Peloponnesian War. The Propylaea used the same Pentelic marble as the Parthenon and harmonized with
it in design. Its Doric columns, of the same proportions as those of the Parthenon, marked the transition
from the secular world outside to the sacred space of the acropolis. While the Propylaea marked that
transition in unmistakable, monumental fashion, it invited the visitor with its side-wings, giving the
impression of outstretched arms, and with a colonnade that provided welcome shade after the arduous
climb to the summit of the acropolis.
NIKE The Greek word for “victory,” often capitalized (Nike) to refer to Victory personified as a
beautiful goddess, usually winged (figure 76).The two other buildings on the acropolis whose construction followed shortly after completion of the
Propylaea were two smaller temples, begun in the 420s BC, the Erechtheum and the Temple of Athena
Nike. Unlike the basically Doric Parthenon and Propylaea, these buildings adopted the more delicate and
elegant Ionic order. The Erechtheum is a remarkable and sophisticated structure that skillfully negotiates
the complexities of the terrain on which it is built (figure 53). Each of its three wings lies on a different
level and each has its own character, the most distinctive being the south porch, with its roof supported by
statues of women (“caryatids”) rather than by cylindrical columns. The Temple of Athena Nike, that is, of
Athena in her capacity as bringer of victory, was likewise built in the 420s, while the Athenians were
engaged in the Peloponnesian War. It is a very small building, only about eight by five meters, but it is
dramatically positioned (figure 54): It stands on the bastion next to the Propylaea, so that it is hidden from
sight on one’s right as one mounts the entranceway toward the Propylaea, coming into view only when one
is just about to enter sacred ground, and it overlooks the Bay of Salamis, the site of the Athenians’ most
glorious naval victory.