The Stoa Poikile (, ) or Painted Porch, originally called the Porch of Peisianax (, ), was a

stoa A stoa (; plural, stoas,"stoa", ''Oxford English Dictionary'', 2nd Ed., 1989 stoai, or stoae ), in ancient Greek architecture, is a covered walkway or portico, commonly for public use. Early stoas were open at the entrance with columns, usually ...

(a covered walkway or portico) erected during the 5th century BC and was located on the north side of the

Ancient Agora of Athens The ancient Agora of Athens (also called the Classical Agora) is the best-known example of an ancient Greek agora, located to the northwest of the Acropolis and bounded on the south by the hill of the Areopagus and on the west by the hill kn ...

. The Stoa Poikile was one of the most famous sites in ancient Athens, owing its fame to the paintings and loot from wars displayed in it.

Overview

The

Stoa A stoa (; plural, stoas,"stoa", ''Oxford English Dictionary'', 2nd Ed., 1989 stoai, or stoae ), in ancient Greek architecture, is a covered walkway or portico, commonly for public use. Early stoas were open at the entrance with columns, usually ...

was the location from which

Zeno of Citium Zeno of Citium (; grc-x-koine, Ζήνων ὁ Κιτιεύς, ; c. 334 – c. 262 BC) was a Hellenistic philosopher from Citium (, ), Cyprus. Zeno was the founder of the Stoic school of philosophy, which he taught in Athens from about 300 B ...

taught

Stoicism Stoicism is a school of Hellenistic philosophy founded by Zeno of Citium in Athens in the early 3rd century Common Era, BCE. It is a philosophy of personal virtue ethics informed by its system of logic and its views on the natural world, asser ...

. The philosophical school of Stoicism takes its name from having first been expounded here, and was derived from the Greek word ''stoa''. Zeno taught and lectured to his followers from this porch. Excavations carried out by the American School of Classical Studies at Athens over the past two decades have revealed much of the foundations and some lower elements of the stoa on the north side of the Athenian Agora; it had a Doric columnar facade and an Ionic interior colonnade. The Stoa Poikile was decorated by fresco painter and sculptor Micon of Athens in collaboration with Polygnotos of Thasos; both artists worked around the mid-5th century BC. The paintings were most probably located on the inner wall of the stoa. In the time of

Pausanias Pausanias ( el, Παυσανίας) may refer to: *Pausanias of Athens, lover of the poet Agathon and a character in Plato's ''Symposium'' *Pausanias the Regent, Spartan general and regent of the 5th century BC * Pausanias of Sicily, physician of t ...

(2nd century AD), the paintings in the Stoa included: * ''The Battle of Oenoe'' (author unknown) * ''Amazonomachy'' by

Micon Micon the Younger of Athens, simply Micon or Mikon ( el, Μίκων) was an ancient Greek painter and sculptor from the middle of the 5th century BC. He was closely associated with Polygnotus of Thasos, in conjunction with whom he adorned the Stoa ...

* ''The Taking of Troy'' by

Polygnotus Polygnotus ( el, Πολύγνωτος ''Polygnotos'') was an ancient Greek painter from the middle of the 5th century BC. Life He was the son and pupil of Aglaophon. He was a native of Thasos, but was adopted by the Athenians, and admitted to ...

* ''The Battle of Marathon'' by

Panaenus Panaenus, brother of Phidias, was an ancient Greek painter who worked in conjunction with Polygnotus and Micon at Athens. The painting of the Battle of Marathon in the Stoa Poikile is ascribed to Panaenus and to Micon and Polygnotus, who may h ...

(also ascribed to Micon and Polygnotus who may have assisted in the work)Francesco de Angelis, “La battaglia di Maratona nella Stoa poikile,” ''ASNP'' 1996 Ser. 4a 1 (1) 119–171. There is a contrast between the mythical and historical events portrayed: depictions of Theseus' victory over the Amazonians and the

Fall of Troy In Greek mythology, the Trojan War was waged against the city of Troy by the Achaeans (Greeks) after Paris of Troy took Helen from her husband Menelaus, king of Sparta. The war is one of the most important events in Greek mythology and has ...

are juxtaposed sharply with the portrayal of the historic Battle of Oenoe (conjectured to have occurred in the

pentecontaetia ''Pentecontaetia'' ( el, πεντηκονταετία, "the period of fifty years") is the term used to refer to the period in Ancient Greek history between the defeat of the second Persian invasion of Greece at Plataea in 479 BC and the beginn ...

at Oenoe, Attica on the

Thriasian Plain The Thriasio Plain ( el, Θριάσιο Πεδίο, translit=Thriasio Pedio) is a plain in western Attica, immediately to the west of Athens, in Greece. It is bounded by Mount Egaleo to the east, Mount Parnitha to the north, Mount Pateras to th ...

near

Eleutherae Eleutherae ( grc, Ἐλευθεραί) is a city in the northern part of Attica, bordering the territory of Boeotia. One of the best preserved fortresses of Ancient Greece stands now on the spot of an Ancient Eleutherae castle, dated between 37 ...

), the first important Athenian victory over

Sparta Sparta ( Doric Greek: Σπάρτα, ''Spártā''; Attic Greek: Σπάρτη, ''Spártē'') was a prominent city-state in Laconia, in ancient Greece. In antiquity, the city-state was known as Lacedaemon (, ), while the name Sparta referre ...

, and the

Battle of Marathon The Battle of Marathon took place in 490 BC during the first Persian invasion of Greece. It was fought between the citizens of Athens, aided by Plataea, and a Persian force commanded by Datis and Artaphernes. The battle was the culmination of ...

. The Stoa Poikile stood in good repair for over six centuries, possibly gaining additional artwork over the centuries. It suffered when Athens was sacked in 267 AD by

Heruli The Heruli (or Herules) were an early Germanic people. Possibly originating in Scandinavia, the Heruli are first mentioned by Roman authors as one of several "Scythian" groups raiding Roman provinces in the Balkans and the Aegean Sea, attacking b ...

ans, although only easily looted items were taken at that time. The paintings were removed by a Roman governor shortly before 396 AD. The Stoa itself probably existed for another 50–100 years until it was demolished to gain building material for a city wall.

Painting of the Battle of Marathon

''The Battle of Marathon'' features most predominantly and as such, displays the confidence and identity of the Athenians in the wake of the

Persian Wars The Greco-Persian Wars (also often called the Persian Wars) were a series of conflicts between the Achaemenid Empire and Greek city-states that started in 499 BC and lasted until 449 BC. The collision between the fractious political world of the ...

Battle of Marathon in the Stoa Poikile (reconstitution)

Of this painting Pausanias says:

References

External links

* * Stoa Poikile on the page of th
Excavations, American School of Classical Studies in Athens''
{{Coord, 37.9763, N, 23.7230, E, source:wikidata, display=title Ancient Greek buildings and structures in Athens Education in Athens Stoicism Battle of Marathon Ancient Agora of Athens Stoas in Greece