The Ancient Agora, in the shadow of the Acropolis, was a place that concentrated commercial, administrative, political and religious buildings. It was the heart of city life! There, an Athenian could worship, meet other people, buy goods in one of the many shops in the Stoa of Attalos and take part in the city-state's busy political life. One of the highlights of the Ancient Agora is the Temple of Hephaestus, one of the most well preserved temples in Greece:
The Stoa of Attalos also looks really well preserved — but only because it was restored by the American School of Classical Studies in the 1950s! At the time, they also united 10 of the 21 original shops at the ground floor and turned them into a museum.
