The Athenian Agora in the 5th Century B.C.
In the early 6th century B.C, during the time of Solon the Lawgiver, the area northwest of the Acropolis and east of Kolonos Agoraios was designated to be the Agora, the main square of the city-state of Athens. The Agora was then used and inhabited with periods of decreased activity until the 7th century A.D. when it was finally abandoned. Because this paper will focus on the practice of ostracism in the Agora which was an in use for such a long expanse of time and underwent many changes over the course of its usage, this paper will predominately describe it in the 5th century B.C., the time period in which ostracism was practice. The site description will also focus on the buildings and monuments relevant to Athenian democracy. …show more content…
The benches date to the second half of the 5th century B.C. Their purpose is uncertain, but they could have possibly been used as a meeting place for a council or law court.
In the northwest corner of the Agora was the Royal Stoa, where the Royal Archon would sit during his year in office. The Royal Archon was one of the three principle magistrates in Athens, whose responsibilities pertained to both religious and legal matters. The stoa is in the Doric style and is relatively small. It was likely constructed in approximately 500 B.C., but it is possible for it to have been constructed after the Persian sack of 480/79 B.C.
In the southeast of the Agora, just to the west of the Panathenaic Way was the Mint that was built in the late 5th century. The contained rooms of various shapes and sizes centered around a courtyard. It is not entirely certain whether this building is indeed the mint, but evidence to suggest it is had been found. Numerous blanks for copper coins as well as the water basins and furnaces strengthen the case that this building was a
In the early 6th century B.C, during the time of Solon the Lawgiver, the area northwest of the Acropolis and east of Kolonos Agoraios was designated to be the Agora, the main square of the city-state of Athens. The Agora was then used and inhabited with periods of decreased activity until the 7th century A.D. when it was finally abandoned. Because this paper will focus on the practice of ostracism in the Agora which was an in use for such a long expanse of time and underwent many changes over the course of its usage, this paper will predominately describe it in the 5th century B.C., the time period in which ostracism was practice. The site description will also focus on the buildings and monuments relevant to Athenian democracy. …show more content…
The benches date to the second half of the 5th century B.C. Their purpose is uncertain, but they could have possibly been used as a meeting place for a council or law court.
In the northwest corner of the Agora was the Royal Stoa, where the Royal Archon would sit during his year in office. The Royal Archon was one of the three principle magistrates in Athens, whose responsibilities pertained to both religious and legal matters. The stoa is in the Doric style and is relatively small. It was likely constructed in approximately 500 B.C., but it is possible for it to have been constructed after the Persian sack of 480/79 B.C.
In the southeast of the Agora, just to the west of the Panathenaic Way was the Mint that was built in the late 5th century. The contained rooms of various shapes and sizes centered around a courtyard. It is not entirely certain whether this building is indeed the mint, but evidence to suggest it is had been found. Numerous blanks for copper coins as well as the water basins and furnaces strengthen the case that this building was a