Every ancient Greek polis had a market place, which was a square, and which served a meeting place for citizens and a centre of social life as well. Its name was agora. Usually it was located in the central part of the city.

As is the case with other phenomena of the life of the Greek polis, most of all we know about the Ancient Agora of Athens. They say that the Athenians spent more time on it than at home, walking in the shadow of the avenues, listening to the arguments and speeches of the wise men, who gathered in porticos, and learning political and domestic news.

Agora held the prior urban market, where special places presented a specific sort of goods, and the name of those was circles. Agora, too, held public buildings, such as Bouleuterion (for meetings of the State Council), dicasteries (for court proceedings), and temples to various gods. In addition, the most important laws of policy, carved on stone or on wooden planks, were in the agora for all the citizens to read. Agora was decorated with porticoes — covered galleries with columns, or porches leading to the entrance. Stoa was especially popular, as in it — there were pictures of the greatest Greek artists exhibited. Else, the Athenian Agora was decorated with statues of gods and heroes (Harmodius and Aristogiton were the first to be given this honour). The Athenians chose special officials — agoranomoses (market supervisors), who followed the order in the square, collected trade duties from metics and foreigners, levied fines for improper trading; the market police, which consisted of slaves, obeyed the agoranomos. There were also posts of metronomes, the duty of which was to monitor the accuracy of weights and measures.