Agora archaeological site

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View of part of the Agora archaeological site
Kos 1819, the fortified city and the fortress of Neratzia can be clearly seen

The archaeological site Agora ( Greek Συνοικία Λιμένος-αγορα , Market District Agora , also Hafenviertel Agora or English Archaeological Site of the Harbor Quarter Agora or Ancient Agora for short ) is located in the city ​​of Kos on the Greek island of Kos .

Human settlement in Kos has been documented since the early Bronze Age (2300 to 2000 BC) (see e.g. Aspri Petra ). During the time of the Minoan or Mycenaean culture (2nd millennium BC), settlements in Kos developed into important centers (especially Kefalos ). This development took place between the 10th and 8th centuries BC. Restricted BC, flourished from 7th to 5th century BC. BC again. With the relocation of the island's capital from Kefalos to Kos (city) , it became the new center. The city of Kos was further enhanced by the construction of the Neratzia fortress by the Order of St. John . The fortress and the fortified city were in the immediate vicinity.

The excavation site was created after the earthquake of April 23, 1933, when the residents were evacuated due to the massive destruction of the district that had previously been here and extensive excavations could take place between 1934 and 1942. In particular, finds from the Hellenistic period and late antiquity were found. The finds from this and the other excavation sites are kept in the archaeological museum in Kos (city), which was newly built at the time . The Italian archaeologist and art historian Luciano Laurenzi played a key role in the excavations .

Parts of the fortifications (gates and towers) of the medieval city still exist (see e.g. the gate of taxes ). Access to the archaeological site is free. On the northeastern edge of the excavation site is the late Byzantine church of St. Georg Arrenagogeiou and the former cemetery chapel Panagia Gorgoepikoos , which withstood the earthquakes of 1933 and 2017 relatively well.

Web links

Commons : Agora archaeological site  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Earthquake with a magnitude of 6.6 on the Richter scale.
  2. ↑ See information boards on site.
  3. ↑ The excavations and construction work on this historical site and the finds were carried out by the Italian occupying forces in the 1930s (see: Italian occupation of the island from 1912 to 1943).
  4. ↑ Ιστορικό , website: odysseus.culture.gr.
  5. ↑ Renovated Archaeological Museum Is A Must-See on Kos , website: greece-is.com from March 15, 2017.

Coordinates: 36 ° 53 ′ 37 ″  N , 27 ° 17 ′ 27.5 ″  E