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From sources
Mike's review
Visited 2019Tower of the Winds is the compact building to slow down for inside the Roman Agora. The octagonal marble tower is usually dated to the late Hellenistic or early Roman period and is associated with Andronikos of Kyrrhos.
Its reliefs show the eight wind gods. It was a time-and-weather building: sundials on the outside, a water-clock mechanism inside, and probably a weather vane above. Look at each face rather than treating it as a columned ruin. It is one of the clearest pieces of ancient technical imagination in central Athens.
From the source
The Tower of the Winds is the octagonal marble building at the east side of the Roman Agora. Each face carries a relief of one of the eight winds, with sundial lines cut below. A water clock worked inside, while a bronze Triton on the roof once turned as a weather vane. Together, the instruments made the tower a public clock and weather station.
Andronikos of Kyrrhos designed the building during the late Hellenistic period. It later served as a church bell tower and, under Ottoman rule, as a meeting place for Mevlevi dervishes. The reliefs and sundials are visible from outside even when the door is closed. Entry follows Roman Agora admission and operating hours.
Supporting source: Legacy import provenance
Plan your visit
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The Tower of the Winds is visited as part of the Roman Agora. The official e-ticket page uses timed entry and in the current season lists slots beginning 08:00, with summer closing patterns following the Roman Agora site timetable and gradual reductions through September and October.
Admission
There is no separate Tower of the Winds ticket; access is included with Roman Agora admission via the official Hellenic Heritage timed-entry system. Single and combined tickets, plus reduced/free categories, are offered through the official ticket portal.
Booking
Booking recommended
Features & amenities
What to expect
- Indoor + outdoor
What to bring
- comfortable shoes
- light layer
Good to know
- Photos allowed
Tags
In my guides
Where Tower of the Winds comes up in my writing.
More near here
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