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AGORA;
The broad area in front of the Theatre
was the Commercial Agora of Ephesus. Completely
surrounded by columns, this Agora contained three
entrances, one from the Celsus Library, one from the
front of the Theatre, and one from the Harbour. In
the form of a square 110 metres on a side, the north
side of the Agora is left open, while the remaining
three sides are surrounded by a portico which
contained shops. The eastern and southern sides of
the Agora were two-storeyed, the second storey of
the eastern side being constructed in the form of an
enclosed Doric stoa.
Originally built in the Hellenistic Period, the
Agora was reconstructed in the 3rd century during
the reign of Caracalla (211-217 A.D.). At the centre
of the Agora was a sundial and a water-clock. The
centre of the square was faced in marble and
contained statues of the philosophers, statesmen,
and of scholars.
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