On the eastern side of the Roman Agora, in front of the Gate of Athena Archegetis and adjacent to the southern side of the Horologion of Andronicus Kyrrhestos, a tripylon (triple gate structure) on a broad ascending staircase is preserved. As this structure was originally considered to be the façade of a public building, it was identified as the Agoranomeion, the market inspector’s office, a theory that has been challenged by later research.
The building was constructed in the middle of the 1st century CE. The tripylon, made of marble from mounts Hymettus and Pentelicus, consists of four piers – three of which are still preserved to this day – interconnected by three arches. Its arched lintels feature decorative elements and inscriptions. One of the inscriptions on the architrave mentions that the building was dedicated to Athena Archegetis and the Theoi Sebastoi (Divi Augusti). However, the original part of the inscription that would have mentioned the name of the building is missing. The gate rests on a limestone stairway that balances the height difference between it and the propylon of the Agora. Thus, the construction of the gate establishes a connection with the eastern entrance, the Gate of Athena Archegetis, and facilitates the passage to the street which runs through the Agora. Its location at the crossroads of two pre-existing streets embellishes the public space, emphasising the large open space that extends to the east.
The initial identification of the building as the Agoranomeion was based on the discovery of a monolithic inscribed arch embedded in a nearby house that was originally thought to belong to the tripylon. However, this inscription, which refers to the Agoranomeion, the seat of the officials responsible for the proper function of the commercial markets, dates from after the middle of the 2nd century CE and apparently belongs to another building in the area, which has not yet been identified. Some researchers argue that the building to which the three-arched gate belonged was an unroofed basilica and that the colonnade forming its façade was incorporated into a pre-existing Hellenistic stoa. If this was indeed the case, then the building was a Sebasteion, constructed to house the imperial cult that had already been established in Athens from the early Roman period. Monuments associated with the worship of deified members of the imperial family were built in important public places as a means of propaganda and glorification of the power of the emperors, as exemplified in the Roman Agora. However, neither this identification has been widely accepted, as the eastern part of the building remains beneath contemporary structures and infrastructures and has not been excavated. Lastly, a more recent view suggests that the archway did not actually belong to a building but served as a monumental entrance to the open space to the east, where there were porticos on both sides.
In the 18th century, European travellers depicted the monuments of Athens, including the tripylon of the “Agoranomeion”, mentioning that it was incorporated into the eastern facade of an Ottoman house. After the establishment of the Greek state and as part of clearing the broader area of residences, the house containing the monument was demolished and a few years later the fillings were removed, revealing its total size.
