Council House Interior

View looking west at the western seats of the Bouleuterion (Council House) at Sagalassos.  There were 8 rows of seats and two sets of 16 steps that led up from the central pavement of the building.  The steps on the right are well preserved.

The Council House was probably erected in the first century B.C. on the west side of the Upper Agora.  It was square in shape with seats on three sides.

The Council House was where the boule of the city met—thus the name of the structure where they met—the bouleuterion.  The boule was the elected representatives of the citizens of a city (the ekklesia) that governed the city.  The number of boule varied from city to city.  In a large city like Athens there were 500 on this council.