Agora

This article is about the ancient marketplace. For other uses, see Agora (disambiguation).
View of the Ancient Agora of Athens. The Temple of Hephaestus is to the left and the Stoa of Attalos to the right.

The agora (/ˈæɡərə/; Ancient Greek: ἀγορά, romanized: agorá, meaning "market" in Modern Greek) was a central public space in ancient Greek city-states. It is the best representation of a city-state's response to accommodate the social and political order of the polis.[1] The literal meaning of the word "agora" is "gathering place" or "assembly". The agora was the center of the athletic, artistic, business, social, spiritual, and political life in the city.[2] The Ancient Agora of Athens is the best-known example.

  1. ^ Caves, R. W. (2004). Encyclopedia of the City. Routledge. p. 10.
  2. ^ Ring, Trudy; Salkin, Robert; Boda, Sharon (1996). International Dictionary of Historic Places: Southern Europe. Routledge. p. 66. ISBN 978-1-884964-02-2.