Fragment of a Grave Monument from the Ancient Athenian Agora

    A fragment from the top left of a grave stele excavated from the area of the Stoa of Attalos. The ornamental Acanthus leaf motif is among the most common decorative motifs in ancient Greek design.

    Comments

    Bibliography:

    Agora XVII, no. 1012, p. 176, pl. 80.

    Agora XXXV, no. 369, pl. 120.

    Associated Passages
    Type
    Image
    Date
    ca 1st c BC-1st c AD
    Culture
    Medium
    Inscription
    ΦΛΕΓΟΥΣΑΣΤ...
    Location
    Athens, Greece
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    Black Kylix Base, Hobnails, and Eyelets from the House of Simon the Cobbler

      A collection of objects found at the house of Simon the Cobbler during the Ancient Agora excavations. A series of buttons/eyelets are carved from bone and ivory (BI 738), as well as a number of hobnails (IL 1361), iron pieces nailed into the soles of shoes to increase durability and grip. Finally, a base (P 22998) from a kylix (a drinking cup with a wide drinking bowl and a short, stout stem) bears the inscription of it's owner in the genitive, "ΣΙΜΟΝΟΣ," "Simon's."

      Comments

      Bibliography

      Museum Guide (2014), pp. 142-143, fig. 81.

      Guide (2010), p. 54. fig. 23.

      AgoraPicBk 16 (2003), p. 18. fig. 26.

      Guide (1990), p. 57, fig. 25.

      Camp (1986), p. 146.

      AgoraPicBk 17 (1978), fig. 13.

      Guide (1976), p. 257.

      Guide (1962), p. 170.

      Archaeology 13 (1960), p. 238.

      Hesperia 23 (1954), p. 54, noted.

      Agora XIV, p. 174, pl. 88d.

      Agora XXI, no. F 86, p. 36, pl. 14.

      Date
      5th C BC
      Culture
      Inscription
      ΣΙΜΟΝΟΣ
      Location
      Athens, Greece
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      Fragmentary list of Late 6th Century Athenian Archons

        A fragment of Pantelic marble with fragments of a list of names, likely from a list of Archons who would have served Athens from the years 527/6 to 522/1 BC. The Archon was the chief magistrate of Athens, and during this period, each Archon served a term of one year. These officeholders are often called "Eponymous Archons" because the year of their archonship would often be named after them.

        Comments

        Bibliography

        Museum Guide (2014), p. 133.

        Camp (1986), p. 42.

        Guide (1976), p. 247, fig. 129.

        AgoraPicBk 10 (1966), fig. 5.

        Hesperia 32 (1963), pp. 187-205.

        Guide (1962), pp. 162-163.

        Phoenix 14 (1960), p. 27.

        Hesperia Suppl. 8 (1949), p. 100.

        Hesperia 8 (1939), p. 60, no. 21.

        Agora III, no. 368, p. 120.

        Date
        6th c. BC
        Culture
        Medium
        Location
        Athens, Greece
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        Inscribed Ancient Agora Boundary Stone

          A boundary stele (ὄρος, ὄρους, τό) of rough-hewn marble marking the edge of the Athenian Agora. This boundary stone was originally laid east of the Tholos. As it is today, only a single line of the inscription remains; the rest has eroded away.

          Comments

          Bibliography:

          Museum Guide (2014), pp. 66-67, fig. 39.

          Guide (2010), front cover, pp. 8, 55, fig. 26.

          Hesperia 75 (2006), pp. 86-87, n. 9, p. 100, n. 69, p. 103, n. 79, p. 105.

          Mauzy (2006), back cover.

          Hesperia Suppl. 31 (2003), pp. 289-290, figs. 5.7, 5.8.

          AgoraPicBk 23 (1994), p. 5, fig. 4.

          Shear (1994), p. 245, no. 82.

          Guide (1990), p. 58, pl. 26.

          Camp (1986), pp. 48, 51.

          Guide (1976), fig. 22.

          Travlos (1971), fig. 21.

          Hesperia 37 (1968), p. 63, fig. 9.

          Guide (1962), pp. 57-58, pl. IVa.

          AgoraPicBk 4 (1960), fig. 35.

          Hesperia Suppl. 4 (1940), p. 107, no. 91.

          Hesperia 8 (1939), p. 205, fig. 4.

          ILN (9 July 1938), p. 58, fig. 11.

          Agora III, no. 713, p. 218.

          Agora XIV, p. 117, pl. 64a.

          Agora XIX, no. H 25, p. 27, pl. 2.

           

          Date
          ca 500 BC
          Culture
          Medium
          Location
          Athens, Greece
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          Bronze Dikast Ticket with the Name of a Potential Juror

            A small, thin, bronze strip used as an identification ticket (πινάκιον, πινακίου, τό) used in the random selection of jurors, or dikasts (δικαστής, δικαστοῦ, ὁ). This ticket is inscribed with a potential juror’s name (Δημοφάνης), patronymic (Φιλ…), and deme (Κηφισιεύς). 

            Comments

            Bibliography:

            Museum Guide (2014), p. 140, fig. 77.

            Mauzy (2006), p. 73, fig. 157.

            AgoraPicBk 4 (2004), p. 23, fig. 26.

            AgoraPicBk 23 (1994), p. 24, fig. 28.

            Guide (1990), p. 247, fig. 151.

            Guide (1976), p. 110.

            Kroll (1972a), pp. 224-225, fig. 240, no. 130.

            AgoraPicBk 4 (1960), fig. 22.

            Archaeology 6 (1953), p. 143.

            Hesperia 20 (1951), p. 216, pl. 71b.

            Agora XIV, p. 53, pl. 39 e.

            Agora XXVII, p. 61, pl. 7, no. P 2.

            Date
            4th century BC
            Culture
            Medium
            Inscription
            ΔΗΜΟΦΑΝΗΣΦΙΛ.../ΚΗΦΙΣΙΕΥΣ
            Location
            Athens, Greece
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            5th Century BC Silver Tetradrachm Depicting Athena

              A Silver tetradrachm found in the Ancient Agora excavations at Athens. The obverse (front) side depicts the head of Athena wearing an Athenian helmet ornamented with a palmette and olive leaves. The reverse side depicts her owl and an olive twig, and bears the legend "ΑΘΕ."

              Comments

              Bibliography:

              Museum Guide (2014), p. 169, fig. 104.

              Pedley (2012), p.208, fig. 7.2.

              Camp and Mauzy (2009), p. 25, fig. 20.

              AgoraPicBk 16 (2003), p. 3, fig. 2.

              Birth of Democracy (1993), fig. 18.7-15.

              AgoraPicBk 15 (1975), fig. 9.

              AgoraPicBk 4 (1960), fig. 12.

              Agora XXVI, no. 8c, photo.

              Associated Passages
              Date
              ca 450-404 BC
              Culture
              Inscription
              ΑΘΕ
              Location
              Athens, Greece
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              Two Ostraka for Xanthippos Arriphronos

                Two Ostraka of Xanthippos Arriphronos, the father of the Peloponnesian War-era general and highly influential statesman Pericles. Both ostraka are wall fragments broken all around. The ostrakon on the left (object P 32559) is of coarse-grained clay and unglazed. The ostrakon on the right (object P 32560) has a thin, dark brown glaze on its exterior.

                Comments

                Bibliography:

                Camp and Mauzy (2009), p. 83, fig. 79.

                Hesperia 68 (1999), p. 269, no. 21, figs. 18, 19.

                Agora XXV, pp. 133-135.

                Date
                ca. 484 BC
                Culture
                Inscription
                +ΣΑΝΘΙΠΠ/ΟΣΑΡΡΙΦΡΟ/ΝΟΣ, +ΣΑΝΘΙΠΠΟΣ/ΑΡΡΙΦΡΟΝΟΣ
                Location
                Athens, Greece
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                Vessel Fragment with Graffito of the Partial Greek Alphabet

                  An Athenian vessel shoulder fragment from a large enclosed vase. There is reddish glaze on the exterior of the fragment. After the vessel was shattered, the unglazed interior of the fragment was lightly incised with part of the Greek alphabet, as it appeared in the sixth century B.C.

                  Comments

                  Bibliography:

                  Papadopoulos et al (2007), p. 166, fig. 148A

                  AgoraPicBk 14 (1974), fig. 1.

                  Agora XXI, no. A 2, p. 7, pl. 1.

                  Date
                  6th c. BC
                  Culture
                  Location
                  Athens, Greece
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                  Athenian Drinking Cup Depicting a Symposium

                    Symposium - two youths share a couch, a boy. The youths recline to the left. The one on the left of the couch turns his head to the right. He holds a black skyphos in his left hand and holds up his empty right hand as if playing kottabos. The youth on the right holds a black skyphos with a reserved band at handle level in his left hand and holds out a cup by one handle in his right, ready to flick it in the game of kottabos. His mouth is open. Both youths wear a dotted himation with a black border and have a red band with five large leaves at the front in their hair; they recline against cushions decorated with groups of three stripes separated by rows of dots. The couch's legs are cut off by the border, as are the first youth's legs. Below the couch is a three-legged table with two spare red fillets with leaves trailing from it. In front of the table a naked boy moves to the right, but turns his head back to the left.

                    Type
                    Image
                    License
                    Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike
                    Date
                    ca. 485 BC
                    Culture
                    Dimensions
                    height 13 cm. x width 40.8 cm x depth 33 cm.
                    Location
                    London, England
                    Image Credit