CIVIL ARCHITECTURE. 



619 



Court. 



Practice, inches high. The columns, including the base and ca- 



S ""~V" < *' pital, is 25 feet 4A inches hi=fh, and 2 feet 11 inches 

 diameter. The entahlature is 6 feet Si inches high, but 

 has the parts ill proportioned ; the architrave, 1 foot 4f 

 inches, consists of a number of small plain mouldings; 

 the frieze is only 1 foot 10 inches, and enriched ; the 

 cornice is 3 feet 5 inches, with a dentil band, and two 

 other enriched members. The whole entablature has the 

 appearance of a clumsy cornice, but being continued 

 round the edifice without a break, preserves a great de- 

 gree of simplicity. The plinth and dado of the pedestal 

 are plain, but the face of the walls between the columns 

 is rusticated. 



Palmyra. Qf the other rectangular temples of the Romans, those 

 of Palmyra and Balbec are not only the most extraordi- 

 nary in point of extent, but are also in the highest style 

 of decoration to which Roman architecture was carried. 

 For a description of the general plan of the place, and of 

 the various remains found within the precincts of Pal- 

 myra, we must refer to the valuable volume published by 

 Messrs Dawkini and Wood in 175S, and for a specimen 

 of the architecture, confine ourselves chiefly to an ac- 



Tf mpJc of count O f the temple of the Sun. The court in which the 

 temple stood, measures over the walls, (by the scale upon 

 the Plate,) 7-10 feet from north to south, and 7-0 from 

 east to west. These inclosure walls consisted of a base- 

 ment.or regular pedestal, about 1G feet in height ; a plinth 

 2. feet 10 inches ; and a regular order of Corinthian pilas- 

 ters and entablatures j making, altogether, a height of 

 75 feet. The pilasters are 4 feet 6 inches diameter, and, 

 exclusive of the entrance portico, there must have been 

 120 on the outside of the four walls, or sides of the 

 rectangular court. From the surface of the outside 

 ground to the level of the top of the pedestal (1C feet), 

 there is a straight stair which extends 138 feet, which is 

 the length of the portico, consisting of ten columns. 

 This portico projects 49 feet before the face of die wall, 

 rises to the same height as the pilasters, and has a pedi- 

 ment which rises more than one-fifth of the extent. The 

 columns next the middle have been placed nearer to those 

 next to them, in order to render the middle space wider 

 than the other intercolumnations. The bases are attic ; 

 the architrave has many members ; the frieze is an ellip- 

 tical curve, and plain ; the cornice has both dentils and 

 enriched modillions ; the other members, except some 

 lions heads in the upper member, are plain. Immediately 

 under the portico, the boundary wall is much decorated ; 

 the center doorway is 32 feet Ci inches high, and 15 feet 

 9 inches wide, witli highly enriched architrave, trusses, 

 and entablature. On each side is a door 16 feet 10 inches 

 by 8 feet 10 inches, with plain architraves, and enriched 

 soffit, trusses, frieze, and cornice. Over each of the side 

 doors is a nich for a statue, having two small Corinthian 

 columns on each side, also enriched frieze and cornice, 

 and a shell in the domical head. On both sides of each 

 of these doors are two heights of tabernacles, formed by 

 pilasters and enriched frieze and cornice; the tops of 

 these arc flat, and the face of the pilasters plain. Over all 

 these parts the general entablature of the portico passes, 

 and although plain on the external face of the portico, it 

 ii here highly enriched. Though, exclusive of the pro- 

 jt-ction of the pilasters, the .inclosure wall measures only 

 about six feet in thickness ; yet, at the entrance under 

 the portico, there is a solid of about 18 feet in thickness. 

 The inner face of this very much resembles that which 

 has just been described under the outer portico, only that 

 the cide doors, niches, acd tabernacles, have pointed pe- 

 diments. Round the inside of this court-wall, there are 

 pilasters corresponding to thow on the outside, to that 



there must have been 112 ; that is, eight fewer than on Practice, 

 the outside, not counting the one quarter at each internal v ~ Y""'' 

 angle ; between each of these pilasters there has been a 

 tabernacle for a statue. Parallel with the inside of this 

 western inclosure wall, is a row of columns, placed 48 

 feet 7 inches from the face of the pilasters, and at the 

 distance of 8, feet 3 inches from each other, making 44 

 in number ; besides two pilasters which distinguishes the 

 extremities of the entrance portico, and upon which there 

 is a pediment similar to that in the outside. The shafts 

 of the columns are plain, but the entablature is highly 

 and beautifully enriched, the ground of the frieze is flat, 

 the foliage upon it has a very bold relief ; against each 

 shaft, (except those of the portico,) at about one third 

 of its height, is a bracket, apparently to receive a statue. 

 Alongst each of the other three sides of the court, were 

 two rows of columns, similar to those already described, 

 placed 19 feet from the face of the pilasters upon the 

 vail, and the same from each other in that direction. 

 Besides the larger clustered columns at the extremities 

 of each row, and which were 12 in number, there were 

 51 in each row along the north and south sides, and 50 

 along the east and west sides, making altogether 220', 

 and with the clustered columns 238, which, added to 

 those along the western or entrance side, and inner por- 

 tico, make 88 insulated pillars; in the circumference of Number of 

 this court, and along which there passed a highly enrich- ^j,", 1 ^"*^ 

 ed and delicately sculptured entablature, without a single court> 

 break, excepting a very slight one to mark the extent of 

 the entrance portico and its pediments. 



The temple itself stood 119 feet nearer to the eastern Templr. 

 than the western colonnade, and about 22 feet nearer the 

 south than the north. It was raised upon a platform, 

 and this was ascended by steps which passed quite round 

 it ; the peristyle consisted of eight columns along each 

 end, and 1 5 along each side, counting those at the angles 

 twice ; the length, over the columns, measures 190 feet, 

 the breadth 103 feet ; between the face of the pilasters 

 upon the cell, and the inside of the columns of the peri- 

 style, the distance is 22 feet 2 inches on the sides, and 22 

 feet 9 inches on each end ; the height of the order, ex- 

 clusive of the plinth upon wjiich each column stands, 

 (which is 1 foot 8 inches,) is 62 feet 8 inches; the 

 shafts are fluted ; the vases of the cups are now plain, 

 but have marks shewing that metallic leaves and volutes 

 have been fixed upon them ; the architrave has one mem- 

 ber enriched ; the frieze is flat, and enriched by festoons 

 of flowers held by female figures with wings ; the cornice 

 has dentils and modillions, and has every member except 

 the corona enriched. On each side the principal entrance, 

 which is on the west side of the edifice, there is a cluster- 

 ed column. The dimensions of the cell are, between 

 the pilasters at the external angles, length 133 feet 4 

 inches, breadth 47 feet ; between the pilasters, at each 

 end, are two semi-ionic columns. The entrance door is 

 33 feet high and 15 wide ; the architrave has one mem- 

 ber enriched, the frieze and cornice are fully enriched ; 

 in the soffit is a bird like an eagle with wings extended. 

 The windows, of which there are four on each side of 

 the cell, are 8 feet 10 inches high, 4 feet 4 inches wide 

 at the bottom, and 4 feet 2 inches at the top ; they have 

 architraves round the sides and top, on the outside pedi- 

 ments, and on the inside a flat cornice ; they, on both 

 sides, stand upon plain sills ; the architraves arc ten 

 inches broad. Within the cell, at each end, are divisions 

 like those of a modern chancel for an altar table, with a 

 stair on one side and a small vestry on the other. Over 

 the middle spaces, the soffits or cielings are enriched by . 

 iimk moulded pannclling of square octagonal and rhom-. 



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