Historical landmark
Hadrian's Library
Κ, Areos 3, Τ, Athina 105 55
Roman-era library courtyard of a hundred marble columns, later buried under churches, a bazaar, and a cathedral lost to fire.
This guide to Hadrian's Library in Athens starts with the fire that tore through the square on an August night in 1884, then goes back to the Roman emperor Hadrian's original courtyard of a hundred marble columns, gilded ceilings and scroll-filled cupboards described by the writer Pausanias. It follows the site through the Heruli sack of 267, centuries as a defensive wall, a succession of churches culminating in Athens's first cathedral, and Ottoman-era market stalls built on top of the ruins.
Audio guides are written and narrated by AI.