<Location> Near the Temple of Olympian Zeus, Athens, Greece
This arch is situated near the Temple of Olympian Zeus, but, as it is outside the archaeological site, you don't need to pay entrance to see this arch. The photo right was shot in 2002 when the arch was in restoration.
Athens prospered from the second century to the first half of the next century, and its population increased. The emperor Hadrian, great lover of Athens, enlarged the city to east, and provided water to this new quarter constructing a new aqueduct. This arch was built in 131 to mark the boundary between the old Athens and Hadrian's new quarter.
The arch of Pentelic marble is 18 metres high, 12.5 metres wide, and 2.3 metres in depth. It has two layers; at the centre of the lower layer there is an arched gate through which people could pass. There were two columns, now lost, in front and connected by architraves between the two layers. In the upper layer, slimmer columns carry the architrave, and in the middle aedicula there must have been a statue of Hadrian or Theseus.
On the western side (Acropolis side), the inscriptions goes, gThis is Athens, old town of Theseush, and on the eastern side (thus toward the Hadrian's new quarter), gThis is Hadrian's city, and not Theseus'h (IG 22, 5185)BIn the photo below, you can see the inscription of the western side.
Hadrian built two similar arches in Eleusis, but they do not stand any more except the lower part.
