Constructed in 131 AD, the Arch of Hadrian is a monumental gateway
built by the roman emperor, Hadrian as a part of a wall separating the old and
new Athens. The arch spanned an ancient road from the center of Athens to the
complex on the eastern side of the city that included the Temple of Olympian Zeus.
British architects, Stuart and Revett did the earliest and only complete
architectural study of the arch in 1751-53. They were perplexed by the fact
that the arch is not aligned with the Temple of Olympian Zeus, despite the fact
that it is only 20m from the boundary wall of that complex. It has
been suggested that the arch was built to celebrate the arrival of the emperor
to the city and to honor him at the time of the dedication of the temple. It is
unclear who commissioned the arch but is likely that a group of Greek citizens
designed and constructed it.
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The entire arch is made of Pentelic marble, from Mt Pendelikon.
The design is fully symmetrical from front to back and side to side. It stands
eighteen meters (fifty nine feet) high, thirteen and a half meters (forty four
feet) wide and two point three meters (seven and a half feet) in depth and the
single arched passageway of the lower level is six and a half meters (twenty
one feet) wide. The lower arch is supported by pilasters crowned with
Corinthian capitals. Similar but taller pilasters are on the outer corners. The
space between the outer pilasters and the arched opening were filled in with
squared stones with cut edges. The top of the lower level has an Ionic
architrave with dentils and a geison. On
the lower level, the side of the arch facing the Acropolis has the inscription “ΑΙΔ' ΕIΣΙΝ ΑΘΗΝΑΙ ΘΗΣΕΩΣ Η ΠΡΙΝ ΠΟΛΙΣ” -
“This is Athens, the former city of Theseus” while the other side reads,
“ΑΙΔE ΑΔΡΙΑΝΟΥ ΚΟΥΧI ΘΗΣΕΩΣ ΠΟΛΙΣ”
-“This is the city of Hadrian and not of Theseus.” The upper level of
the arch has Corinthian columns and pilasters dividing the top into three
openings. The outer openings, like the lower level, had an Ionic architrave
with dentils and a geison. The central opening is different, it has antae with
engaged Corinthian half-columns that support a triangular pediment that rested
on the dentils, geison and sima that joined the center to the two sides. The central
opening was originally covered with a thin screen of stone. Today, only the
slots for its mounting exist. It has been suggested that there were statues in
the side arches of the upper level. Some historians believe, based on the
inscriptions, the statues were of Hadrian and Theseus, the two founders of Athens.
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| Stuart and Revett, Elevation |
In the mid-eighteenth century, Stuart and Revett did
architectural records of the arch. At that time, the base of the arch was buried
only three feet into the ground. It has survived the centuries in remarkable
condition, just missing the columns of the lower level. Today, it stands at its
full height and towers over modern Amalias Avenue. As of late, the atmospheric pollution
has discolored and degraded the original stone of the monument.
Sources:
1- Watkin, David. A History of Western Architecture: Sixth ed. New York: Thames and Hudson, 1986. Print.
2- Martin, Roland. Greek Architecture: Electa Architecture, 2003. Print
3- https://www2.bc.edu/~scannedc/honors2.html
Sources:
1- Watkin, David. A History of Western Architecture: Sixth ed. New York: Thames and Hudson, 1986. Print.
2- Martin, Roland. Greek Architecture: Electa Architecture, 2003. Print
3- https://www2.bc.edu/~scannedc/honors2.html
