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Figure 7 The agora of the Italians, ca. 100 BCE, Delos; reproduced by permission from Trümper 2009, Figure 11.

The small island of Delos was an important sanctuary, long before becoming the busiest cosmopolitan port of the late Hellenistic Mediterranean and a large slave market (cf. 8.19). Scholars have been debating whether some buildings can be identified as slave markets, and the so-called agora of the Italians has been the prime candidate. The vast unpaved courtyard enclosed 3440 m² and could easily hold thousands of people. The porticoes round the courtyard had a second storey, which could house around a thousand persons. Rooms 28–30 housed sweat baths. The propylon (3) has been interpreted as either the entrance to the building or a platform for slave auctions.

Literature: Coarelli 2005; Fentress 2005; Trümper 2009: 34–49.

 What entrances were there for this building? How easy was access to it? Why might this allow us to connect the agora to the slave trade?

 Does the size of the courtyard suggest that the agora was a slave market? How? If not, what other functions can you imagine for this courtyard?

 If the courtyard was used for housing thousands of slaves, what problems can you envisage as emerging?

 How could one access the upper storey of the porticoes? In what way could they facilitate its use as a slave market? What other functions can you imagine?

 Were the baths important for a large slave market? Was the size of the baths sufficient for dealing with thousands of slaves per day?

 To which rooms does corridor 70a lead? Could these rooms be used for the sale of slaves?

 Would slave traders require a specific large-scale building for conducting their business? What other alternatives can you imagine?