The Roman Agora
The Roman Agora (1) in Athens was built as a commodity market without a clear representative function. Nevertheless, the Romans did their best to provide the market with a monumental entrance in the form of a Doric temple with four columns, the gate of Athena Archegetis. An (eroded) inscription above the architrave mentions work by Caesar and Augustus on the market. The market itself was surrounded by a colonnade, which allowed the visitor to walk around the stalls sheltered from rain or sunshine. The Hadrian’s library (2), the public toilets from Roman times (3) and the Tower of the Winds (4) adjoin the market. The latrines are of the usual Roman type, with multi-person seats on the sides, and a water channel directly in front of the feet. The Tower of the Winds, also called the horologion of Andronikos Kyrrhestes, is one of the best preserved ancient structures of Athens. In the middle of the Roman Agora is another mosque from the time of Turkish rule.