The concept of agora is a very complex and ancient concept, already existing in Ancient Greece, the civilization from which it comes. Agora is a Greek term that means 'place of assembly or meeting'. Traditionally, the agora was the place in which specifically designated so that the Greek citizens met to debate on the different subjects concerning the democratic system. Thus, the agora can be understood as the representative form of democracy because it means the full participation of all, unlike other forms of government in which decisions are made by one or a few people.
As a physical place, the agora was in the ancient Greek tradition, always an open and relatively large space (depending on the needs of each polis or city-state) in which all the individuals considered citizens met. In this space the city assembly was formed and it was responsible for making decisions that had to do with the political, social and economic development of each city. The agora can be understood as a square to which all citizens could and should attend to participate in democracy. When the assemblies were not held, the agora functioned as a place for recreation as well as for commerce and sale of different types of products.
As might be expected, the agora was the most important part of the city together with the acropolis or elevated area in which the temple to the god of the city was erected. Due to the importance given to democracy in ancient Athens, the space where such activity took place became the political, economic and social center of the time. Today, the word agora gives us other terms such as agoraphobia, which is nothing other than, precisely, the fear of open spaces.
