"Agoraea" and "Agoraeus" (
Ancient Greek: Ἀγοραία, Agoraia and Ἀγοραῖος, Agoraios) were
epithets given to several divinities of
Greek mythology who were considered to be the protectors of the assemblies of the people in the agora (ἀγορά), particularly in
Athens,
Sparta, and
Thebes. The gods so named were
Zeus,[1]Athena,[2]Artemis,[3] and
Hermes.[4] As Hermes was the god of commerce, this epithet seems to have reference to the agora as the marketplace;[5] a bronze statue of Hermes Agoraeus is mentioned as standing near the agora in Athens by both
Aristophanes and
Demosthenes.[6][7]
The Agoraios Kolonos, or "Market Hill", was a precinct on the westernmost boundary of the agora in Athens.[8]
See also
Altar of Zeus Agoraios – ancient altar in Athens, GreecePages displaying wikidata descriptions as a fallback