The Painted Stoa or Stoa Poikile was located
at a crossroads just across the Panathenaic Way from the Royal Stoa (Stoa
Basileios) on the northern boundary of the Agora. It received its name
from the paintings depicting great Athenian military victories (like the
Battle of Marathon) attached to its wall. These paintings were the work
of famous Athenian artists. Battle trophies were also displayed on the
wall of the Painted Stoa, like the Spartan shields taken as spoils by the
Athenians at Pylos in 425/4. Below is one of those shields.
An inscription on the shield reads: "The
Athenians [took this] from the Lacedaimonians (Spartans) at Pylos."