The Agora (which means “gathering place) was the real heart of ancient Athens. From 600 BCE to 300 AD. It was the place where ancient Greeks, and eventually the conquering Romans came to shop, conduct business, pass laws, talk philosophy, and attend plays. We paid our 8 euros each and entered what are mostly the ruins of the Agora. Little survives from its height, except for the Temple of Hephaestus and a stoa that was reconstructed in 1952.