Roman Agora & Tower of the Winds
Ρωμαϊκή Αγορά
A Roman-era market ruin; the well-preserved octagonal Tower of the Winds served as an ancient weather station and water clock.
The Roman Agora was built by Caesar and Augustus at the end of the 1st century BC. Its surviving remains include the Gate of Athena Archegetis and colonnades. The Tower of the Winds on the east side is about 12 m tall, with a relief of a wind god carved on each of its eight sides. It once housed a sundial, a water clock and a wind vane, making it one of the world's earliest weather stations. Its interior can be visited. Admission is about €8 and is included in the Athens combined ticket. The site lies between Plaka and Monastiraki and is within walking distance of both.
Opening hours
08:00–20:00 (until 17:00 in winter)
Nearby sights
- Hadrian's Library
- Anafiotika
- Acropolis of Athens & Parthenon
- Monastiraki
- Areopagus Hill
- Ancient Agora of Athens
- Odeon of Herodes Atticus
- Plaka