﻿EXCAVATIONS 
  AT 
  ASKALON 
  — 
  GARSTANG. 
  513 
  

  

  open 
  court 
  added 
  as 
  a 
  decorative 
  approach 
  and 
  inclosing 
  an 
  agora 
  

   in 
  the 
  front 
  of 
  the 
  council 
  chamber. 
  It 
  remains 
  for 
  further 
  in- 
  

   vestigation 
  to 
  show 
  whether 
  this 
  identification 
  is 
  borne 
  out 
  in 
  detail. 
  

  

  The 
  following 
  references 
  (gleaned 
  from 
  Mr. 
  Phythian 
  Adams, 
  

   History 
  of 
  Askalon, 
  Quarterly 
  Statement, 
  April, 
  1921) 
  will 
  now 
  be 
  

   read 
  in 
  their 
  full 
  significance: 
  

  

  Josephus, 
  c. 
  20 
  B. 
  C. 
  " 
  For 
  the 
  people 
  of 
  Askalon 
  Herod 
  built 
  

   * 
  * 
  * 
  colonnades 
  that 
  were 
  admirable 
  for 
  their 
  workmanship 
  

   and 
  size." 
  

  

  Antoninus, 
  A. 
  D. 
  560. 
  "* 
  * 
  * 
  A 
  Well 
  of 
  Peace, 
  built 
  after 
  the 
  

   manner 
  of 
  a 
  theater, 
  in 
  which 
  you 
  descend 
  by 
  steps 
  actually 
  to 
  the 
  

   water." 
  

  

  Biladhuri, 
  A. 
  D. 
  685. 
  " 
  The 
  Greeks 
  raided 
  and 
  destroyed 
  Askalon 
  

   and 
  its 
  mosque. 
  The 
  Caliph 
  Abd 
  el-Melik 
  rebuilt 
  the 
  city, 
  fortified 
  

   it, 
  and 
  rebuilt 
  the 
  mosque 
  also." 
  

  

  Mukaddasi, 
  A. 
  D. 
  985. 
  " 
  The 
  Great 
  Mosque 
  stands 
  in 
  the 
  Market 
  

   of 
  the 
  Clothes 
  Merchants 
  and 
  is 
  paved 
  throughout 
  with 
  marble." 
  

  

  Nasis, 
  A. 
  D. 
  1049. 
  "An 
  Arch 
  that 
  was 
  ancient 
  * 
  * 
  *" 
  and 
  had 
  

   been 
  part 
  of 
  a 
  mosque 
  * 
  * 
  * 
  built 
  of 
  mighty 
  stones." 
  

  

  Ibn 
  Batutah, 
  A. 
  D. 
  1355. 
  "A 
  beautiful 
  mosque 
  at 
  Askalon, 
  built 
  

   by 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  Caliphs 
  as 
  the 
  inscription 
  over 
  the 
  gate 
  still 
  shows. 
  

   To 
  the 
  south 
  of 
  this 
  is 
  a 
  large 
  mosque 
  called 
  the 
  Mosque 
  of 
  Omar, 
  

   of 
  which 
  nothing 
  now 
  remains 
  but 
  its 
  walls; 
  but 
  there 
  are 
  many 
  -fine 
  

   marble 
  columns, 
  some 
  standing 
  and 
  some 
  fallen 
  down. 
  To 
  the 
  south 
  

   of 
  Askalon 
  are 
  the 
  Wells 
  of 
  Abraham. 
  You 
  descend 
  to 
  these 
  by 
  

   broad 
  steps 
  leading 
  to 
  a 
  chamber. 
  On 
  all 
  four 
  sides 
  of 
  the 
  chamber 
  

   are 
  springs 
  of 
  water 
  gushing 
  out 
  from 
  the 
  stone 
  conduits." 
  

  

  It 
  remains 
  to 
  add 
  a 
  description 
  of 
  Herod's 
  marble 
  cloisters, 
  already 
  

   famous, 
  as 
  we 
  have 
  seen, 
  in 
  their 
  day, 
  and 
  later 
  the 
  substructure 
  

   and 
  foundations 
  apparently 
  of 
  the 
  Mosque 
  of 
  Omar. 
  The 
  length 
  

   of 
  the 
  colonnade 
  was 
  87 
  meters. 
  The 
  cloister 
  was 
  about 
  5 
  meters 
  

   in 
  width, 
  so 
  that 
  the 
  whole 
  building 
  was 
  more 
  than 
  90 
  meters 
  or 
  

   100 
  yards 
  long 
  in 
  exterior 
  measurement. 
  The 
  columns 
  were 
  76 
  cms. 
  

   in 
  diameter; 
  the 
  bases 
  were 
  of 
  Attic 
  design 
  well 
  proportioned, 
  and 
  

   the 
  capitals 
  were 
  Corinthian, 
  of 
  fine 
  1st 
  century 
  style 
  and 
  work- 
  

   manship. 
  Each 
  column 
  was 
  raised, 
  after 
  the 
  Syrian 
  style 
  of 
  the 
  

   period, 
  on 
  its 
  separate 
  pedestal, 
  giving 
  a 
  total 
  height 
  of 
  about 
  11 
  

   diameters. 
  There 
  is 
  room 
  for 
  32 
  columns 
  on 
  each 
  wing 
  and 
  eight 
  

   such 
  at 
  each 
  face. 
  The 
  material 
  was 
  a 
  white-grey 
  marble, 
  probably 
  

   Greek 
  in 
  origin: 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  special 
  columns 
  were 
  veined. 
  (PI. 
  2, 
  

   fig. 
  2.) 
  The 
  main 
  entrance 
  to 
  the 
  north 
  seems 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  open. 
  

   That 
  to 
  the 
  south 
  led 
  directly 
  into 
  the 
  apse 
  of 
  the 
  Senate 
  House 
  

   between 
  the 
  pair 
  of 
  fine 
  statues, 
  Peace 
  and 
  Victory, 
  standing 
  upon 
  

   the 
  World, 
  borne 
  on 
  the 
  shoulders 
  of 
  Atlas. 
  There 
  appears 
  to 
  have 
  

  

  