The Stoa of Attalos (King Attalus II) occupies a prominent position along the eastern side of the ancient Greek Agora, where it once functioned as a major civic and commercial thoroughfare. Distinguished by its unprecedented scale, dual-storeyed design, and synthesis of architectural orders, the structure offered sheltered space for merchants, philosophers, civic officials, and visitors moving through the political and economic center of the city.

Its reconstruction in the 20th century CE—unusual in both scale and archaeological precision—has rendered it a crucial monument for the interpretation of Athenian civic life, Hellenistic architectural practice, and the modern history of archaeological conservation.

circa 150 BCE

Antiquity
The stoa was commissioned by Attalos II, who ruled Pergamon from 159 to 138 BCE, and presented or gifted to the city of Athens as an expression of diplomatic goodwill and cultural patronage. Pergamon’s Attalid dynasty cultivated a close ideological and artistic relationship with Athens, claiming intellectual descent from the classical city. The gift of a monumental stoa in the Agora—the heart of Athenian civic expression—thus aligned Pergamene legitimacy with Athenian cultural prestige. In antiquity, the structure housed a variety of commercial establishments occupying its rear rooms, while its long colonnaded corridors served as promenades, meeting points, and spaces for informal public exchange. Literary and archaeological evidence indicate that its spatial program was deliberately designed to accommodate both economic and social functions, integrating Hellenistic commercial architecture into the civic environment of classical Athens.

Modern Period
The extant building is the result of a comprehensive reconstruction carried out between 1953 and 1956 CE by the American School of Classical Studies at Athens. Utilizing surviving foundations, architectural fragments, and detailed contextual evidence, the project sought to recreate the stoa’s ancient appearance as precisely as the material permitted. The reconstruction employed both ancient materials recovered from the site and newly quarried Pentelic marble where original elements could not be restored.

This undertaking formed part of a broader mid-twentieth-century program to stabilize, excavate, and present the Agora as an archaeological park. The rebuilt stoa was designed not only to display ancient architectural forms but also to accommodate the Museum of the Ancient Agora, rendering it an exemplar of modern experimental archaeology and museum integration within a reconstructed ancient monument.

circa 150 BCE

The architectural conception of the Stoa of Attalos reflects the ambitions of the Hellenistic period, during which stoas grew increasingly elaborate, monumental, and multifunctional. Unlike the more modest porticoes of classical Athens, Attalos’ stoa rose to two full storeys and extended approximately 115 meters in length and 20 meters in width. Its structural and decorative materials combined Pentelic marble—celebrated for its fine grain and luminous appearance—with limestone, the latter used primarily in foundation and subordinate elements. The overall composition demonstrates a calculated interplay of architectural orders and regional idioms.

On the ground floor, the exterior colonnade employed the Doric order, conferring a visual gravitas traditionally associated with civic architecture. In contrast, the inner colonnade of the same level adopted the Ionic order, introducing a more refined architectural vocabulary and creating a spatial hierarchy between the building’s outward and inward façades. The second storey reversed and elaborated these relationships: the exterior colonnade was rendered in the Ionic order, while the interior incorporated a Pergamene order distinguished by its characteristic ornamental richness. This orchestration of orders—Doric outside and Ionic inside on the lower level, and Ionic outside with Pergamene inside above—highlights both adherence to classical precedents and a distinctly Hellenistic taste for varied stylistic expression.

Each floor contained two aisles running longitudinally and twenty-one rooms set against the western rear wall. These rooms, arranged in a continuous sequence, were equipped with doorways and small rear windows that provided light and ventilation—an arrangement suited to commercial activities requiring both visibility and controlled interior conditions. The rooms of the ground floor functioned primarily as retail spaces, contributing to the stoa’s role as a commercial hub, while the colonnaded walkways facilitated circulation and offered protection from weather. Access to the upper storey was provided by stairways located at both northern and southern ends, allowing for efficient movement between levels.

The general plan shares affinities with another major Pergamene benefaction to Athens: the Stoa constructed by Eumenes II along the south slope of the Acropolis. Yet the Stoa of Attalos surpasses it in the scale and number of enclosed rear chambers, emphasizing its commercial orientation. Its long colonnades, however, maintained the social functions characteristic of Athenian stoas, serving as spaces for public gathering, intellectual conversation, and leisurely passage through the Agora.

circa 1965 CE

Museum of the Ancient Agora
Since its reconstruction, the Stoa of Attalos has housed the Museum of the Ancient Agora, which presents archaeological material illustrating the civic, political, and daily life of Athens from the Neolithic period through the Roman era. The museum’s installation takes advantage of the stoa’s architectural layout: the former shop rooms provide controlled environments for artifact display, while the colonnaded spaces permit the exhibition of inscriptions, sculpture, and architectural fragments in situ. The building thus functions as both a museum and an architectural exhibit, offering visitors the rare opportunity to experience a reconstructed Hellenistic civic structure while engaging directly with the archaeological record of the Agora.