The Roman Forum was built between 19 - 11 B.C. with a donation of Julius Caesar and Augustus. During the reign of Hadrian the court was paved with slabs. After the invasion of the Herulae in A.D. 267 the city of Athens was restricted to the area within the Late Roman fortification wall, and the administrative and commercial centre of the city was transferred from the Ancient Agora to the Roman Agora and the Library of Hadrian. The Roman Agora became the main market of the city, taking over many of the commercial functions of the Greek Agora, which had become something of a museum (or archaeological park) by that time.
VIEW MONUMENTSThe Roman Agora is located next to the famous neighbourhood of Athens, Plaka. Visitors have the opportunity to admire the north face of Acropolis and on the same time visit the Fethiye Mosque which was constructed during the Ottoman reign.
The location of Roman Agora is a pin-point from which visitors can experience the different eras of Athens through its architectural ruins.
After the necessary purchase and demolition of the private houses and other buildings covering the area, a series of excavations were carried out by the Greek Archaeological Society (in 1837-45, 1890-91, 1920, 1930-31), by the Italians (in 1940-42), by An. Orlandos and P. Lazarides (in 1963-64) and by the 1st Ephorate of Antiquities (in 1955, 1965-66, 1968, 1984-85, 1989, 1991). In 1915-19 restoration work was carried out by An. Orlandos on the Gate of Athena Archegetis and the Tower of the Winds. In 1942 some of the columns of the east peristyle were restored by the Italians, and in 1963 three columns of the south peristyle with their architraves were also restored by Orlandos. Further restoration work was undertaken in 1975-76 by the 1st Ephorate at the Tower of the Winds and the Gate of Athena Archegetis.
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The Tower of the Winds or the Horologion of Andronikos Kyrrhestes is an octagonal Pentelic marble clocktower in the Roman Agora in Athens that functioned as a horologion or "timepiece". Unofficially, the monument is also called Aerides (Greek: Αέρηδες), which means Winds. The structure features a combination of sundials, a water clock, and a wind vane. It was supposedly built by Andronicus of Cyrrhus around 50 BC, but according to other sources, might have been constructed in the 2nd century BC before the rest of the forum. In summer of 2014, the Athens Ephorate of Antiquities began cleaning and conserving the structure; restoration work was completed in August 2016.
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The Gate of Athena Archegetis is situated west side of the Roman Agora, in Athens and considered to be the second most prominent remain in the site after the Tower of the Winds. Constructed in 11 BCE by donations from Julius Caesar and Augustus, the gate was made of 4 Doric columns and a base of Pentelic marble. It was a monument dedicated by the Athenians to their patroness Athena Archegetis.
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The East Propylon is the eastern entrance of the Roman Agora in Athens. Built in 19-11 BCE, it constituted of 4 Ionic columns made of gray Hymettian marble.
Fethiye Djami. The Turkish mosque lies on the north side of the Roman Agora. It was constructed in 1456 A.D. on the ruins of an Early Christian basilica.
Agoranomion. Rectangular building to the east of the Roman Agora, dated to the 1st century A.D. It preserves the facade which had three doorways with arched lintels and a broad stairway. An inscription on the architrave mentions that the building was dedicated to the Divi Augusti and Athena Archegetis. It might be identified with the Sevasteion, that is, a building for the worship of the emperor.
The public latrines were housed in a rectangular building and consisted of an antechamber and a square hall with benches bearing holes on all its four sides, and a sewing pipe underneath. Dated to the 1st century A.D.
Tower of the Winds (3D model) - Download the tracker image and experience virtual reality using the Augment 3D app.
Tracker imageiOSAndroid3D scanned models - View online (via p3d.in).
Marble bustSCULPTUREThe Roman Agora (Market of Caesar and Augustus) is located on the north side of the Acropolis, and a short distance to the east of the Greek Agora, with which it was connected by a paved street. An inscription (IG II2 3174) on the architrave of the monumental Gate of Athena Archegetis ("Athena the Leader") tells us that Julius Caesar and Augustus provided the funds for its construction in the 1st century B.C. The Roman Agora consists of a large, open-air courtyard surrounded by colonnades on all four sides. On the eastern side, there were also a series of shops. On the southern side was a fountain. The main entrance was on the west (Gate of Athena Archegetis), and there was a second entrance (or propylon) on the east, leading up to a public latrine and the "Tower of the Winds."
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