The ancient Agora of Athens is the best example of the Classical Greek Agora (the gathering place of the philosophers), located in the northwest of the Acropolis of Athens, bounded on the south by the Areopagus Hill, and on the west by a hill known as Agoraios Colonos. Today, the Agora is an important archaeological site that attracts thousands of tourists. Located in the heart of the city, the ancient Agora of Athens has been in use, either as a gathering site, as a trading place, or as a residential area for about 5,000 years.