The Annual George E. Mylonas Lecture in Classical Art and Archaeology

Framing Victory: Salamis, the Athenian Acropolis and the Agora

Ostensibly unfinished, the Mnesiklean Propylaia, the formal entrance to the Acropolis of Athens in the Classical period, has presented scholars with many enigmas, perhaps the greatest being why did Mnesikles, the architect, change the orientation, which necessitated a whole new ramp to access the citadel? By viewing the monumental entrance as an exit the answer is straightforward: he captured, for all eternity, the site of the one of the most important battles in history—the Athenian victory over the Persian armada in the straits of Salamis in September 480 B.C.

This event is cosponsored by the Hellenic Government–Karakas Family Foundation Professorship in Greek Studies, University of Missouri–St. Louis; the Departments of Classics and Art History and Archaeology, Washington University in St. Louis; the Classical Club of St. Louis; and the Saint Louis Art Museum.