agora 
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In ancient Greece, an agora was a public area or marketplace, usually located in the middle of the city 
or near a harbor. Generally square in shape, it was always surrounded by a colonnade of single or 
double ranges of columns. In early Greek times public assemblies were held in the agora. Later it 
functioned primarily as the center of commercial life in the city; markets were held here, and it was the 
site of transactions of all kinds. In later Greek times the agora also became a religious center and 
contained temples, altars, commemorative statues, and sometimes even the tombs of important 
personages. The porticoes were often decorated with murals. The Roman FORUM was essentially an 
adaptation of the ancient Greek agora. LELAND ROTH

See also: GREEK ARCHITECTURE; STOA.