athens: the stoa of attalos ii in the agora

Archive ID: 421044

Description: the west colonnade of the stoa of attalos ii from south. built in 159-138 b.c., rebuilt in 1953-1956. today the building hosts the museum of the agora. on the right a fragment of the wall of valerianus, built against the heruli (III c.)
typical of the hhellenistic age, the stoa was more elaborate and larger than the earlier buildings of ancient athens. the stoa's dimensions are 115 by 20 metres wide and comprised of pentelic marble and limestone. it is distinguished from other buildings of that era in that the doric order was used for the ground floor with an ionic lower inner colonnade, whereas buildings of that time usually used one order. each story had two aisles and twenty-one rooms lining the western wall. the rooms of both stories were lighted and vented through doorways and small windows located on the back wall. there were stairways leading up to the second story at each end of the stoa. the interior order of the upper floor was the new pergamene order, common in that period.

Added on: March 22, 2007

Tags: greece grecia athens atene greek art hellenistic doric agora urban landscape democracy stoa porch attalos pergamon column

Add to cart (Available Formats):