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Arch of Hadrian

View on map:37.970130°N 23.731939°E

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Arch of Hadrian
37.969931°N 23.732100°E

Arch of Hadrian with the Acropolis slightly in view in the background.

The Arch of Hadrian was probably the entrance into the Temple of Olympian Zeus which resides to the east of the arch. It was probably built around 131 A.D. in honor of the Roman Emperor Hadrian.

There are two inscriptions on the marble Arch of Hadrian naming not only Hadrian as founder of Athens but also Theseus and is believed to have been built in honor of Hadrian as the entrance at the dedication of the nearby Temple of Olympian Zeus in about 131 A.D. There were probably statues of Hadrian and Theseus on the top of the arch.

Description


The Arch of Hadrian and the Olympeion looking southeast on Lysicrates street.

The Arch of Hadrian is a monumental gateway resembling – in some respects – a Roman triumphal arch. It spanned an ancient road from the center of Athens, Greece, to the complex of structures on the eastern side of the city that included the Temple of Olympian Zeus. It has been proposed that the arch was built to celebrate the adventus (arrival) of the Roman Emperor Hadrian and to honor him for his many benefactions to the city, on the occasion of the dedication of the nearby temple complex in 131 or 132 AD. It is not certain who commissioned the arch, although it is probable that the citizens of Athens or another Greek group were responsible for its construction and design. There were two inscriptions on the arch, facing in opposite directions, naming both Theseus and Hadrian as founders of Athens. While it is clear that the inscriptions honor Hadrian, it is uncertain whether they refer to the city as a whole or to the city in two parts: one old and one new. The early idea, however, that the arch marked the line of the ancient city wall, and thus the division between the old and the new regions of the city, has been shown to be false by further excavation. The arch is located 325m southeast of the Acropolis.

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