﻿514 
  ANNUAL, 
  REPORT 
  SMITHSONIAN 
  INSTITUTION, 
  1922. 
  

  

  been 
  a 
  similar 
  entrance 
  in 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  each 
  side. 
  The 
  walls 
  were 
  

   lined 
  with 
  marble 
  and 
  alabaster, 
  with 
  tracery 
  windows, 
  and 
  oc- 
  

   casional 
  niches 
  and 
  shrines 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  material; 
  in 
  these 
  were 
  

   statues 
  and 
  statuettes 
  and 
  commemorative 
  inscriptions. 
  Portions 
  

   of 
  a 
  giant 
  statue, 
  presumed 
  to 
  be 
  that 
  of 
  Herod, 
  another 
  of 
  Apollo, 
  

   and 
  fragments 
  of 
  others 
  have 
  been 
  recovered. 
  More 
  beautiful 
  are 
  

   a 
  small 
  statutette 
  of 
  a 
  kneeling 
  Venus 
  (like 
  the 
  prototype 
  now 
  in 
  

   the 
  Louvre) 
  and 
  one 
  of 
  a 
  draped 
  woman 
  leaning 
  sideways 
  and 
  

   backwards, 
  supporting 
  possibly 
  some 
  weight. 
  Numerous 
  other 
  frag- 
  

   ments 
  of 
  sculpture 
  and 
  decorative 
  art 
  have 
  been 
  recovered 
  and 
  re- 
  

   main 
  for 
  study. 
  It 
  may 
  be 
  added 
  that 
  the 
  fragments 
  of 
  Arab 
  

   faience 
  found 
  over 
  the 
  surface 
  of 
  this 
  area 
  prove 
  to 
  include 
  some 
  of 
  

   the 
  earliest 
  and 
  most 
  valuable 
  examples 
  of 
  that 
  art. 
  

  

  The 
  last 
  stages 
  in 
  the 
  history 
  of 
  this 
  historical 
  spot 
  are 
  sad 
  to 
  

   relate. 
  The 
  Crusaders 
  made 
  use 
  of 
  the 
  columns, 
  bases, 
  and 
  capitals 
  

   to 
  build 
  their 
  fortified 
  walls, 
  and 
  later 
  the 
  Turks 
  used 
  Askalon 
  as 
  a 
  

   stone 
  quarry. 
  The 
  signs 
  of 
  vandalism 
  are 
  only 
  too 
  apparent 
  — 
  traces 
  

   of 
  the 
  saw 
  that 
  cut 
  up 
  statues 
  and 
  pedestals 
  for 
  marble 
  slabs, 
  or, 
  

   worse, 
  to 
  burn 
  for 
  lime. 
  This 
  wanton 
  destruction 
  had 
  been 
  going 
  on 
  

   for 
  generations 
  down 
  to 
  living 
  memory, 
  so 
  that 
  what 
  remains 
  is 
  only 
  

   a 
  fractional 
  indication 
  of 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  really 
  great 
  monuments 
  of 
  

   antiquity. 
  

  

  III. 
  The 
  Search 
  for 
  the 
  Philistines. 
  — 
  Reference 
  has 
  already 
  been 
  

   made 
  to 
  the 
  search 
  for 
  Philistine 
  tombs 
  or 
  interments 
  in 
  the 
  areas 
  

   around 
  the 
  ramparts, 
  and 
  the 
  difficulty 
  of 
  penetrating 
  to 
  the 
  Philis- 
  

   tine 
  levels 
  between 
  the 
  acropolis 
  and 
  the 
  ramparts 
  has 
  become 
  now 
  

   self-evident. 
  In 
  field 
  177 
  a 
  determined 
  effort 
  was 
  made, 
  however, 
  

   to 
  cut 
  down 
  (somewhat 
  ruthlessly) 
  through 
  the 
  foundations 
  of 
  Arab, 
  

   Byzantine, 
  and 
  Roman 
  buildings, 
  to 
  the 
  underlying 
  levels, 
  in 
  the 
  

   hope 
  of 
  disclosing 
  some 
  architectural 
  remains 
  of 
  the 
  Philistine 
  

   Period. 
  In 
  this 
  respect, 
  however, 
  the 
  result 
  was 
  disappointing, 
  and 
  

   the 
  effort 
  showed 
  plainly 
  that 
  this 
  method 
  of 
  " 
  frontal 
  attack 
  " 
  

   within 
  the 
  walls 
  of 
  Askalon 
  would 
  prove 
  in 
  any 
  case 
  less 
  satisfactory 
  

   and 
  probably 
  less 
  fruitful 
  than 
  some 
  more 
  studied 
  plan. 
  The 
  great 
  

   trench 
  of 
  40 
  meters 
  by 
  10 
  was 
  dug, 
  narrowing 
  as 
  it 
  descended 
  to 
  a 
  

   depth 
  of 
  8 
  meters 
  — 
  as 
  deeply 
  as 
  was 
  safe 
  — 
  only 
  to 
  arrive 
  with 
  great 
  

   difficulty 
  at 
  the 
  pre-Hellenistic 
  stratum. 
  The 
  making 
  and 
  remak- 
  

   ing 
  of 
  foundations 
  had 
  also 
  so 
  disturbed 
  the 
  stratifications 
  that 
  

   evidence 
  of 
  position 
  derived 
  from 
  this 
  section 
  could 
  not 
  be 
  relied 
  

   on 
  without 
  comparison. 
  In 
  other 
  positions, 
  however, 
  very 
  success- 
  

   ful 
  cuttings 
  have 
  been 
  made 
  in 
  the 
  face 
  of 
  the 
  mound, 
  giving 
  reliable 
  

   stratifications. 
  That 
  on 
  the 
  northern 
  scarp 
  in 
  field 
  163 
  which 
  Mr. 
  

   Phythian 
  Adams 
  supervised 
  in 
  1920 
  has 
  already 
  been 
  described 
  by 
  

   him 
  in 
  the 
  Quarterly 
  Statement, 
  Oct., 
  1921. 
  It 
  gave 
  a 
  clear 
  picture 
  of 
  

   the 
  superposition 
  and 
  cleavage 
  of 
  the 
  several 
  and 
  successive 
  great 
  

  

  