Propylaea in Municipality of Athens

You're standing at the Propylaea, the grand gateway to the Acropolis of Athens. The name roughly means 'that which stands before the gates'. Everyone who went up the hill passed through here, from festival crowds to sacrificial animals. Look at the six heavy Doric columns of the central hall. Notice that the gap in the middle is wider than the others? That's where the animals were led through, while people used the sides.