English: "The gate before you, located west of the Propylaea, is part of the fortification of the Acropolis which reinforced the vulnerable west slope in the 3rd cent. A.D. At that time the Acropolis acquired the form of a castle where one could enter through this gate at the west part, and through a second gate located southwest of the Propylaea, which is not preserved. The reinforcement of the west slope of the Acropolis in the 3rd cent. A.D. was either included in the defence works carried out in Athens at the time of the emperor Valerian (253-260 A.D.) or it was part of the less extended wall built after the invasion of the Germanic tribe of the Heruli in 267 A.D.
The west gate was built on the base of the monumental marble stairway, dated to 52 A.D., which leads to the Propylaea. It is flanked by two rectangular towers and it was constructed with materials from earlier buildings, such as the choragic monument of Nicias (319 B.C.) on the south slope of the Acropolis. The gate was in use for several centuries, while rooms were added to the inner side for protection from the weather for the guards and those who entered the castle. Probably in the 6th century, the height of the door opening was reduced with the placement of a lintel. In addition, in the 11th century, an upper floor was built on the gate to provide better protection of the castle entrance and the lintel was decorated with an eagle and a snake in relief. At the time of the Frankish occupation of the De la Roche dukes (1204-1311), the use of the gate ceased, whereas during the Ottoman occupation, after the end of the 15th century, it was incorporated in the large bastion built for the defence of the west side of the Acropolis.
The gate remained covered until it was revealed in 1852-1853 by the French archaeologist E. Beule, after whom it was named "The Beule Gate". Due to the poor state of preservation of the gate towers, consolidation works were carried out in the 19th century, such as the addition of buttresses on their outer side." Text: Information board close to the gate.
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