Monastiraki in Kentrikos Tomeas Athinon, Attica, Greece — Ελλάδα (Southeastern Europe, Balkan Peninsula)
The Library of Pantainos
(Text in Greek on the left side. To read it enlarge the marker image.)
English:
The Library of Pantainos is located on the east side of the Panathenaic way, south of the Stoa of Attalos. It consists of a large square room and a paved courtyard, surrounded by three stoas with shops behind their colonnades. The north stoa runs eastward, along the south side of a marble street that leads led in Roman times from the Agora to the Doric gateway of the market of Caesar and Augustus, also known as the Roman Agora.
According to its inscribed marble lintel block the library was dedicated to Athena Archegetis, the emperor Trajan and the Athenian people in the years around 100 A.D., by Titus Flavious Pantainos who describes himself as a priest of the philosophical muses as well as the son to the head of a philosophical school. The library rules, much as they would be today, are preserved in another inscription found in the building: "No book is to be taken out since we have sworn an oath. The library is to be open from the first hour until the sixth"
Trajan seems actually to have been worshipped in the building as parts of his statue were found in the ruins. The remains of the library reinforce the opinion that we may have not only a "library of Pantainos" here, but also one of the famed philosophical schools of Athens.
The north and west stoas were destroyed by the Herulians in 267 A.D. In the 5th cent. A.D. the east stoa was rebuilt with the addition of a second storey for the eastern two-thirds of its length. The rooms at ground level behind the colonnade were also refinished, to serve as a basement suite for the principal rooms on the floor above, which had a small peristyle court, and apsidal room and provisions for bathing. This large building was probably an official residence.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Education.
Location. 37° 58.478′ N, 23° 43.487′ E. Marker is in Monastiraki, Attica, in Kentrikos Tomeas Athinon. Marker is on Pikilis close to Vrisakiou, on the left when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: Pikilis 6, Monastiraki, Attica 105 55, Greece. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Stoa of Attalos (159-138 B.C.) (about 90 meters away, measured in a direct line); Church of the Holy Apostles (ca. A.D. 1000) (about 90 meters away); The East Side of the Ancient Agora and the Stoa of Attalos (about 150 meters away); The House on Panos Street (about 180 meters away); Odeion of Agrippa and Gymnasium or "Palace of the Giants" (about 180 meters away); Water Clock (about 210 meters away); The Area South of the Ancient Agora (about 210 meters away); Temple of Apollo Patroos, Temple of Zeus Pharatrios and Athena Phratria, Benches or "Synedrion" (approx. 0.2 kilometers away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Monastiraki.
Credits. This page was last revised on March 21, 2022. It was originally submitted on November 10, 2018, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. This page has been viewed 454 times since then and 39 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on November 10, 2018, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California.