In ancient Athens, the Agora was the center of the city. It was the main marketplace, the center of government, and the birthplace of the idea of democracy. It is where the Athenian Senate met, where Athenians came to vote, and where Socrates was imprisoned and forced to commit suicide. Surrounding the site (which has been excavated over the last century) were four major market buildings called "stoas." One of these, the Stoa of Attalos, has been faithfully reconstructed on its original foundations and reusing a lot of its original fragments, which were lying scattered around the grounds. It is now a museum housing finds from the Agora site. The Agora sits just to the northwest of the Acropolis.