Location: Plaka
Top Things to do in Plaka
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Top 5 Ancient Ruins in Plaka, Attica
Once known for smog, traffic and tacky architecture, Athens is a city reformed thanks to fortunes brought by the 2004 Summer Olympics. Spotless parks and streets, an ultra-modern subway, new freeways, an accessible airport and all signs in perfect English make the city easily negotiable. Meriting more than a stopover en route to the islands, sophisticated Athens sites include many pillars of Western history, from the Acropolis to the Temple of Olympian Zeus, as well as treasures in the National Archaeological Museum.
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1. Roman Agora
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 830 reviews
Reviewed By permia
Passing by the marvellous monumental Gate of Athena Archegetis that was established by contributions from both Augustus and Julius Caesar is to view the impressive expanse of the site. Completed in the last decades BC it served as a market place, in contrast to the Ancient Agora that was a place of political undertakings. Much is well extant including the Agoranomeion that dates from the mid-1st century CE. It is speculated that it may have served as a Basilica for the worship of Emperors. Not far away are the remains of a Basilica, a substantial public building from Hadrian’s reign. It had many functions including the holding of court hearings. A most remarkable edifice is the beautiful Tower of the Winds. Creatively built as a weather vane and water clock, it has fabulous friezes of the eight winds on each octagonal side depicting the eight winds of Greek mythology. These include Apeliotes bearing fruit and grain, Euros Bearded male with a cloak billowing in the wind and Boreas blowing the cold north wind through a large conch shell. From Byzantine times is the grand Fethiye Mosque. It hosts special cultural exhibitions but none was current during our time.
2. Old Temple of Athena
3. Basilica
4. Agoranomeion
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 2 reviews
5. Monument of Lysikrates
Overall Ratings
3.5 based on 157 reviews
Reviewed By permia
Being the first structure to feature Corinthian columns on the exterior, it’s an especial precious monument to survive extant. In the Plaka centre it makes for a wonderful edifice with an origin stretching back millennia. Built in the mid 330s BCE by the wealthy Athenian Lysicrates, a Choregos who financed music and dramas in the ancient theatre.
