During the antiquity, the Ancient Agora was the administrative and trade centre of the city; it was this specific function that gave the location its name, which means "marketplace".
The Odeon of Herodes Atticus, or the Irodeion as it is called today, was built on the south-western slope of the rock of the Acropolis during the Roman era, by the Athenian magnate Herod Atticus.