A large open square, surrounded on all four sides by public buildings, the Agora of Athens was in all respects the center of town. From the beginning the square was used for a variety of activities: marketplace, elections, dramatic performances, athletic contests, religious processions, and military drill. The excavation of buildings, monuments, and small objects has illustrated the important role it played in all aspects of civic life. The senate chamber (bouleuterion), public office buildings (Royal Stoa, South Stoa I), and archives (metroon) have all been excavated. The law courts are represented by the discovery of bronze ballots and a water clock used to time speeches. The use of the area as a marketplace is suggested by the numerous shops and workrooms where potters, cobblers, bronzeworkers, and sculptors made and sold their wares. Long stoas, or colonnades, provided shaded walkways for those wishing to meet friends to discuss business, politics, or philosophy, and statues and commemorative monuments reminded citizens of former triumphs. A library and concert hall met cultural needs, and numerous shrines and temples received regular worship in the area. Thus administrative, political, judicial, commercial, social, cultural, and religious activities all found a place here together in the heart of ancient Athens from the 6th century bce until the 6th century ce.
Legitimate Opposition, Ostracism, and the Law of Democracy in Ancient Athens