﻿512 
  ANNUAL 
  REPORT 
  SMITHSONIAN 
  INSTITUTION, 
  1922. 
  

  

  excavated 
  in 
  1921. 
  There 
  was 
  already 
  the 
  suggestion 
  of 
  a 
  theater, 
  

   constructed 
  upon 
  the 
  outline 
  of 
  an 
  apsidal 
  building, 
  and 
  of 
  the 
  Well 
  

   of 
  Peace, 
  which 
  it 
  inclosed, 
  as 
  described 
  by 
  Antoninus 
  Martyr. 
  

  

  Consequently 
  the 
  excavation 
  of 
  this 
  building 
  has 
  been 
  continued 
  

   to 
  its 
  full 
  extent 
  both 
  north 
  and 
  south. 
  The 
  stoutly 
  built 
  apse 
  of 
  

   a 
  basilica 
  or 
  " 
  Curia 
  " 
  in 
  the 
  south 
  of 
  field 
  61, 
  seems 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  

   the 
  main 
  feature 
  of 
  early 
  Roman 
  date. 
  To 
  this 
  Herod 
  the 
  Great 
  

   added 
  sumptuous 
  marble 
  colonnades 
  and 
  cloisters 
  as 
  a 
  sort 
  of 
  fore- 
  

   court 
  and 
  main 
  entrance. 
  The 
  whole 
  overlay 
  and 
  completely 
  re- 
  

   placed 
  the 
  previous 
  avenue 
  of 
  columns 
  heading 
  for 
  the 
  Bir 
  Ibrahim. 
  

   When 
  the 
  apsidal 
  basilica 
  was 
  ruined, 
  at 
  any 
  rate 
  on 
  or 
  about 
  the 
  

   fourth 
  or 
  fifth 
  century, 
  its 
  form 
  suggested 
  the 
  convenient 
  hemi- 
  

   spherical 
  foundation 
  for 
  a 
  theater 
  which 
  was 
  then 
  constructed. 
  

   The 
  fallen 
  statue 
  of 
  Peace, 
  which 
  with 
  the 
  great 
  statue 
  of 
  Victory 
  

   Over 
  the 
  World 
  had 
  flanked 
  the 
  entrance 
  to 
  the 
  Basilica, 
  and 
  the 
  

   presence 
  of 
  a 
  well, 
  gave 
  rise 
  perhaps 
  to 
  the 
  account 
  which 
  Antoninus 
  

   Martyr 
  recorded 
  in 
  the 
  sixth 
  century 
  of 
  a 
  Well 
  of 
  Peace 
  surrounded 
  

   by 
  steps 
  in 
  the 
  form 
  of 
  a 
  theater. 
  But 
  it 
  is 
  possible 
  to 
  suppose 
  that 
  

   he 
  was 
  referring 
  to 
  the 
  Well 
  of 
  Abraham, 
  and 
  that 
  the 
  identifica- 
  

   tion 
  or 
  the 
  description 
  has 
  become 
  confused. 
  After 
  the 
  theater 
  had 
  

   been 
  razed 
  the 
  still 
  rounded 
  contour 
  suggested 
  to 
  the 
  new 
  Arab 
  

   population 
  the 
  mihrab 
  for 
  their 
  great 
  mosque. 
  A 
  close 
  study 
  of 
  the 
  

   floor 
  levels 
  and 
  constructive 
  changes 
  over 
  the 
  whole 
  area 
  seems 
  to 
  in- 
  

   dicate 
  that 
  the 
  last 
  stage 
  saw 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  famous 
  mosques 
  of 
  Askalon 
  

   rising 
  upon 
  this 
  historic 
  position. 
  Probably, 
  as 
  will 
  be 
  seen 
  from 
  the 
  

   quotations 
  below, 
  it 
  was 
  called 
  the 
  Mosque 
  of 
  Omar. 
  

  

  When 
  using 
  the 
  term 
  " 
  basilica 
  " 
  in 
  connection 
  with 
  this 
  apsidal 
  

   structure 
  and 
  Herod's 
  Cloisters 
  it 
  should 
  be 
  observed 
  that 
  a 
  close 
  

   study 
  of 
  the 
  evidence 
  and 
  comparison 
  with 
  other 
  buildings 
  of 
  

   similar 
  kind, 
  like 
  those 
  of 
  Samaria 
  and 
  Gerasa, 
  may 
  make 
  it 
  possible 
  

   to 
  advance 
  our 
  results 
  a 
  step 
  further 
  and 
  to 
  identify 
  the 
  original 
  

   apsidal 
  structure 
  as 
  the 
  "Bouleuterion" 
  or 
  meeting 
  place 
  of 
  the 
  

   senate, 
  corresponding 
  to 
  the 
  council 
  chamber 
  of 
  our 
  own 
  cities. 
  

   Herod's 
  Cloisters 
  would 
  form 
  the 
  decorative 
  approach, 
  the 
  whole 
  

   arrangement 
  corresponding 
  to 
  classical 
  precedent 
  such 
  as 
  Vetruvius 
  

   and 
  others 
  described. 
  The 
  "Bouleuterion" 
  normally 
  adjoined 
  the 
  

   agora. 
  The 
  preservation 
  of 
  the 
  tiers 
  of 
  seats 
  in 
  the 
  reconstruction 
  

   of 
  the 
  apse 
  bears 
  out 
  this 
  interpretation, 
  which 
  seems 
  to 
  be 
  confirmed 
  

   by 
  the 
  discovery 
  of 
  the 
  tablets 
  recording 
  decisions 
  of 
  the 
  senate 
  or 
  

   boule 
  in 
  the 
  adjoining 
  cloister. 
  (Palestine 
  Exploration 
  Fund, 
  

   Quarterly 
  Statement 
  for 
  January, 
  1922.) 
  

  

  The 
  apse 
  of 
  a 
  basilica 
  (by 
  which 
  was 
  meant 
  the 
  exchange 
  and 
  

   lawcourt) 
  was 
  in 
  fact 
  usually 
  inclosed 
  in 
  the 
  architectural 
  area, 
  and 
  

   the 
  whole 
  was 
  roofed. 
  The 
  design 
  in 
  the 
  present 
  case 
  shows 
  an 
  

  

  