Stuart, James; Revett, Nicholas: The antiquities of Athens (Band 2) (London, 1825)

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B.
C.

OF THE PROPYL^EA.
The temple of Victory without wings \
The edifice anciently adorned with the paintings of Polygnotus.

105

occasion a brazen quadriga was dedicated in the Acropolis from
the tenth of their spoils, near to which was raised the Minerva
Promachus, the towering divinity of the Acropolis, also a trophy
from a tithe of the Persian spoils captured at Marathon, [ed.]

a Arguments have already been produced leading to the con-
clusion, that this wing of the Propylsea was not the Temple of
Victory Apteros, but the chamber decorated with paintings.
As this almost positive misappropriation of these localities is cal-
culated to mislead also, with relation to other parts of the plan,
we will here annex, to Revett's and Stuart's letters of reference,
some remarks on the Form and Construction of the Propylsea, re-
sulting from subsequent research and more recent observation.

A. The great front vestibule, divided by the six Ionic co-
lumns into three aisles, of which the central one was used as a
passage-way for carriages. Although we have no historic men-
tion of this fact, yet, as Plutarch informs us, that the blocks of
marble used in the edifices built on the Acropolis, were drawn
up by mules, and as in a subsequent age, the Panathenai'c ship
bearing the peplus, which was propelled by interior machinery,
doubtless arrived in front of the Parthenon, there can be no
difficulty in admitting that the ascent was equally practicable
for equestrians and carriages. The road through the Pro-
pylsea for these imposing divisions of the Panathenai'c pro-
cessions, which, from the frieze of the Parthenon, we may
infer to have also approached the Temple itself, was made
practicable by means of an inclined plane intersecting the
flights of steps, and traversing the entire edifice. To afford a
sufficient width for the passage of the quadrigae, the central
intercolumniations of the porticos were rendered ditriglyph, by
which means, a clear space of twelve feet could be left for the
accommodation of such distinguished visitants of the Acropolis.
On a stone of the substruction beneath the front portico, may be
seen a rut, possibly made by the wheels of the carriages employed
in the construction of the edifices of the Acropolis, previous to
the completion of the Propylsea. The stone is destroyed where
the corresponding trace of wheels would have been seen, but
from the position of the former, with regard to the centre of the
opening, we may deduce a space, between the wheels, of four feet
eleven inches. Within the ruin may also he observed, slabs of
marbk, which evidently formed part of the inclined plane of the
perfect structure, on one of which appears the deep trace of a
rut or channel, cut on the edge of it, which, otherwise, seems to
have formed a step, similar to those which have been discovered
at the gate of Mcssene. In the vaults, now existing above the
pavement of this vestibule, the foundations of walls of rubble-
work, which supported the central inclined plane, have also been
excavated, while the paving of the side passages for pedestrians,
appears in a comparatively perfect state, and composed of slabs
about six feet square. It is evident by the construction, that
the central discontinuation of the steps, and consequently the
existence of the inclined plane, were coeval with the edifice, for
the steps are returned to the central intercolumniation with very
small sets off, and the channels or sinkings at the bottom of the
front steps, are also returned inside, and the style of the work-
manship of the returns is perfectly similar to that of the fronts.

In the interior of this part of the building, an ascent of four
feet ein-ht inches to the eastern portico, is effected by five steps as
seen on the plan, which were interrupted by the inclined plane
in the centre. The central wall perforated with the five gates,
is remarkable from the great size of the marble lintels which co-
vered them, that to the central gate being 22 feet 6 inches long,
3 .10' 3" in height, and 4 feet in width. The door-ways
next the east shew sinkings, together with plug and cramp-holes,
by which the architraves, consoles, and cornices were attached to
them, and which may possibly have been of bronze; and on
the western side these door-ways appear, from the same indi-
cations, to have been only decorated with attached architraves.
The interior of these door-ways was covered with marble linings,
parts of which still remain affixed to the jambs and lintels.
Revett marks three steps to the front portico, but in fact there
are four; to the east portico he marks one, but indicates two
others, 'm. Fauvel said, that on excavation, two steps were found
next the interior of this portico, and a low one outside stepping

VOL. II.

down into the Acropolis. There was one step only to the inner
portico of the Propylaea of Eleusis.

B. It is quite certain that to the traveller's left of the Pro-
pylaea there could not have been any other structure in existence
than this wing of it, which fully corresponds with that class of
attached buildings described by Pausanias as the chamber con-
taining paintings, ouogpa i%tn yjapi;: and Harpocration distinctly
mentions the pictures as having been within the Propylsea. The
southern wing, by its formation and from being exposed in front,
could not so well have answered this purpose; consequently, with
what has been previously remarked, little doubt can remain that
this was in fact the chamber decorated with the paintings of
Polygnotus. It was probably hypaethral, since the light from
the two small windows and door in a wall so much recessed,
could not have been adequate for the display of such celebrated
productions.

It might be supposed from the irregularity of the sides of
this structure, and the comparison of the plan of it with that of
the Propylsea of Eleusis, that the wings were subsequently added
to the central porticos. The incorrectness, however, of such an
inference would be proved by the examination of the style of their
architectural details, and of the character of their workmanship.
It is evident, also, that these wings are of a similar date with
the principal vestibules, by the construction at the angles of the
steps, where in some instances the front and side steps are wrought
from the same blocks. On inspecting, also, the masonry of the
eastern walls of the wings, where they abut on the main side
walls of the central building, they were found to be bonded
together in a mode which removes all doubt as to the whole edi-
fice, above the foundations, being carried up simultaneously.

A remarkable circumstance to be discovered in the examina-
tion of the construction of this right wing of the Propylsea, is
that the substruction beneath the western wall of it is not pa-
rallel with the plane of the wall above, but diverges somewhat
towards the north, in a degree corresponding with the front of
the pedestal. This substruction consists of about twelve courses
in height, and is composed of a deep-coloured hard breccia.
The angular abutment marked by Revett, has an inclined pro-
file with small rustications along the horizontal joints. It is in
more perfect preservation than the rest of the wall, which is
made to slope by means of narrow sets-off. These substructions
may possibly be the remains of the nine-gated Pelasgicum, built
by the Pelasgi, which Mnesicles probably found appropriate to the
new structure, at which period it may have received those re-
parations which it appears to have undergone at the abutment.
Other ancient foundations are perceptible in this building be-
neath the steps of the front portico, which slightly bevel in a
contrary direction to the substruction here described, but they
may probably have been of equally ancient formation. The
walls of this wing being, as the others, only about 2 feet 10
inches thick, we cannot suppose them to have formed the chief
external fortification of this part of the Acropolis; we conclude
therefore, that other more defensible outworks originally fronted
the Propylsea.

On the north and west walls of this wing, in the plan of Re-
vett, there is indicated an unshadowed space, which, without re-
ference to the building itself, is somewhat unintelligible; it is
meant to show the outline of the plan of the upper walls as they
are placed on the substruction beneath, but the external out-
line of the latter should have been drawn diverging outwards in
a direction nearly parallel to the front of the pedestal. This
lower substructure is proved to be in its original position by the
marks of its junction with a wall of white marble, of the date of
the entire superstructure, built abutting on it, which extends from
the ends of the three steps before the southern anta towards the
pedestal of Agrippa. This wall appears to have been con-
structed in order to secure the angle of the approach against the
precipitous fall of the rock, and to receive the ends and returns of
the steps ; the upper one of which returns beneath the antse of
the west front, the second corresponded with the fascia of the
substruction, and the two others are somewhat prolonged over
the top of this wall. The position of this wall is incorrectly
shewn in the plan of Revett, and with two openings ; there is

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