The Pre-Periclean Propylon of the Acropolis at Athens

Perikles (or Pericles) built the 5th century Acropolis in Athens over the remains of older buildings that were destroyed by the Persians during the wars with Darius and Xerxes. The foundations of these buildings as well as their rubble were used to form the Classical acropolis, and for this reason archaeologists can use these remains to reconstruct the original archaic buildings. In this paper Weller suggests the location, size, and form of the archaic building over which the Propyleia (the gateway building) now stands, outlining the methods used to reconstruct such buildings as well as the great difficulties involved in work on the Acropolis of Athens.