Dictionary of Greek and Roman antiquities. Ed. by William Smith. Illustrated by numerous engravings on wood.

P-ORTA. POR1TA. e43
writh the Poletae and Practores; and Demosthenes but larger in proportion. The wooden bar placed
(Philip. i. p. 49. 15) joins Tv XPp'GTWI, Traylfat across them in the inside (/.oXkAs) was kept in
Kal 7roptioral, from which it would appear that its position by the following method. A hole,
they were public officers in his time, although the passing through it perpendicularly (ia NavoMdlcfl,
words do not necessarily prove this. (Bclkh, Aenl. Tact. 18), admitted a cylindrical piece of iron,
PPhl. Econ. of Athens, p. 166, 2d ed.) called t3dXavos, which also entered a hole in the
PORNAE (7r6pvai). [HETAERAE.] gate, so that, until it was taken out, the bar could
PORPE (7rop7rr). [FIBuLA.] not be removed either to the one side or the other.
PORTA (orbArl, dim. 7rvAs), the gate of a city, (Thucyd. ii. 4; Aristoph. Vesp. 200; 3ECEaAdvoCrat,
citadel, or other open space inclosed by a wall, in A es, 1159.) Another piece of iron, fitted to the
contradistinction to JANUA, which was the door of ciaAavos and called aAeavs'ypa, was used to exa house or any covered edifice. The terms psorta tract it. (Aen. Tact. 1. c.) When the besiegers, for
and 7riXrs are often found in the plural, even when want of this key, the aXscavdypa, were unable to
applied to a single gate, because it consisted of remove the bar, they cut it through with a hatchet
two leaves. (Thucyd, ii. 4; Virg. Aen. ii. 330.) (Thucyd. iv. 111; Polyb. viii. 23, 24), or set it
The gates of a city were of course various in on fire. (Aen. Tact. 19.)
their number and position. The ancient walls of The gateway had commonly a chamber, either
-Paestum, Sepianum, and Aosta, still remain and on one side or on both, which served as the resiinclose a square: in the centre of each of the four deuce of the porter or guard. It was called 7rvAci6
walls was a gate. If, instead of being situated on (Polyb. viii. 20, 23, 24). Its situation is shown
a plain, a city was built on the summit of a pre- in the following plan. (See wood-cut.) But the
cipitous hill,. there was a gate on the sloping de-o gate-way was also, in many cases, surmounted by
clivity which afforded the easiest access. If, in a tower, adapted either for defence (pOetiS turres
consequence of the unevenness of the ground, the i71posuit, Caes. B. G. viii. 9; Virg. Aen. vi. 552form of the walls was irregular, the number and 554) or for conducting the general business of gosituation of the gates varied according to the cir- vernlent. In the gates of Como and Verona this
cumstanccs. Thus Megara had 5 gates (Rein- edifice is 3 stories high. At Treves it was 4
ganum, AMegaris, pp. 125, 126); Thebes, in Boeo- stories high in the flanks, although the 4 stories
tia, had 7; Athens had 8 (Ersch u. Gruber, Esncyc. remain standing in one of them only, as may be
s.v. Attica, pp. 240, 241); and Rome 20, or per- observed in the annexed wood-cut. The length
haps even more.
The jambs of the gate were surmounted, 1. by a
lintel, which was large and strong in proportion to
the width of the gate: examples of extremely
massive jambs and lintels are presented by the
gates in the so-called Cyclopean Walls; see, for!
instance, the engraving of the celebrated Lion- JJ i
Gate at Mycenae, under MuRus, p. 770, b. The -
lintel of the centre gate leading into the Athenian
Acropolis, is 17 feet long. 2. by an arch, as we
see exemplified at Pompeii, Paestum, Sepianusm,
Volterra, Suza, Autin, Bezaliqon, and Treves. 3.
At Arpinum, one of the gates now remaining is
arched, whilst another is constructed with the
stones projecting one beyond another, after the
manner represented in the wood-cut, at p. 125.
(Keppel Craven, Exzcursions in the Abruzzi, vol. i.
p. 108.)
At Como, Verona, and other ancient cities of
Lombardy, the gate contains two passages close JD
together, the.one designed for carriages entering,........
and the other for carriages leaving the city. The
same provision is observed in the umagnificent ruin
of a gate at Treves. (See the following woodcut, j
showing a view of it, together with its plan.) In
other instances we find onily one gate for carriages, i.'
but a smaller one on each side of it (7raparits,'r:.el 11.:....:....
Heliodor. viii. p. 394) for foot-passengers. (See
the plan of the gate of Pompeii, p. 256.) Each of
the fine gates which remain at Autun has not
only two carriage-ways, but exterior to them two of this building is 115 feet; its depth 47 in the
sideways for pedestrians. (Millin, Voyage dans middle, 67 in the flanks; its greatest height, 92.
les Dipartemens, &c. vol. i. ch. 22. Atlas, P1. 18. All the 4 stories are ornamented in every direcFigs. 3, 4.) When there were no sideways, one tion with rows of Tuscan columns. The gateways
of the valves of the large gate sometimes contained are each 14 feet wide. The entrance of each apa wicket (potulae, rTuALs: po7rrXro7), large ensough pears to have been guarded, as at Pompeii (see
to admit a single person. The porter opened it p. 256), first by a portcullis, and then by gates of
when any one wished to go in or out by night. wood and iron. The barbican, between the double
(Polyb. viii. 20, 24; Liv. xxv. 9.) portcullis and the pair of gates, was no doubt
The contrivances for fastening gates were in open to the sky, as in the gates of Pompeiil
general the same as those used for doors [JsANtL j] This edifice was probably erected by Constantine;