Athens (part 2)

(The Parthenon and Mars Hill as viewed from the ancient city of Athens)

After touring the Parthenon and Mars Hill, we got to go down to the ruins of the ancient city of Athens.  While the site itself is not as impressive as Ephesus, one does get a better picture of the Roman times by the restored stoa (strip mall) in the midst of the Athenian ruins. 

Here is an impressive view from inside the reconstructed stoa. Little shops would be set up to the right of the photo, just past the columns in single-room arrangements.  If you have been to a Middle East bizarre, you get the idea.

Here are the original remains of the other stoa.  Though Athens was not the only city that had three stoas in its agora (marketplace), it does indicate the city's wealth and size in the early Roman period.

While we know that Athens was advanced, many of us rarely realize just how advanced the Greco-Roman cities were.  Here we see the relics of the underground sewer system.

This is one of the temples for the pagan gods referenced in Acts 17.  In particular, this is the Temple of Hephaestus, the Greek god of technology, craftsmanship, and blacksmiths.

Me and my long lost brother.

I just have to share my useless trivia on this.  This sign obviously is an exit sign, but the Greek word for "exit" written above is exodus, which explains how the book of Exodus got its name.  But that's not all.  Not only does this word have biblical significance, but it also serves to give us an insight into how literal the Greek language can be.  Translated literally, the work actually means "the road (or path) out."