THE ATHENIAN AGORA
The Athenian Agora was the central market of ancient Athens. It was more than that, though, it was the heart of the city! This was where citizens discussed politics and philosophy, served in the government, and learned the news about their city, their deme, and themselves.
OSTRACISM
One concept in Athenian government that is foreign to us today is ostracism. When someone began to have too much of an influence on politics, swaying others' beliefs, they would be ostracized for a time. This was not a punishment but merely a way to keep any strong influencers out of politics for long enough that people could hold their own opinions. Some notable Athenians who were ostracized were Themistocles (hero of the Battle of Salamis) and Arissteides (hero of the Battle of Marathon). (These two were also political rivals.)
I feel that we would likely be ostracizing many of our citizens today if we had that concept in our laws. Especially with the presence of social media, television, and the Internet, it is quite easy for someone to influence someone else. I personally think that people don't think for themselves enough these days. Maybe ostracism would help remove some of the greater influences for a time so that people could learn to have their own opinions.
THE HEPHAESTEION
One significant structure in the Agora is the Hephaesteion. Unlike many of the other structures in the ancient marketplace, the Hephaesteion is still in pristine condition. Its structure is similar to that of the Parthenon of the Acropolis, but unlike the Parthenon, it did not house explosives in the seventeenth century, meaning it is still intact. It is interesting to me that it was later remodeled into a Christian church. After the popularity of ancient Greek religion declined, Christianity became popular. It makes sense that, out of all of the buildings in the Agora, Christians would use the Hephaesteion for a church, since it appears to be the building that was best preserved. This makes me ask, did this happen to other ancient structures, or were most churches built from the ground up? How likely was it, and where did it happen the most?
Another important characteristic of the Hephaesteion was that it was dedicated to, well, Hephaestus. This is important to me because it shows that the Athenians were not just dedicated to Athens but to all of Greece as well. Even though Athena was their patron goddess, they still showed respect to other Greek gods and goddesses, such as Zeus and Hephaestus.
THE HOUSE OF SIMON
A structure I would like to know more about is the House of Simon. The well-know philosopher, Socrates, frequented the Agora, often engaging with citizens in philosophical discussions. A boy named Simon lived close to the Agora, and Socrates had many conversations within Simon's House. Naturally, the people of the Agora followed Socrates in. Simon could not go onto the Agora (probably because he was too young), and so Socrates brought the Agora to him, so to speak. If it is true that Simon wrote some of the first Socratic dialogues, why are Plato and Xenophon's dialogues more popular? Were Simon's lost, or just found in fragments? Were Plato and Xenophon better writers?
THE CONSTITUTION
It is interesting to me that the Athenians did not have a written constitution like we think of today. Rather than a document, the constitution was a collection of unwritten ideas. This definitely shows how active the citizens needed to be in political life because they needed to be familiar with the concepts of the constitution themselves rather than referring to a document for the concepts. I recently learned that, in America, we had one of the first written constitutions. Why did we decide to write one down? To make the laws/concepts more clear to the citizens? Because we took influence from another nation who had a written constitution? Because people were becoming more literate?
IMPORTANT SITES AT THE AGORA
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The Bouleterion
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The Tholos
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The Stoa of Attalos
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The Hephaesteion
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The Monument of the Eponymous Heroes
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The Altar of the 12 Gods
ARESSTEIDES "THE JUST"
An interesting story about ostracism and the Agora is the story of Arissteides "the just." Arissteides had a reputation of being just, as his nickname suggests, and he was chosen to guard the Athenian treasures at Marathon. One day, a citizen who had trouble spelling went up to Arissteides and asked him to spell his name, though the man did not know he was talking to Arissteides himself. The man wanted to write Arissteides' name on an ostraka, which was how an Athenian citizen voted for someone to be ostracized. Arissteides asked the man why he wanted Arissteides to be ostracized, and the man told him, "I'm just tired of everyone calling him 'the just.'" Arissteides was humored, and spelled his name for the man. Later, when he was needed back in politics, Arissteides was recalled to the city.
A Trip to the Museum
From the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Title: Sherd of Early West Slope Ware
When: 399 to 300 BC
Where: The Agora, Athens, Greece
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I think it is cool how both pieces of this sherd have been kept. This is not the whole bowl that these pieces are a part of, but it is nice that at least two pieces have been saved. I also think it is interesting that this artifact is known as a "sherd." In certain contexts, the word "sherd" is used rather than the word "shard," but they mean the same thing. In this case, it refers to a piece of pottery, specifically one that was used as an ostracon for voting.
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Because this sherd was likely an ostracon, I was wondering who was being ostracized? If there was a name on this artifact, it is not on the pieces that were recovered. It is possible that this was not used for ostracism at all, but it is just a piece of broken pottery. If that is the case, how do archaeologists determine what pieces would have been ostraka and what would not have been? A name carved onto an ostracon would be a sign that it was likely used in voting, but what about those without names? Is there any way to tell? Even the ones with names could be a piece of someone's personal pot that he or she carved his or her name into.
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Looking again at the image, it may be three pieces, not two, or it may be just one. It is hard to tell how long and deep the breaks are.