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"
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