In antiquity, the agora (forum) of every city was its commercial and social centre. The ancient Agora of Kos is among the largest to have been excavated in Greece to this date. Originally it was built during the 4th century B.C. near the city’s port.
After 366 B.C. when the city of Kos was recognized as an important administrative center, important public and religious buildings were constructed in the area of the port and of the Agora. The latter was the financial heart of the island, with streets, workshops, shops and altars that consitute the “traditional” image of an ancient agora.
The archaeological site was excavated by the Italian Archaeological School, during the reconstruction of the city, after the destructive earthquake of 1933. The Agora had trhee main gates (eastern, western, northern). The roads from the three gates convergedin the center in a large internal courtyard. The northern gate connected the Agora with the city walls, while the other two hosted a number of shops tending to the citizens’ everyday needs.