The Agora of Athens: the history, shape and uses of an ancient city center

The subtitle, The History, Shape and Uses of an Ancient City Center, suggests the general character of this volume, which provides an overview of the area that served as the civic center of Athens from about 600 B.C. to A.D. 267. After a general resumé of the historical development of the Agora, the monuments are treated in detail, grouped by their use and purpose. Each monument is discussed in the light of both the literary and the archaeological evidence for its identification and its restoration. In the light of the topographical conclusions the route of Pausanias is traced. A chapter entitled "After the Heruli" follows the fortunes of the area from A.D. 267 till the 19th century; the last century is treated in the detailed report of the excavations up to 1971. This is a definitive survey of the historical and topographical results of 40 years of American excavations in the Athenian Agora.