Why the Propylaea of the Acropolis remained unfinished

¶ … Mystery of the Propylaea

The Propylaea (ca.437-432 BCE) is considered one of the mysteries of Ancient Greece. The structure was the gate to the Acropolis which was built during the Periclean building endeavor, the rebuilding program for Athens which began in 437 BCE. The Propylaea were designed as a means of creating a massive and monumental entrance to the plateau of the acropolis, particularly the complex of shrines and sanctuaries there. The gateway itself is truly stunning, as it is indeed tremendous and thundering with precise details carved in dark Elysian marble, but it was never finished. The fact that this dramatic and stunning gateway was never finished is indeed a mysterious prospect, and in the academic field of archeology, a range of theories abound as to why it was never finished. This paper will examine the most dominant theories regarding this fact, and attempt to determine why this was in fact the case. After examining all the most dominant theories regarding this issue, this paper will offer the final answer that it was the particular interruption of the Peloponnesian War which created a situation where it would be most likely that this structure remain unfinished.

Economic Reasons

The argument of frugality and economy is one major argument which is commonly used to explain why this structure was left unfinished. Specifically, some of the unfinished details of the structure are that the projecting bosses left on the outer faces of the walls which make a separation between the wings, over the roof slabs which move forward from between the main hall and the west wings. "Here they were left, it would seem, because they were hidden to anyone approaching the front of the propylaea, or passing from main hall to wing, by the 'roof slabs. In a perfectly finished building they would have been removed. The decision to leave them can only be attributed to the need for haste and economy. In the same way, it can be argued that the projections on the inner faces of the walls were left because they were not visible from within the acropolis, being obscured by the Mycenaean wall, the boundary wall of the Brauronian Artemis precinct, and, on the opposite side, the 'portico' building: proof again, that this was now allowed to continue in existence, in default of the construction of the north east wing" (Tomlinson, 1990). To some scholars, this answer makes sense: at the time the Peloponnesian War had started and one could ascertain that there was an overall lack of funds. However, this is simply not the case as later historical events demonstrate how such an explanation is really insufficient. Frugality really cannot be used as a reason to explain why the finishing touches were not given to the Propylaea even later. "A city that could in 434/3 allot 20 talents a year to get the Acropolis in shape (one of the provisions of the Kallias Decrees) and that in the last third of the fifth century could afford to complete the Erechtheion and Nike sanctuary and create the Nike parapet could surely have afforded to return of the gateway and shave off a few unsightly lumps of stone from its walls" (Hurwit, 2004

The oddness and sheer mystery as to why parts of this structure were left so boldly and so remarkably unfinished is indeed perplexing. Consider the following statement: "On the walls, particularly on the outer south side of the Propylaea, and on the floors and steps one can still see the lifting bosses for moving the blocks during construction. Or the unfinished protective surfaces. During the final polishing, which was carried out from top to bottom, the bosses and mantle ought to have been removed. This indeed occurred in the upper part of Propylaea, and the painting decoration, consisting of stars on the ceiling coffers was added" (Goette, 2012, p.37). These facts are so remarkable as they paint a clear picture regarding the strong sense of disharmony between the elements of the structure. It's not just that the Propylaea were left unfinished; it's that certain sections of the gateway were not only finished but adorned. This gives one a sense that there truly was something odd and amiss with the fact certain sections bear the mark of Greek precision and completion, whereas other sections of the structure lack this same precision. This discrepancy only furthers the sense of mystery as a whole.

Aesthetic Reasons

Other scholars argue for the fact that there was a certain aesthetic charm that was discovered at the time in regards to unfinished masonry. While these same scholars assert that the Peloponnesian War probably had something to do with the fact that the final finished was not carried out immediately, they believe that there was a certain amount of discovery connected to the fact that the structure remained unfinished. "It is certainly true that masonry was left unfinished in later times; rustification used as decorative features is common in the Hellenistic period" (Goette, 2012, 37). The fact that portions of the structure are finished and other portions of the structure are unfinished simply creates a state where it appears as though there was uncertainty and discord regarding what to do specifically with the piece.

Anxiety of War

One must not forget that impact that going to war can have on a society. War is horror, terror and futility: even in Ancient Greece one can assume that there was little romance attached to war. One can assume that the soldiers and generals of ancient Greece were still acquainted with the fragility of human life and the fragility of civilization and that all their "modernism" in warfare was only going to be able to get them so far. There was no doubt a certain level of anxiety and anguish that came with the crisis of the Peloponnesian war that made the Greeks reprioritize items in various directions more than others. Even when a society is victorious after war, can still create a false sense of security and only contribute to an overwhelming sense of anxiety which becomes largely repressed. Consider America in the 1950s after World War Two: while this was an age of prosperity and of the suburban home, and is often romanticized to a certain extent, there was still a highly significant amount of anxiety: fear of retaliation, economic inequality, uncertainty about the future. Thus, one can only assume that prevalent anxieties of some nature were plaguing Greek society, and were part of the reason why this structure was re-prioritized as after the war. In fact, one could argue that the unfinished gateway was used to serve as an active reminder of what was important in Greek society: safety and defense over the primacy of the aesthetic.

Similarities and Superstitions

Other scholars assert that this was not at all the case, and that the unfinished quality of the structure, along with other aesthetic trends of the structure can be used to create parallels with other structures of the period and ultimately shed light on the matter as a whole. Consider the Erechteion, another structure which appears to be part of Pericles fundamental plan: "since the new Propylaea (gateway) and the Erechtheion both include reused column drums in their foundations that had been salvaged from the dismantling of the old gateway in 438 BC. The Propylaea was begun the following year and left unfinished in 432 BC. The Erechtheion can thus also be dated to the 430s, although its construction continued sporadically until 406 BC, when it too was left unfinished" (Leonard, 2010). This trend is so much more than a coincidence as the parallels drawn between the two, have led experts to conclude that perhaps Mnesikles was the designer of both the Propylaea and the Erectheion (Leonard, 2010). This is as a result of the fact that both structures demonstrated a certain amount of adaptation to their site's uneven terrain, along with the fact that Mnesikles would have been in a position of power to reuse the Erectheion drums from the old gateway in his new work (Leonard, 2010).

Furthermore, these two structure both boast the dark Eleusinian marble as decorative details; they both also boast an identical design trick, with false wall-ends (on the southwest porch of the Propylaea and on the north porch of the Erectheion). The fact that these two structures both had all of these similarities, points to the fact that Mnesikles designed them both. This conclusion, combined with the fact that they were both left unfinished, strongly points to the notion that there was another motivation at work in leaving them unfinished.

Some experts suggest that these structures were left unfinished because of a desire to promote more sacred buildings which seemed more important during the war-time environment. However, to many people, such an argument is just not compelling. "The old Propylon, which was destroyed by the Persians, was one of the few buildings repaired before the Periclean building project (where it was replaced with the Propylaea) (Hurwit

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157-158). Even the sacred temple to Athena Polias, the guardian goddess of the city was not rebuilt" (Sulpicia, 2011). This is so perplexing because this gateway was obviously important to the Greeks, and the decision to not add the finishing touches, such as the extra wings that had been planned, but which were expensive, is still completely strange.

All of the other structures on the Acropolis are in fact beautified in a consistent manner, despite the fact that the Periclean building project offered windows to the past, demonstrating the historical importance of the sacred area (Sulpicia, 2011). One scholar offers up an even more invasive theory about the reasons behind the unfinished quality of the Propylaea, asserting that perhaps it was a monument to the Persian identity, "…showing that buildings that seem timeless in their majesty and beauty were actually new and replacing something that came before and was so sacrilegiously destroyed. It might incur the wrath of some god to show the marks of barbarism on his/her temple, but on a secular structure there was no such fear of retribution" (Sulpicia, 2011). One cannot forget that during the times of Ancient Greece there was a very active belief in a community of all powerful and celestial Gods which controlled the weather, harvest, one's good fortune, success, failure and a host of other consequences. Thus, it can sometimes be too easy for a modern audience to forget that the desire to not upset the Gods was often a very powerful and very strongly motivating desire and force of the universe as a whole. Thus, the Greeks really did have to be careful in that none of their actions angered the Gods, particularly when it came to the structures that they erected. Thus, within this theory there might in fact be some validity: there might in fact be forces at work in the form of superstitions that mostly motivated the Greeks in keeping the Propylaea unfinished.

Summary

Thus, one may never know conclusively why the Propylaea remained unfinished. What one can be certain of is that the actual reasons were most likely a combination of factors: all the theories which exist concerning this matter are all partly correct, and they work together to create a singular reason. Thus, the reason this stunning gateway was never completely finished was a result of the interruption of the war, the shift in focus caused by the war, the anxiety caused by the war, religious reasons, aesthetic reasons and superstitious reasons. Regardless, the unfinished structure still acts as a lasting testament to the craftsmanship and excellence of even the incomplete work of the Ancient Greeks.