In the northeastern part of the Ancient Agora, a basilica – a public edifice featuring a spacious three-aisled hall – was constructed during the reign of Hadrian (117-138 CE). Today, only a few parts of that building are preserved. It was partially destroyed during the excavation of the trench for the Athens electric railway in 1891, while its northern part remains unexplored, buried under the modern urban fabric.
The term basilica, more commonly known from Christian churches, describes a type of covered building with a spacious hall internally divided into three parts. During the Imperial period, basilicas housed administrative and judicial services or were used for commercial purposes, similar to stoas.
Although the building is poorly preserved, it can be concluded from the foundations and the surviving finds that it was an elaborate large structure with an internal peristyle dividing it into three parts, with rich decoration. On the south side and the south-west corner the building was flanked by a colonnade. Inside, the floor and the walls were covered with marble slabs. Among the architectural elements identified as belonging to the basilica were marbles of various origins and colours with decorative motifs in relief. Its architectural design incorporated an administrative building of the Augustan period that existed on the site, with its eastern wall being demolished to accommodate the new construction. In addition, the colonnade on the Basilica’s south side appears to have been appropriately adjusted to integrate the pre-existing building.
The Basilica remained in use throughout the 3rd century. It is considered that the portico of its façade was burnt during the raid of the Heruli in 267 CE, while it is not clear whether the destruction of the building was due to the raid or to the common ancient practice of removing architectural parts from ruined buildings in order to reuse them. However, the dismantling of its architectural members seems to have continued until the middle of the 5th century CE, as elements of the building were used in the construction of a gateway in late Roman porticos between the Dipylon and the Sacred Gate.
