Gathering Place

Meaning 'gathering place', the agora was at the heart of Hellenic cities, acting as the artistic, political and spiritual centre of city life. As early as the 10th century BC, these open spaces were used as the assembly ground for hoplite armies, and for the citizens to hear the decisions of their courts and proclamations of their kings. The space eventually included market stalls, gatherings for games, and the public platforms for democracy and public speaking. In Athens, the agora was situated to the northwest of the Acropolis on the Panathenaic Way, and featured fountains and temples dedicated to Zeus, Apollo and Hephaestus, shrines and altars to other gods, and the Strategeion. This last building was dedicated to the cult of Strategos and was where the ten Strategoi, or Athenian generals, would discuss politics and military policy. 'Agoraphobia', the modern term for a fear of open spaces, has its roots in this concept of an open, public space.