No. V. — Temple of Jupiter Serapis. 269 



and to which the water was conveyed and distributed in mar- 

 ble ducts. The particular arrangements of these chambers 

 have excited considerable controversy.* The great entrance 

 to the temple was at G, and the cella B, was separated from 

 the naos or true temple A, which had a circular form, by the 

 pronaos^ which was decorated with four surpassing columns 

 of Cipollino marble, the colour of which is a greenish gray 

 veined with white. They were 5 feet in diameter, and 46 feet 

 high, being of the Corinthian order. Three are still standing, 

 and are the most remarkable objects of the temple ; the fourth 

 lies in fragments at their bases. They are not fluted as La- 

 lande declares.-|- Their appearance is represented in the sketch 

 in Plate IV. The interior circular temple was raised above 

 the Atrium and ascended by flights of five marble steps, cor- 

 responding to each of the sides of the portico, as shown in 

 the ground plan. The diameter of the temple was 70 feet,;}: 

 and supported by sixteen columns of beautiful African breccia. 

 All of these that were entire have unhappily been transported 

 to Caserta : some fragments still remain on the elevated plat- 

 form. The pavement of the temple was adorned with various 

 marbles, and the roof which covered the portico already men- 

 tioned, was formed of pieces of Pentelic marble fitted like 

 tiles. Breislak § informs us that it is a Dolomite limestone. 



Between the pronaos and the temple, and between the latter 

 and the entrance, were two rings of bronze || P, P, for securing 

 the victims, which are still preserved, the great altar being 

 placed in the centre of the circular temple ; and cylindrical va- 

 ses were placed between the pillars, which are supposed, ac- 

 cording to the latest authority, to have been intended to con- 

 tain the entrails of the victims for examination,^ though it 

 was long imagined that they were the tops of wells, the water 



* See Nixon in Phil. Trans. 1757; Romanelli, Viaggii; De Jorio, Guida 

 di Pozzuoli ; Gothe in Edin. Phil. Journ. vol. xi. Voyage Pittoresque, &c. 



t Voyage en Italic, vii. 341. 



X According to Ferrari, Onida diNapoli (who calls it 80 palms.) Others 

 have stated it at 65 and 54 feet. 



§ Campaniej ii. 166. 



II Gothe is mistaken in calling them iron» 



% De Jorio, Guida di Pozzuoli* 



