bouleuterion

BOULEUTE´RION[BOULÉ. ]

(βουλευτήριον). See Boulé.

Building used to house the council (Boule or Senate) members during their daily meetings, i.e., the Senate House.

The older bouleteria display a wide variety of plans and internal arrangements; many are temple-like with a longitudinal plan and a central colonnade. Later buildings become somewhat more standardized, employing a square or broad rectangular plan with seats around three sides of the building and internal supports placed so as to cause minimal obstruction of view from any point in the hall (e.g., the Old and New Bouleteria in the Athenian Agora [dated ca. 500 and 415-406 B.C., respectively] and the 4th c. Thersilion at Megalopolis).