The Agora of the Competaliasts is one of the main markets on the island of Delos,

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...

, which dates to the last quarter of the 2nd century BC. This market is directly adjacent to the

Sacred Harbour Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects ...

. The bases of a square and a round marble monument, both dedicated to

Hermes Hermes (; grc-gre, Ἑρμῆς) is an Olympian deity in ancient Greek religion and mythology. Hermes is considered the herald of the gods. He is also considered the protector of human heralds, travellers, thieves, merchants, and orato ...

, can be found in the center of the market square. Around these two monuments, one can see the remains of many other monuments erected by merchants, sea captains, and bankers. In the northern portion of this market, one can find the Portico of Philip and an Ionic temple dedicated to Hermes. In the eastern and southern portions, are the remains of shops from the golden days of this Hellenic commerce center. The ground is paved with stones of

gneiss Gneiss ( ) is a common and widely distributed type of metamorphic rock. It is formed by high-temperature and high-pressure metamorphic processes acting on formations composed of igneous or sedimentary rocks. Gneiss forms at higher temperatures an ...

and there are holes in the stones where tent poles would have gone.

External links

*https://web.archive.org/web/20031119024619/http://www.culture.gr/2/21/211/21121a/e211ua06.html Ancient Delos Economy of ancient Greece {{AncientGreece-stub