The Agora Where Democracy Was Born

The Ancient Agora -- a tree-shaded rectangle below the Acropolis -- is where Socrates argued, Pericles politicked, and the idea that citizens should govern themselves was tested. The Stoa of Attalos houses ballots, jury tokens, and ostracism shards that make democracy feel like a technology requiring physical tools.

The Temple of Hephaestus at the west end is the best-preserved ancient Greek temple in the world -- more complete than the Parthenon and less crowded by a factor of a hundred.

Every parliament, every election, every jury trial traces its lineage to this rectangle of ground.