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One of the great things about being affiliated with the University of Cincinnati is their celebrated history in archaeology. When I made the decision to return to school, I knew UC was the place to be. I had read about their successes at Troy, Pylos, Pompeii, and other significant sites around the world. Another benefit of being a student is to learn directly from the experts; those who live archaeology every day and who literally write the books. Today, I was able to take the world's best field trip. I visited the Agora of Athens with my UC professor acting as my guide. We toured the current excavations and I heard real-world stories about how sites are selected, excavated, and analyzed.
What exactly was the Agora? It was were where most of the ancient action took place: the center of government, commerce, and culture. It was similar to our modern downtowns. It is also where Socrates asked pesky questions of life, the universe, and everything. Even with all of that history beneath our feet, we're going to focus on only one aspect: democracy.
The location of the Agora is just to the northwest of the Acropolis. To get yourself oriented, you can check out this Google map. Before we delve into our main topic, it's important to acknowledge a few important places right away. First, here's a photo of the best-preserved Doric temple in all of Greece.
It is the Temple of Hephaestus. He was the god of metal working, craftsmanship, and fire. If you read about Greek heroes, you will inevitability run into him. He's the one who created the shield of Achilles, the armor of Herakles, and the blade of Perseus that beheaded Medusa. He was like the modern-day company of Nike, providing athletes with their gear. (By the way, guess where Nike got their name? It was from the Greek goddess of victory.) For Daytonians, this temple should look especially familiar. It was the inspiration for the Old Courthouse in the center of downtown. In my humble opinion, the Dayton version is much more Roman than Greek. Can you spot the differences?
Over the centuries, the Agora was lost to time. Archaeologists weren't sure where it was located, especially since other buildings were constructed over it. There were a few visible markers, like the Temple of Hephaestus, but the exact dimensions remained unknown. The American School of Classical Studies began excavations in the 1930s. Within a few years, they uncovered a horos stone containing an incredibly helpful inscription: "I am the boundary of the Agora." Just like Archimedes proclaimed: Eureka! They found it!
However, much of the Agora was decimated. Stone was taken and reused in other structures like the Tzistarakis Mosque. Even with the damage, excavations continue to this day. They constantly find artifacts related to our main topic. For example, here's a kleroterion. This device was used to select people to help run the city, like a council or jury. Citizens would place their name card into the slots, then a ball would drop from the top, randomly selecting a row. The people in that row would serve for the day. Can you imagine if we used that procedure now? Picture yourself on a city bus. Now, picture those random ten passengers making crucial decisions about your life. That takes a lot of trust in the system!
Where did this idea of government come from? Without getting into all the details, it's enough to know that the Athenians first had kings, then they overthrew tyrants, then they came up with a radical concept in 507 BCE: demokratia, “rule by the people” (demos=people and kratos=power). The ecclesia, or assembly, was responsible for most major political decisions. It was open to all citizens, regardless of economic class. Historical purists will argue: "yeah...but it wasn't really democracy." That's true. Women, slaves, and non-citizens didn't have voice. But, compared to all of the other dictatorial god-kings in the region, Athens was a liberal nirvana making even Bernie Sanders smile.
The photo below is of ostracon. They represent another safety valve built into the political system: ostracism. The goal was to prevent any one citizen from gaining too much power. If enough people voted, that person could be expelled from the city for ten years. They weren't punished, just removed. It weakened the person's connections, hence their political influence. If you had a vote today, is there anyone you would ostracize? (If you're noticing that these are an odd shape for a ballot, you're right. These are discarded bases from a kylix, the traditional wine vessel used for a symposium. The Greeks recycled everything even before Earth Day became posh.)
All leaders know that democracy is a challenge in the long run. There are just too many decisions to be made. That's why the United States is a representative democracy, similar to a republic (Roman). We elect people to make decisions for us (or remain helplessly mired in a bipartisan quagmire).
If you visit the Agora, be sure to stop by the Stoa of Attalos. It was rebuilt in the 1950s to house the museum and the artifacts pictured above. It's also the headquarters of the excavation project.
Although not perfect, democracy is far better than the alternative: dictators, kings, tyrants, warlords, and despots. We can thank the ancient Greeks for having the courage to experiment with: "...of the people, by the people, for the people..."
As I prepared to depart, I couldn't help but notice a fenced off area where the sacred ritual of archaeology was being performed: the washing of the pottery.
In only a few days, it will be my turn!
Here's one last discovery from the day. I found that everything tastes better with tzatziki!
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