Hadrian's Arch Athens

After the construction of the temple of Zeus the Athenians honored Hadrian by building, in AD 131 an arched gateway in the north-west corner of the enclosure of the temple. The arch, built of Pentelic marble (Penteli is one of the mountains surrounding the basin of Athens) , bears two inscriptions. The one on the side facing the Acropolis (west facade) reads:

"This is Athens, the ancient city of Theseus"

while the other the side facing the sanctuary an the extension of the city by Hadrian reads:

"This is the city of Hadrian and not of Theseus"