Hadrian's Library

Hadrian gave Athens this complex in AD 132, and it was far more than a library: a rectangular enclosure of some 122 by 82 metres with a hundred columns, an interior garden and pool, lecture halls and reading rooms, with the scrolls themselves stored in niches in the east wall. The west facade survives to impressive height along Areos Street, seven Corinthian columns of green-veined marble standing against the modern square. Inside the enclosure the foundations of three successive churches overlie the Roman floor, including the fifth-century Tetraconch, showing how the site was reused for centuries after the library burned in the Herulian sack of AD 267.

What you actually see

• The west facade - a row of Corinthian columns from the original entrance wall.
• The scroll niches - recesses in the east wall where the papyrus rolls were kept.
• The church foundations - three overlapping early Christian buildings in the courtyard.
• The courtyard plan - traces of the colonnade, garden and central pool.

When to go

Any time of year; the site is small, open and best in morning or late afternoon light. It pairs naturally with the Roman Agora next door.

Honest expectations

Apart from the facade, this is a site of low walls and outlines, quickly seen. Explanatory panels are sparse and much of the interior is fenced. It costs nothing extra on the combined ticket, which is the honest reason to step in.

Nearby

Monastiraki flea market is across the square, the Roman Agora is two minutes away, and Plaka begins immediately east.