(From DCist contributor Seth Thomas Pietras)

The influence of Greek and Roman architecture on our fair city is undeniable. The Capitol building, for example, is pure neoclassical bliss, evoking the connection the Founders had to ancient ideals when creating the Republic. On the outside, the building conveys all the balance and order of the Greek tradition without betraying the chaos within.

It is this concept of Greek architectural poise and symmetry that will be the thrust of a talk at the National Gallery of Art at noon on Saturday. Classical archaeologist Dr. Anastasia Norre Dinsmoor will be presenting an illustrated lecture about the Propylaia, the 5th-century monumental gateway to the Akropolis.

While it may seem as if you’ve seen one ancient ruin, you’ve seen them all, DCist recommends you take a different look at this topic: the Propylaia is sort of the Jan Brady of ancient architecture: awkward, misunderstood, yet strangely provocative and alluring. Greek religious construction had a high degree of symmetry; the Propylaia seems to have been deliberately planned as asymmetrical for some unknown reason. While Frank Gehry wouldn’t mind, the Greeks were a bit obsessive in their drive for balance, which makes the Propylaia an enduring mystery.

Titled “To the Acropolis: Building the Classical Gateway,” the lecture will be held in the East Building Auditorium. Dr. Dinsmoor will also be plugging her latest book she edited, “Propylaia to the Athenian Akropolis II: The Classical Building.” The Paris Review calls it a “playful romp through Hellenistic fields of knowledge.” Perhaps you may even be able to get a copy signed.