100 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL. 



[April, 



Vrcsent lim<* finy columns on tlie top, all these have however an en- 

 trHHCK into the bisempnt, Mr. Hawkins tlierefore placed one in the 

 b;ise of this bnildinp;, making use for that purpose of an architrave and 

 p;irt if a cornice which were found close at th<^ foot of the e;ist end 

 of the biiilding. The egg moulding on which the columns and statues 

 stood became the ournice of Ihi? base. It next became necessary to 

 find the various inemhers to form the cornice of the building, but 

 during the whole of the excivalions no details at all corresponding to 

 an architrave could be f'unid ; but taking into consideration the great 

 quinlilv of sculpture with «hi<;h the building was ornamented, it was 

 probable that the frieze was also sculptured, an 1 on examining tlie 

 frieze, 1 ft. 7} in. in depth, it became evident that that had stood U|)on 

 the ciilumns, their greater length, being about 7 feet long, admitting 

 tjf such an arrangement, and the under surface showed where it had 

 restfd on the columns, as those parts were quite protected from the 

 weather. 



The frieze then occupies the space usually given (o both frieze 

 •nnJ architrave ; the cornice over it is of great size, and dispropor- 

 litmed to the building; but as the different details were found round 

 the bjse nf the bnilding, there can be no diuiht but that they behniged 

 to it, there being also evidence on the stones themselves that they do 

 so. Mr. Hawkins plices in the cornice a row of dentils, but he does 

 not carry them up beneath the corona of the pediment, the only ar- 

 gument against them is the exceedingly small number which was 

 found : bn"t the arguments in their favour are, he considers, conclusive. 

 In the fir>t place, there is, he believes, no instance in the whole of Asia 

 Minor of an Ionic cornice omitting the blocks; again, two different 

 sizes of corona were found, one projecting IcJ inches from the bed 

 mould, lheother43inclies, buton the under-iJeol the latter marks were 

 found which proved the existence of blocks, the exposed parts being 

 weather-beaten, and bv omitting the blocks in the pediment it lightens 

 the cornice, and gives an opportunity for using the more projecting 

 corona. It is from the size of the tympana (portion of that belonging 

 to each end of the building being fonndj, that we are enabled to ascer- 

 tain with considerable accuracy the nidlh of the building; of course 

 it would not be eafry to lay down so acute an angle quite truly, but 

 certaiiilv within a very li'lie, and the width thus arrived at is con- 

 firmed bv the lensth of the stones which form the frieze. The exact 

 length of the building is less easy to ascertain. There is one piece 

 of evidence vUiich Mr. Hawkins thinks will prove satisfactorily the 

 length of the building to be very nearly what he has drawn it, namely, 

 that upon the base, wliici) still exists, there are the marks of the bed 

 Worked for the next course; this bed extends 1 ft. 9 ia. inwards from 

 the face of the viork, it is therefore evident that the next course of 

 stones must have extended to that size ; now there is no evidence of 

 any other stones to be placed upon this, except those of the Parian 

 marble, these stones are all 1 ft. 4 in. thick, and therefore could only 

 have been set in 5 inches from the face of the base — this will apply both 

 to the length and width; the only objection that has been made to this 

 is tln.t by this arrangement it requires 6 columns to form the flank, but 

 he thinks there yre inuny instances of an equal number of columns to 

 the fl.ink of buildings. Temple of Jupiter Penelienius at Egina has 

 12 Columns in the H.ink, and G in front ; again, the Temple of Jupiter 

 Olympus at Athens had 20 columns in front, and 20 at the side; also 

 one of the temples at Agrigentum. A question which will, however, 

 be eventually set at rest when the friezes of the base have been pro- 

 peilv arranged in the Museum; at present, it is sufficient to know 

 that it is possible to place the stones so as to suit the arrangement he 

 has proposed. 



Tlie last object was to assign a place for the smaller frieze, Mr. 

 Ciickerell suggested that the building was peristyle, enclosing a cella, 

 anil that the smaller frieze ought to be placed round it, and this ar- 

 rai gement is somewhat confirmed by the actual quantity of the frieze 

 which was obtained during the excavations. 



Sjieciuiens of all the details which Mr. Hawkins mentioned have 

 been brought to England, and are now placed in the British Museum. 

 The Lacnnana are well worth attention, as they retain somewhat of 

 of the colour with which they were originally decorated ; the ovolo 

 mouldings have been coloured to imitate the egg and tongue orna- 

 ment ; and a bead and reel ornament has huen pauiled round the soffit, 

 instead of being carved projecting from the face of the stone, as was 

 the ease with the Lacunariie of the Ereclitheiuin, one of which is now 

 deposited in the Elgin Room. It now only remains to give some de- 

 8cri;ition of the sculptures with which this building has been orna- 

 mented. 



It was apparently built for the purpose of commemorating the cap- 

 ture of the city of Xanthus, or perhaps for the tomb of some person or 

 persons intimately connected with that work. The largest frieze re- 

 presents, on all the four sides, ao indiscriminate combat, some of the 

 cQinbaiauts being on foot, some on borseb»cki tome are draped in long 



flowing robei, while some appear to be destitute of all clothing, nome 

 of the hor?es are remarkable as having the short cut mane w hich is 

 to be seen on the sculptures of the Panathenaic processions from the 

 Parthenon. The next frieze in siz"", and placed over the last described, 

 represents the capture of the city of Xanlhus.by Hirpiigus, the General 

 of Cyrus, which event took place 54Q B.C. This event is describsd 

 by Herodotus; and it will be as well to give the description here, as 

 it will be s'-en that the sculptures follow very closely his account; he 

 writes as follows: — 



After these successes Harpagus drew hi« army into the plain, in order to 

 attack the Lycians of Xanthus, who, tliough they are few in niimher yet 

 having assemhled what forces they could, took the field and fought the Per- 

 sians with great courage. But being overpowered with nninhers, ami forced 

 to retire into the city, they put their wives, children, and servants, with all 

 their riches into the castle and tet fire to the place, which when they had 

 done, and all was burnt, they engagcil themselves liy the strongest oaths to 

 die together, and to that end, returning to the field of battle, they renewed 

 the fight and were cut to pieces to the last man. 



This frieze may be divided into four subjects, one represents the 

 fight which took place outside the walls; the next a sally from the 

 city, which is being repulsed by the attacking party; the third the 

 storming of the city, where the ladders are seen placed against one of 

 the towers, and the storming party are climbing up the ladders, evi- 

 dently intending to take the town bv surprise, as they have divested 

 themselves of all covering to their feet ; the fourih side appears to 

 represent the trial of some prisoners before some Eistern chief seated 

 on a chair, this figure is not improbably meant to represent Harpagus. 

 The frieze placed round the tops of the columns may also be divided 

 into four subjects, one for each side of the building; the first repre- 

 sents a fight, some of the combatants being on foot, some on horse- 

 back ; the next represents a procession, the people being in Greek 

 costume, bearing offerings in fruit and cattle; the third is a Persian 

 off-ring, those bearing the offerings being clothed in Persian costume, 

 and bringing those offerings most prized in the East — fine clothing and 

 horses; on the fourth side is a very spirited wild boar hunt, the hunts- 

 men being mostly on horseback, but some are on foot, and their horses 

 appear to be running wildly about as if they had thrown their riders. 

 The small frieze, which is placed round the cella, appears to represent 

 the feasts and sacrifices which are so frequently painted upon tlie tombs 

 of Greece and Etruria. 



The dancing figures between the columns are all standing on some 

 emblem, either a fish or a bird. Statues of a smaller size are also 

 placed on the acroteriffi. The tympana are also sculptured, the one 

 with a very spirited battle scene, the other represents a m de and 

 female seated opposite each other, with figures standing behind liiem 

 diminishing in size as they approach the ai gle of the pediment. 



There must be of couise many conjectures with regard to the date 

 of the building; history, as yet, gives us no clue whatever; — two 

 ways remain, one is to judge from the architectural detail, the other 

 from the sculptures. With regard to the architecture, it will bear 

 compari3<in both with the Temple at Samos, which is admitted to be 

 one of the earliest existing specimens, while at the same time manv 

 of the details are very similar to those of the Temple of Minerva at 

 Picene, which we know, from an inscription on the temple, was built 

 by Alexander. One argument in f ivour of its antiquity is, that it was 

 apparently built to commemorate the taking of X.uilhus, which took 

 place as we have seen 546 B.C., and it is nut likely that the conque- 

 rors would have waited more than one century to erect a trophy of 

 their success ; yet it is also possible that some wealthy descendant of 

 Harpagus, whose son we know was made governor of that district of 

 Asia Minor, might, at some much later period, have wished to com- 

 memorate the actions of his ancestor. Witii regard to the date of the 

 sculptures, Mr. Hawkins thought it would be bfiter to wait for the 

 opinion of those gentlemen who have made such matter their study, 

 and who Ilierelore will probably be able to produce conclusive evidenca 

 tu support whatever opinions they may advance. 



The D'sert of Am^CA.— Atthe AcaJemk des Scienfes.atVarts, 1,1. 1'CMrnrl, 



an engineer ut mines, euve &n nciount of tiis (ravels in llie Desert of Alrica. Ainnngbt 

 ottier Itlingi, M, Kournel furnishei the ftsigtiti bbove the level of tlie tea at sisty places. 

 Constaiitiua, he states, m 'i^^tia leet above the level or the sea; but the odsis ut' Bukam, 

 which is only CO leagues from Cunstanlina, is but '246 feet above that level. Ai. Kournei 

 cunsiders. thai by sinking Artesian wells, it would be prac icable to have a constant and 

 abundant supply nf water ttiroughout the whole exten: of the Uesert. Some of Ihe varia. 

 ttons of temperature recorded by M. Fuurnel are curious. He informs us. that In CI.e 

 Bisbt of tbti Itith of JUarch last, whilst bivouacking on the platuau of Butitsb, tUs ttieira^- 

 m«ter stood at Bo htiom 9an^ wber«B9 during tli« day It faad rtsKD to ;i:io. 



