Stoas

Structures that originated in Greek architecture, comprising freestanding colonnades or covered walkways, or long open buildings with the roof supported by one or more rows of columns parallel to the rear wall. Stoas surrounded marketplaces and sanctuaries, forming places of business and public promenade. Rooms could back onto the colonnade, and a second story was sometimes added. A famous example of a stoa was the great hall at Athens, which was adorned with frescoes of the battle of Marathon, and in which Zeno lectured, giving the name to his disciples, "Stoics."