Tours: The Agora & Thermal Baths

Learn about the communal public spaces of Cyrene and their function within the city.
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|-|The Agora of Cyrene=
Cyrene's agora was the public market place and political hub of the city.
Its central courtyard was open to the sky, while market stalls and shops ran along the sides, some neatly tucked away under long roofed colonnades.
As in other Greek cities, the agora included a central hearth, known as a Prytaneum. This place served as Cyrene's official embassy where guests were welcomed to the city.
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(Behind the scenes)
An unamed statue representing naval victories was the centerpiece of the agora.
The statue's female figure likely represents Nike, the goddess of victory.
It was likely very similar to the , which current resides in the Louvre Museum and served as a reference for the team.
|-|Celebrating Battos=
The Cyrene agora also displayed many temples and monuments celebrating its founding king Battos, and the city gods.
There were two altars associated with the temple of Apollo, and a marble statue base dedicated to the goddess .
|-|Civic Buildings=
The civic buildings included a law court, complete with an archive library that would have housed legal documents and other papers essential to the city's governance.
Traces of fire damage to the building's remains indicate that it was possibly destroyed during the rebellion of the community in 115 BCE.
|-|The Thermal Baths=
Public baths were common in Roman and Greek cities, and Cyrene held true to this tradition.
Two thermal baths, from different eras, were discovered among the ruins.
And inscription at the entrance of one of the baths is presumed to be attributed to the ower. It dates the building to the Hellenistic period.
|-|Mosaics=
Mosaics were originally created for practical reasons: the need to waterproof floors.
Imported by Greeks in Egypt and Cyrenaica, the designs represented either scenes from daily life, marine fauna or mythological figures.
In addition to traditional Greek motifs, they also integrated concepts specific to Egyptian culture, such as the nelumbo.
|-|Decorations=
The Cyrene baths were fitted into an underground tomb dated somewhere between the 8th and 6th century BCE.
Bath-seats were carved directly in the rock, allowing for more comfortable ablutions.
As with many of the public buildings, the thermal baths were elaborately decorated. Statues such as Aphrodite, and Eros the archer, were discovered within.
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|-|Different Pools=
The frigidarium, a pool of cold water, was the first room visitors entered. It was followed by the tepidarium or tepid water area, and then the hot water room, called the caldarium.
Water for the thermal baths was sourced from a natural spring. Burning stones were deposited into the water to create steam as required.
The flowing water of the spring ended in a cistern and fountain referred to as the Aqua Augusta.
|-|Trajan's Bath as a Reference=
(Behind the Scenes)Later Roman baths were built under Emperor Trajan, and then restored under Hadrian.
After the earthquake of 365 CE, they were replaced by baths of Byzantine design, with stones from the old thermal baths used in the reconstruction.
The team relied on documentation describing the baths built under Trajan in order to create the location available in the game.
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Category:Discovery Tour: Ancient Egypt