BSA Course Day 3 - The Athenian Agora

Weather - 30 degrees & sunny, then torrential rain & storms

Step count - 12043

The day started sunny and warm, the storms and rain of the previously day forgotten. So we headed out for a morning at the Athenian Agora, and a tour through the site from the classical to the Roman period. It was fascinating to get a sense of scale of the Agora and it’s boundaries, as well as its proximity to the Acropolis, and the lectures really brought the environment to life. Particular highlights were the bouleuterion and tholos, the Hephaiston which has been reconstructed to show the friezes and inner walls, and the water clock, which ensured that equal amounts of time were given for speeches and trials.

Photo credit: British School at Athens

As we moved into the architecture of the Roman period, it was easy to see lots of pottery fragments lying on the surface of the pathway. Our course director explained that parts of the site hadn’t been cleaned up of all archaeological material so was ‘filthy’ with remains. Which taught me that looking down is just as important as looking up!

Nearing the end of our visit, the storms returned with a vengeance and we found that the Stoa of Attalos wasn’t just for shade, as it became our shelter from the once-again torrential rain (volume up for the video!).

Not to be daunted we spent time at the museum dedicated to the site, which packed a lot into a small space. We had been considering the Agora as a centre of economic, judicial, political and social life throughout the various periods, so it was interesting to see lots of objects that helped to illustrate those aspects.

These included the kleroterion (1), a ballot system that was used for selecting juries, ballot tokens for juries to decide on conviction or acquittal (2), and ceramic cups that were found near the prison site from which those condemned to execution drank hemlock (3).

The rain and storms had set in for the day, so we headed back to the BSA on the metro - complete with more ancient remains - for an afternoon of lectures about the south slopes of the Acropolis, followed by the tutors sharing their current research projects.

Photo credit: British School at Athens