The Propylaia

The Propylaia (also spelt Propylaea) was the grand entranceway to the Acropolis. Begun in approximately 437BC under the supervision of the architect Mnesikles, works on the Propylaia continued until 432BC, but were never completed.

Nevertheless, even in its unfinished state, the Propylaia is considered to be of great architectural importance and beauty. It would have been a grand structure, with many external Doric and internal Ionic columns, all built in Pentelic marble.

The Propylaia was fairly well preserved until the seventeenth century, when it was devastated by an explosion. Today, its ruins form a dramatic sight within the Acropolis complex.