There's more than just the Parthenon

Temple of Hephaistos

After a great day on Saturday touring the Acropolis and seeing the Parthenon, we spent Sunday touring other ancient sites in and around the Monastiraki nieghborhood.  In addition to the historic sites, the neighborhood is known for its lively flea market and the best gyros in town.  Many of the sites are in and around the Ancient Agora -- all of the most important public buildings and temples of the administrative, political, and religious center of Athens were built here.

Temple of Hephaistos

The Temple of Hephaistos is the best preserved structure in the Ancient Agora.  It was started in 450 BC -- a little before the Parthenon -- and dedicated in 415 BC.  Like the Parthenon, it is a classic peristyle temple which means the building is surounded by columns.  It's approximately half the size of the Parthenon.  Hephaistos was the god of blacksmiths, metallurgy, artisans, and the like. 

Stoa of Attalos

The Stoa of Attalos was an ancient shopping mall.  The ground floor once held about 20 shops and its covered walkways protected shoppers from the elements.  It was built circa 150 BC by King Attalos II of Pergamon (now modern day Turkey).  This stoa was made from the same marble as the Parthenon.  The original structure was lost centuries ago, but this is a faithful reconstruction built in the 1950s and houses the Ancient Agora museum.  The museum showcases many artifacts excavated here. 

Church of the Holy Apostles

The Church of the Holy Apostles was built around 1000 AD during the era when Athens was controlled by the Byzantines. Architecturally, this church was the prototype for later Athenian churches with its central dome and four arms radiating out forming the shape of a Greek cross.

Outside of the Ancient Agora but in the same neighborhood, we saw ruins of Roman Athens. The Roman Forum was the commercial center of Roman Athens.  This open-air plaza is a typical feature of every city Rome conquered.  Wendy and I are standing amongst portions of the columns still standing. Hadrian's Library still has several large columns remaining from the 100 it had originally.  It was a large rectangular building that was a cultural center during the Roman period with a library, art gallery, and garden.

Hadrian's Library

This was another enjoyable day spent seing the ancient sites. The crowds at the Acropolis and Parthenon were significantly larger than at the sites we toured today.  I suspect that is typically the case which is a shame since these sites are equally rich in history.