The ancient Agora of Athens was a meeting place of the polis, used assemblies of free citizens. It has existed since around the 5th century BC. The agora represents a significant step in the development of Athenian democracy.

In 480 BC, the Persians conquered Athens, destroying much of the city and the agora. Sooin after the reconstruction began. Therefore, many new buildings were built during this period.

In the 2nd century BC, Athens increasingly became the spiritual center of the Mediterranean world. Rulers of various countries began to demonstrate their power and culture by constructing buildings in Athens.

The Stoa of Attalos was covered walkway in the Agora. It was built by and named after King Attalos II of Pergamon, who ruled between 159 and 138 BC. This was a gift to the city for the education that Attalos received there. The building was constructed on the east side of the agora and was used from approximately 150 B.C. onwards. The stoa's dimensions are 115 by 20 metres and it is made of marble and limestone.

Museum of Ancient Agora

The Museum has been housed since 1957 in the reconstructed Stoa of Attalos. The museum’s exhibition features finds from the excavations in the Ancient Agora dating from the Neolithic era until the Post-Byzantine times.


Ostracism was a political procedure known primarily from Athens, to remove unpopular or overly powerful citizens from the political life of the city. The term is derived from ostrakon (τὸ ὄστρακον), pottery shard, because fragments of clay vessels were used as "ballot papers". The participants carved the names of people to be exiled into the shards; after the vote and counting, the one named most frequently was banished for ten years. The expelled person kept his property; and if he later returned, he could once again exercise his citizenship.