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Glite Dictionary
Dipylon gate

Dipylon gate

9.9
The main western entrance to ancient Athens where a special style of pottery was found
  • proper noun
translation icon : puerta Dipylon
  • The famous Dipylon gate marked the principal entrance to ancient Athens from the west.

Examples

  • The style of vases found at the Dipylon gate is distinctive of the Geometric period.

  • Many archaeologists have uncovered important pottery fragments near the Dipylon gate.

  • The Dipylon gate was a significant landmark in ancient Athens.

  • Have you visited the Dipylon gate during your trip to Greece?

  • The famous Dipylon gate marked the principal entrance to ancient Athens from the west.

  • Many archaeologists have uncovered important pottery fragments near the Dipylon gate.

  • The style of vases found at the Dipylon gate is distinctive of the Geometric period.

Synonyms

Dipylon
vsDipylon gate
9.9

A large gateway on the west side of ancient Athens where a style of pottery was found

is the fuller phrase specifying the main entrance rather than the short name

Surface Forms

Dipylon gate main

Morphology

Dipylon + gate

The phrase is fully compositional: 'Dipylon' names a specific landmark and 'gate' denotes its function, so a learner who knows both constituents can infer it refers to the named gate of ancient Athens. Proper-name + noun place constructions are cross-linguistically common and do not involve idiomatic or metaphorical meaning, making this transparent to B1 learners who recognise the name.

Etymology

Dipylon gate comes from the Greek name Dipylon plus gate; Dipylon meant a 'double' gate because this was a large two-door entrance on the west side of ancient Athens. Many old vases were dug up near that gate, so the name now points to the city's 'main entrance' and to the style of 'pottery' found there.