Stoa of Zeus (Eleutherios)

The Stoa of Zeus Eleutherios was built on the west side of the Agora between 430 and 425 B.C. This monument was erected to honor Zeus, as a guarantor of freedom, for his role in helping the Athenians defeat the Persians at the battle of Plataea. It was constructed as a civic building with two projecting wings, each adorned with a Nike acroterion on the south and north sides. It was used as a repository of the shields of those who died fighting for Athens at the battle of Plataea. Built of marble and limestone, it had Doric columns on the exterior and Ionic columns on the interior. This stoa served as the cult site for the Athenian cult of Zeus Eleutherios and had a statue of Zeus in front of it. The interior was decorated with paintings of the twelve gods done by Euphranor. In the early Roman period, a door was added to the rear wall of the stoa to connect it with a new annex with two chambers. One room was known to hold images of the emperor and his family, and both may have housed a cult of Roman emperors. Only a few traces of this monument are still visible.