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Inancient Greek architecture, apropylon (/ˈprɒpɪlɒn/or/ˈprɒupɪlɒn/;Ancient Greekπρόπυλονprópulon)—also called apropylaeum (/prɒpɪˈliːəm/,aLatinized form ofπροπύλαιονpropúlaion), and frequently referred to by the plural formspropyla andpropylaea—is a monumentalgateway.[1] It serves as a partition, separating the secular and religious parts of a city. The prototypical Greek example is the propylaea thatserved as the entrance to theAcropolis of Athens. TheGreek RevivalBrandenburg Gate ofBerlin and thePropylaea inMunich both evoke the central portion.
The Greek wordsπρόπυλον (própulon) andπροπύλαιον (propúlaion) are composed ofπρο- (pro-'before; in front of') +πύλη (púlē'gate'), and originally meant'that which is before the gate', but the word has come to mean simply'gate building'. The latter was borrowed byLatin aspropaelium.
The propylaea were the monumental gates to the Acropolis, commissioned by the Athenian leaderPericles in order to rebuild the Acropolis at the conclusion of theGreco-Persian Wars. These propylaea were built wide enough to allow chariots through. The construction was part of Pericles' great rebuilding program for Athens inc. 437 BCE. The project of the Propylaea began once the Parthenon was almost done. It was overseen by the Athenian architect Mnesicles. Though the work was suspended due to the Peloponnesian War, the important pieces of Mnesicles' vision were able to come through. The architecture is unique in that the horizontal beams across the roof were supported by marble girders, which were supported by iron bars. The only other known use of metal in Greek architecture for structural purposes is theTemple of Zeus at Agrigento.
The oldest known freestandingpropylaeum is the one located at the palace area inPasargadae, anAchaemenid capital.[2]
A covered passage, called "the Propylaeum", used to face thePalace of Darius in Susa.[3]
In the 18th century, the Athenian Propylaea inspiredCarl Gotthard Langhans in construction of theBrandenburg Gate inBerlin.
