OF ARTS AND SCIENCES. 359 



Shaft. — The shaft is eminently simple and plain. It is not cut in 

 at the base, but is often decorated with the conventional sheaths. Just 

 below the astragal peculiar semicircular festoons are sometimes found 

 (see accompanying cut), which may be purely fanciful. 



The height of the shaft, referred to that of the whole column, falls between 

 .04 and .71. 



The Bhaft-height in diameters varies from a very low example from Antaeo- 

 polis (Description, iv. 41), 3.21, and several from about 3.00 to 4.31, to one 

 remarkably high one in the environs of Esneh (Ibid., I. 89), 5.10! 



The diminution of the shaft is variable. 



Astragal. — The conventional five-stranded astragal, although entirely 

 unnecessary upon these solid shafts, is invariably present, and, curi- 

 ously enough, is usually accompanied by a pendent loop, which points 

 unmistakably to its origin in a cord or thong.* 



The width of the astragal is from .099 to .112 of the shaft-height, — a higher 

 average than in Order II. 



In one example, given in the above cut, there intervenes between 

 the astragal and the capital a zone of triangular, upright scales, which 

 at once suggests the zone of stalks that is so often found upon the 

 later columns of Order II. Here, as before, the connection theoret- 

 ically is with the capital, for the scales seem to symbolize the stiff 

 sheaths which cover the origin of the fans whose graceful bending 

 produces the capital. Perhaps the sculptor meant to imply that some 

 of the lower and more scattered leaves had been stripped off, leaving 

 the inner, fresher and more upright ones to form the crown of the 

 shaft. Yet here again, in calculating the several proportions of the 

 shaft and capital, I have chosen to combine this zone with the former, 

 and for the reasons already given in § 5. 



Capital. — At first sight it might seem that there is no good reason 

 for regarding this group as aught but a strongly marked variety of 

 Order II., but in fact the two groups are quite distinct. The differ- 

 ences between their capitals may be summarized as follows. First, the 

 bell capitals are seldom, if ever, decorated with straight, narrow palm- 

 fans ; the palm capitals are always and only so decorated. Second, 

 the number of the subdivisions of the former, when compound, is four 

 or eight ; of the latter, regularly nine.f Third, the subdivisions or 

 half-bells of the former are horizontally convex, and separated by ver- 



* See De'scription, iv. 41 ; Kenrick, Anc. Eg., i. 255. 



t Lepsius, i. 117, 119; De'scription, iv. 41 ; Kenrick, Anc. Eg., i. 254. 



