Ruins in Athens May Be an Ancient Market

WTOP ^ | Friday, March 2, 2007 | unattributed

[SunkenCiv]

Archaeologists have discovered extensive remains of what is believed to be an ancient marketplace with shops and a religious center at the southern edge of Athens, the Culture Ministry said Friday. The finds, in the coastal neighborhood of Voula, date from the 4th or 5th century B.C... Marketplaces -- or agoras -- teemed with shops, open-air stalls and administrative buildings, and were the financial, political and social center of ancient Greek life. Archaeologists believe the complex belonged to the municipality of Aexonides Halai, among the largest settlements surrounding ancient Athens... Finds included large quantities of pottery, coins and lead weights that would have been used in transactions by traders.

[SunkenCiv]

---

Building remains in southern Athens believed to be an ancient marketplace is seen in this undated handout picture provided by the Greek Culture Ministry on Friday, March 2, 2007. Archaeologists have discovered extensive remains of what is believed to be an ancient marketplace with shops and a religious center at the southern edge of Athens. The finds, in the coastal neighborhood of Voula, cover an area of 1,500 square meters (16,000 sq. feet) and date from the 4th or 5th century B.C. the Culture Ministry said Friday. (AP Photo/Greek Culture ministry)

---

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks eleni121 for the link, and g'night all.

To all -- please ping me to other topics which are appropriate for the GGG list. Thanks.

Please FREEPMAIL me if you want on or off the
"Gods, Graves, Glyphs" PING list or GGG weekly digest
-- Archaeology/Anthropology/Ancient Cultures/Artifacts/Antiquities, etc.
Gods, Graves, Glyphs (alpha order)

[wildbill]

Shouldn't be hard to authenticate: Look for a scroll advertising the weekly specials on lambs heads.

[fanfan]

Dumb question time.

Why do these people always leave coins?
Didn't they want the money?

[Sam Ketcham]

Don't blame that on on Bush!

[Continental Soldier]

"ancient marketplace with shops and a religious center"

Yes, yes, of course, the predictable 'religious center,' but were there any restaurants? any fast food stalls? any take-out joints? In all the sites unearthed, that information has been pretty hard to come by!

[SunkenCiv]

The ancient fast food stalls and take-out joints are all still in use. [rimshot!]

[SunkenCiv]

Bush?!? If he had his way, all the jobs would be pushed through a time machine into this ancient Athenian marketplace!

[SunkenCiv]

Heads they did, tails they didn't. :')

Lost coins would have been found and picked up the next day. Obviously, at some point this marketplace didn't have a next day. Maybe it was abandoned during the plague that struck during the Peloponnesian War.

[SunkenCiv]

Lamb's heads? Little lammies? That's just sick! Expect a visit from the pita people. ;')

Ever make chili with lamb? Mmmm.

[wildbill]

My most heretical chili receipe is made with bunny rabbit and white navy beans.

Tastes like frog chili, but the toots make you jump higer and further.

[SunkenCiv]

You make chili with bunny? That kinda bugs me. ;')

[aristotleman]

Hare chili is the absolute best (with lots of bay leaves).

Bunnies taste great fried, with deep fried whole potato, lemon coriander garlic sauce, and white wine.

[fanfan]

Thank you.

Maybe they lost some coins behind the coolers.

;-)

[SunkenCiv]

Mmmm...

[Continental Soldier]

Isn't it interesting, though, that in all of the archeological revelations, there is never anything about the real daily life? Lots and lots of commentary about religious this and religious that, but never anything about ordinary daily life. Certainly, those fast food stalls would give us a picture of our ancenstors that we can understand. :)

[SunkenCiv]

Just off the top of my head, I can't think of any references to public restaurants in ancient Greece. Ancient Rome, yes, there were plenty of people living on the dole (some estimates as high as 400,000), and they often ate take-out food. Also, thanks to Pompeii etc, and especially the ruins of Ostia, Roman-era restaurants are well documented. Some were eat-in, many were just counters which could be opened to the street.

In ancient Greece, I suspect that "eating out" was dining at friends' homes.