The Propylaea is the entryway into the Acropolis. Just in front of it and to the left is the pedestal for the offering to Agrippa, the victor of the Battle of Actium, who interceded for Athens, which had supported the loser, Mark Antony. To the right is the rebuilt temple of Athena Nike. The Turks demolished the temple in 1686 to use the stones as defenses against the Venetians. The northern wing of the Propylaea was used by the Frankish dukes, who reconstructed the interior to make a two-story building. They were followed in the 12th century by Greek Orthodox bishops and, in the 14th century, by the dynasty of Florentine who turned it into a fortified castle with a Tuscan tower. Heinrich Schliemann, the German excavator who discovered Troy, paid to have the tower dismantled in 1875.

© Monica & Mark Hughes 2000-02