C. Philip II of Macedon and his son Alexander defeated the Athenians and other Greek states in a battle at Chaironeia in central Greece. In the following year (337/6 B.C.) ... The decree was written up on a marble stele capped with a handsome relief showing Democracy crowning the seated Demos (people) of Athens. Stele with a relief showing Democracy crowning Demos (the people of Athens), ca. 337 B.C. Athens, Agora Museum, I 6524. ... It shall not be permitted for anyone of the Councillors of the Council from the Areopagos [Supreme Court] - if the Demos or the democracy in Athens having been overthrown - to go up into the Areopagos or sit in the Council or deliberate about anything. |
http://agathe.gr/democracy/state_religion.html State Religion: The Archon Basileus There was no attempt in Classical Athens to separate church and state. Altars and shrines were intermingled with the public areas and buildings of the city. A single ... H.: 0.097 m. Athens, Agora Museum P 42. ... L.: 3.0 m. Athens, Agora excavations. ... Reconstruction drawing of the northwest corner of the Agora, ca. 300 B.C. |
http://agathe.gr/democracy/the_prytaneis.html The Prytaneis (Executive Committee) The senators administered their meetings themselves. Each tribal contingent in the Boule served in rotation for a period of 35 or 36 days as the Prytaneis, or Executive ... Model by Petros Demetriades and Kostas Papoulias. Athens, Agora Museum. ... H.: 0.133m. Athens, Agora Museum P 13429. ... H.: 0.286 m. Athens, Agora Museum S 834. |
http://agathe.gr/democracy/the_boule.html The Boule (The Senate) The Athenian legislature also included a deliberative body known as the Boule. It was made up of 500 members -- 50 from each of the 10 tribes -- who were chosen by lot and served ... Model by Fetros Demetriades and Kostas Papoulias. Athens, Agora Museum. ... The Boule met in a building known as the Bouleuterion, which lay along the west side of the Agora square. ... L.: 0.235 m. Athens, Agora Museum I 4869. |
http://agathe.gr/democracy/sources_and_documents.html Sources and Documents Our understanding of the workings and history of Athenian democracy comes from a variety of sources. Most useful, perhaps, are the ancient literary texts that survive, many of which ... L.: 0.067-0.127 m. Athens, Agora Museum B 1292, 705, 707. ... Some 7,500 inscriptions have been found in the Agora excavations, and over 10,000 more come from other areas of Athens and Attica. The central archives building of Athens, known as the Metroon because it also housed a sanctuary of the Mother of the Gods (meter), contained thousands of documents, now lost. |
http://agathe.gr/democracy/the_ekklesia.html The Ekklesia (Citizens' Assembly) All Athenian citizens had the right to attend and vote in the Ekklesia, a full popular assembly which met about every 10 days. All decrees (psephismata) were ratified ... In theory every assembly represented the collective will of all the male citizens of Athens, although the actual capacity of the Pnyx never seems to have exceeded 13,500, and for much of the Classical period it held only about 6,000. ... Mammelis. Athens, Agora Museum. ... D.: 0.015-0.023 m. Athens, Agora Museum IL 656, 819, 893, 944, 1146, 1173, 1233. |
http://agathe.gr/democracy/the_athenian_army.html The Athenian Army From the very beginning, the Athenians were compelled to fight for their new democracy. Their dramatic victories over the Boiotians and Chalkidians in 506 B.C. led many to attribute Athenian ... H.: 0.12 7 m. Athens, Agora Museum P 15837. ... H.: 0.138 m. Athens, Agora Museum P 24061. ... L.: 0.073 m. Athens, Agora Museum IL 1563. |
http://agathe.gr/guide/altar_of_the_twelve_gods.html Altar of the Twelve Gods Near the middle of the open square, somewhat to the north, lay the Altar of the Twelve Gods (Fig. 7), today largely hidden under the Athens–Piraeus railway (1891). A corner of ... Altar of the Twelve Gods Near the middle of the open square, somewhat to the north, lay the Altar of the Twelve Gods (Fig. 7), today largely hidden under the Athens–Piraeus railway (1891). ... One corner of the sill only is visible, just south of the modern Athens–Piraeus railway. ... Physically, we are at the heart of the city. "Amongst those of the Peisistratids who held the annual magistracy at Athens was Peisistratos, son of Hippias the tyrant (named after his grandfather), who during his archonship set up the Altar of the Twelve Gods in the Agora and the Altar of Apollo in the shrine of Apollo Pythios. |
http://agathe.gr/guide/temple_of_ares.html Temple of Ares Just north of the Odeion lie the ruins of a building identified by Pausanias as a temple of Ares (Figs. 56, 57). The foundations are of Early Roman construction and date, but the marble ... Roman masons’ marks carved on the blocks indicate that the temple originally stood elsewhere, was carefully taken apart with all the pieces labelled, and then reerected on the new foundations built for it in the Agora. This is the best example of a phenomenon known as "wandering temples," of which there are several similar examples in the Agora, dating to the early years of the Roman empire. Outstanding examples of Classical architecture were brought in from the outlying villages (demes) of Attica, largely deserted at this period, and reused in downtown Athens, presumably for the worship of deified Roman emperors; it was a relatively cheap and effective way to honor the new order. ... Figure 56. Plan of the Temple of Ares, second half of 5th century B.C., rebuilt in the Agora in the late 1st century B.C. |
http://agathe.gr/democracy/the_popular_courts.html The Popular Courts The popular courts, with juries of no fewer than 201 jurors and as many as 2,500, heard a variety of cases. The courts also had an important constitutional role in wielding ultimate ... Some certainly lay near the Agora and the association is ridiculed by the 4th century B.C. comic poet Euboulos: You will find everything sold together in the same place at Athens-figs, summoners, bunches of grapes, pears, apples, witnesses, roses, loquats, haggis, honeycombs, chickpeas, lawsuits, milk, myrtle, allotment machines, hyacinth, lambs, waterclocks, laws, indictments. ... One such building has been found at the northeast corner of the Agora square. ... Athens, Agora Museum P 28470. |
http://agathe.gr/democracy/overthrow_and_revolution.html Overthrow and Revolution In 514 B.C. the tyrant Hipparchos was stabbed to death. The murder, actually the result of a love feud, was quickly deemed a political act of assassination and the perpetrators, ... L.: 0.323 m. Athens, Agora Museum I 3872. ... Iron spearhead L.: 0.215 m. Athens, Agora Museum IL 1057. ... L.: 0.216 m. Athens, Agora Museum B 1373. |
http://agathe.gr/democracy/the_jury.html The Jury The jurors for each trial were chosen from a large body of citizens available for jury duty for the period of one year. At the beginning of the year, each juror was given a bronze pinakion, a ... The Jury The jurors for each trial were chosen from a large body of citizens available for jury duty for the period of one year. ... L.: 0.102 m. Athens, Agora Museum B 822. ... D.: 0.015-0.023 m. Athens, Agora Museum IL 656, 819, 893, 944, 1146, 1173, 1233. |
http://agathe.gr/democracy/factional_politics.html Factional Politics: The Ostracism of Themistokles A group of ostraka found together in a pit on the North Slope of the Acropolis is of special interest. There were 190 ostraka, mostly the round feet of ... |
http://agathe.gr/democracy/the_verdict.html The Verdict After the speeches and other evidence had been presented, the members of the jury voted by casting ballots. A series of vase paintings of the early 5th century B.C. show a mythological story, ... Whether or not the voting scenes that appear on vases depicting this story show an actual method of voting in early 5th-century Athens, their appearance at this time may have been prompted by the enhanced importance of voting that resulted from the reforms of Kleisthenes. ... The ballot with the pierced axle is inscribed: "psephos demosia," public ballot. Most of the ballots uncovered in the Agora are of bronze, but a few are of lead. ... Athens, Agora excavations. |
http://agathe.gr/democracy/the_speakers.html The Speakers Litigants spoke on their own behalf, although occasionally using speeches prepared by trained professionals; skillful rhetoric was necessary in order to sway a jury. The speeches written by ... Of these, perhaps the best known for his ability in forensic speaking was Demosthenes, a statesman who led Athenian opposition to the rising power of Philip of Macedon in the 4th century B.C. ... H.: 0.172 m. Athens, Agora Museum P 2084. ... Athens, Agora excavations. |
http://agathe.gr/democracy/solon_the_lawgiver.html Solon the Lawgiver By the early 6th century B.C. social tensions in Athens had become acute, pitting the poorer citizens against rich and powerful landowners. Many citizens were reduced to the status of ... H.: 0.253 m. Athens, Agora Museum P 27646. ... H.: 0.16 m. Athens, Agora Museum P 5061. ... Preserved L.: 0.127 m. Athens, Agora Museum IL 1287. |
http://agathe.gr/democracy/the_athenian_navy.html The Athenian Navy With thousands of kilometers of coastline and hundreds of islands, the Greek world was likely to be dominated only by a naval power. A generation after the establishment of democracy ... |
http://agathe.gr/guide/library_of_pantainos.html Library of Pantainos Lying partially under and behind the Late Roman wall are the remains of a building identified by its inscribed marble lintel block as the Library of Pantainos, dedicated to Athena ... As a cultural and educational building, the library reflects the role of Athens as the principal university town of the Roman empire. ... The northern stoa runs eastward, along the south side of a marble street that led in Roman times from the Agora to the Doric gateway of the market of Caesar and Augustus, also known as the Roman Agora. ... At left is the Gate of Athena, the entrance to the Roman Agora. |
http://agathe.gr/guide/history_of_the_excavations.html History of the Excavations Some of the Agora monuments have never been fully buried and were explored by the Archaeological Society starting in the 19th century: the Stoa of Attalos (1859–1862, 1874, and ... History of the Excavations Some of the Agora monuments have never been fully buried and were explored by the Archaeological Society starting in the 19th century: the Stoa of Attalos (1859–1862, 1874, and 1898–1902), the Giants and Tritons of the Odeion (1859, 1874, and 1912), and the West Side (1907–1908). The trench for the extension of the Athens–Piraeus railway in 1890–1891 also exposed remains of buildings and sculptures. ... The area of the Agora before the start of excavations in 1931, view from the west. |
http://agathe.gr/overview/the_stoa_of_attalos.html The Stoa of Attalos The Stoa of Attalos was originally built by King Attalos II of Pergamon (159–138 B.C.), as a gift to the Athenians in appreciation of the time he spent in Athens studying under the ... The Stoa of Attalos The Stoa of Attalos was originally built by King Attalos II of Pergamon (159–138 B.C.), as a gift to the Athenians in appreciation of the time he spent in Athens studying under the philosopher Karneades. ... The Stoa became the major commercial building or shopping center in the Agora and was used for centuries, from its construction in around 150 B.C. until its destruction at the hands of the Herulians in A.D. 267. ... Dedicated on the 3rd of September, 1956, the Stoa celebrates its 50th anniversary as the Agora museum in 2006. |
http://agathe.gr/guide/stoa_of_zeus_eleutherios.html Stoa of Zeus Eleutherios Lying just south of the railroad tracks, along the west side, are the remains of the Stoa of Zeus Eleutherios (Freedom) (Figs. 8, 9). This cult of Zeus was established after the ... Stoa of Zeus Eleutherios Lying just south of the railroad tracks, along the west side, are the remains of the Stoa of Zeus Eleutherios (Freedom) (Figs. 8, 9). ... Figure 8. Plan of the buildings along the west side of the Agora as they would have appeared in ca. 100 B.C. ... According to Pausanias it was decorated with paintings done by Euphranor, a famous 4th-century artist, and the shields of those who died fighting for the freedom of Athens were displayed on the building. |
http://agathe.gr/guide/stoa_of_attalos.html Stoa of Attalos Lining the east side of the Agora square is the Stoa of Attalos (Fig. 47), built during the reign of Attalos II of Pergamon (159–138 B.C.), who studied in Athens under the philosopher Karneades ... Stoa of Attalos Lining the east side of the Agora square is the Stoa of Attalos (Fig. 47), built during the reign of Attalos II of Pergamon (159–138 B.C.), who studied in Athens under the philosopher Karneades before becoming king. ... Figure 47. Plans of the Stoa of Attalos, 159–138 B.C. ... Interior view of the lower colonnade of the Stoa of Attalos. |
http://agathe.gr/democracy/democracy_from_the_past_to_the_future.html Democracy from the Past to the Future Searching for models for the new government they were creating, America's Founding Fathers studied both the democracy of Athens and the republic of Rome, but they ... |
http://agathe.gr/democracy/the_ten_new_tribes.html The Ten New Tribes Kleisthenes instituted a crucial reform, the reorganization of the citizenry into new administrative units called phylai (tribes). In his attempt to break up the aristocratic power structure, ... Citizenship in Athens required prior enrollment in one of the tribes, and such membership was hereditary. ... Model by Petros Demetriades and Kostas Papoulias. Athens, Agora Museum. ... By the late 5th century a long base had been set up in the Agora to display statues of all ten heroes. |
http://agathe.gr/democracy/slaves_and_resident_aliens.html The Unenfranchised II - Slaves and Resident Aliens Also excluded from political participation were two other large segments of the population: slaves and metics (resident aliens). Slavery was common in ... |
http://agathe.gr/overview/the_church_of_the_holy_apostles.html The Church of the Holy Apostles Though several churches were removed in the clearing of the site for excavation, it was decided to save and restore the little Byzantine church dedicated to the Holy Apostles ... The Church of the Holy Apostles Though several churches were removed in the clearing of the site for excavation, it was decided to save and restore the little Byzantine church dedicated to the Holy Apostles. View of the restored Church of the Holy Apostles from the southwest, April 2006 The church, with an unusual tetraconch interior plan and decorative tilework on the exterior, is among the oldest in Athens, probably to be dated just before A.D. 1000. ... Piet de Jong, an extraordinary archaeological illustrator, joined the staff of the Agora Excavations in 1932. |
http://agathe.gr/guide/monument_of_the_eponymous_heroes.html Monument of the Eponymous Heroes Across the street from the Metroon lie the remains of the Monument of the Eponymous Heroes (Fig. 21). When Kleisthenes created the democracy in 508/7 B.C., he assigned ... |
http://agathe.gr/democracy/the_agora_and_pnyx.html The Agora and Pnyx Center of public activity, the Agora was a large open square where all the citizens could assemble (2, 3). It was used for a variety of functions: markets, religious processions, athletic ... The Agora and Pnyx Center of public activity, the Agora was a large open square where all the citizens could assemble (2, 3). ... Boundary stone of the Agora, ca. 500 B.C. In letters which run right to left the inscription reads: “I am the boundary of the Agora.”. The Agora is located immediately north of three rocky heights: the Acropolis, which was Athens’ citadel, sacred center, and treasury; the Areopagus, seat of Athens’ oldest and most august court; and the Pnyx, meeting place of the legislative Assembly (Ekklesia). |
http://agathe.gr/overview/the_archaeological_site.html The Athenian Agora The Agora of Athens was the center of the ancient city: a large, open square where the citizens could assemble for a wide variety of purposes. On any given day the space might be used ... The Athenian Agora The Agora of Athens was the center of the ancient city: a large, open square where the citizens could assemble for a wide variety of purposes. ... Given the prominence of Athens throughout much of antiquity, the Agora provides one of the richest sources for our understanding of the Greek world in antiquity. ... Following the total destruction of Athens at the hands of the Persians in 480 B.C., the city was rebuilt and public buildings were added to the Agora one by one throughout the 5th and 4th centuries, when Athens contended for the hegemony of Greece. |
http://agathe.gr/guide/introduction.html Introduction Classical Athens saw the rise of an achievement unparalleled in history. Perikles, Aeschylus, Sophokles, Plato, Demosthenes, Thucydides, and Praxiteles represent just a few of the statesmen ... Introduction Classical Athens saw the rise of an achievement unparalleled in history. ... Nowhere is the history of Athens so richly illustrated as in the Agora, the marketplace that was the focal point of public life. ... Plan and restored drawing of the Agora at the height of its development in ca. |
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