PRŎPỸLAEA (προπύλαια), the entrance to a temple, or sacred enclosure,
consisted of a gateway flanked by buildings, whence the plural
form of the word. The Egyptian temples generally had magnificent
_propylaea_, consisting of a pair of oblong truncated pyramids of
solid masonry, the faces of which were sculptured with hieroglyphics.
In Greek, except when the Egyptian temples are spoken of, the word is
generally used to signify the entrance to the Acropolis of Athens,
which was executed under the administration of Pericles.