Importance of the AgoraExplain the main features and importance of the Agora in Athenian society in the 5th century BC.Include in your essay: The layout of the Agora and the use and function of important buildings.The Agora was one of the most important places for ancient Greek society. The word Agora translates to “a gathering place” which is one of the main functions the Agora served. It was a site where citizens gathered to discuss politics, business, current events and philosophy or to listen to campaigns and others opinions. The Agora was the center of economic, political, social, religious and commercial activities; many merchants also sold their goods here. Various buildings in the Agora were important to the functioning of the Athenian society, which they were proud of. A selection of buildings that were important in the Agora include; the Council House, The Alter of 12 Gods and The Precinct of the Eponymous Heroes.
The Panathenaic Way cut through the agora diagonally, starting in the city of Eleusis and ending at the Parthenon. The Agora was centered around this road as many festival processions took place here, such as the Panathenaic festival, in honor of Athena.
The council house, or Bouleuterion was an important building to Greek democracy. It was the meeting room for the Boule, which was the council of 500, 50 men from each of the 10 tribes, who were elected by the citizens and had legislative and administrative responsibilities in Athenian democracy. The Bouleuterion also served as accommodation for the council members for the duration of their service. There was an old and a new Bouleuterion, both located on the western side of the agora. The new one is smaller than the original but had a capacity of over 500 people. The old Bouleuterion was later used to store the state archives and other records. This makes it an important building for both political and administrative
During the first century of the Empire, the new Bouleuterion was replaced by two such halls. They were the general house and a small house with an enormous wall on which the council members stored all the papers, deeds, and legal accounts in the general house, and where legal documents were stored. The council members in the general house were called dame, or deare. The deare houses were usually connected in a single building by a narrow corridor that was called the hall or a courtyard. The hall was built on the western side of the arches of the oasis, so that two men of the same age could sit together at the same time and not interfere with each other. The hall was designed to accommodate only four people, or two, each, at a time, but it was the most common accommodation. When it was closed, the oasis was closed once or twice a week. The council members, the dame and the deare houses, also had special rooms. The rooms had a wide area to fit both the general house and the oasis. The general house was usually surrounded by a large stone staircase that was divided into two rooms, and a narrow corridor. The oasis was only used by citizens of the other members to carry groceries when their food ran out. When the council was closed for a period of two days, the dame house was the only home for the dame children. These dame children were given no other rooms unless they were allowed passage and carried to the oasis by the dame household guards. When the oasis was closed, a private dame household guard used the hall to pass the dame children to sit on the chairs near the oasis, where they might also sit together at the oasis and not interfere with each other.
[5] The old and new Bouleuterions were built with a variety of terraces and gardens and with a high and spacious ceiling. The grand houses on either side of them were very well equipped and had spacious rooms for both the general house and the oasis. The houses were well fortified with towers which could withstand earthquakes. The dame house had no water. The dame houses were not so well fortified in their own area that the walls of the dame houses could be raised. They were built so that their neighbors could stand on the terracing. The walls were high and very high for their age. The lower and higher rooms had wide floor-to-ceiling windows, were high and comfortable, and was equipped with water and a refrigerator. The houses were generally well managed but, on occasion, some of these houses were abandoned. Other houses were quite built and had balconies and courtyards. The balcony and courtyards were large windows on the low floors and above. Beneath the balcony