1S47.J 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL. 



35 



having rested so long unspoken. On reaching the third wall, our surprise 

 was great at liading that hitherto we had beeu wandering as it were only 

 in tlie vestibule of the city, and that Termessus itself was yet to come, 

 built on the mountain top, even as Arrian has recorded. It stood on a 

 platform, surrounded by a natural wall of crags, three to four hundred 

 feet high, except on the east, where it terminated in a tremendous pre- 

 cipice, diving into a deep gorge, opening into the Pamphylian plain. 



After crossing the third wall, our attention was first attracted by an 



avenue, bordered on each side by a close row of pedestals, terminated at 



each end by public buildings, apparently temples. These pedestals were 



almost all inscribed, and the inscriptions in good preservation. One of 



hem was of peculiar interest, confirming this site as Termessus Major, 



EPMH22EnNTnN MEI20NQN nOAIS. 



Above the avenue to the west, appears to have been the habitable por- 

 tion of the city, — the buildings there, which are all fallen, having the 

 aspect of the remains of dwelling-houses. To the south and east the 

 ground is covered by public edifices, many in tolerable preservation, others 

 prostrate, — all of substantial architecture. In the centre is an open 

 levelled space, which, from an inscription, proved to be the Agora. In 

 the midst of it stands an isolated rock, about fifteen feet high, surmounted 

 by a plain sarcophagus, below which, at the head of a flight of steps, 

 liewn out of a rock, is a recess with a seat (a Bema?). There are also 

 niches for volive tablets. The area of the Agora is undermined by exten- 

 sive cisterns, the roofs of which are supported by massive pillars and 

 arches. This area seems, during the Middle Ages, to have been inclosed 

 by the walls and cells of a monastery, one of the very few remains of 

 Christian origin at this site. Termessus was the seat of an episcopal see. 

 Around the Agora are the most important public buildings ; the most per- 

 fect of these is a great square erection with highly finished walls, orna- 

 mented with Doric pilasters, and having only two windows, placed high 

 up. A smaller and similar building stands behind the larger, the most 

 prominent object among the ruins, and by its side a second, in front of 

 which are two pedestals, bearing inscriptions, one in honour of Plato, who 

 appears to have been held in high esteem by the Termessians, and the 

 other dedicated to the Muses, of whom this was probably the temple. 

 By the side of the Agora, and on the left of the great square building, are 

 the fallen remains of a Doric temple, apparently (from an inscription) de- 

 dicated to the sun. Some of the blocks are of Parian marble, and are 

 fragments of sculptured friezes. A search and excavation among them 

 would most probably lead to the discovery of many works of art." 



ANCIENT SYRACUSE. 



Paper read ly S. Angell, Esq., at the Royal Institute of British Archi- 

 tects, Jan. 11, 1847. 



The ancient Syracuse occupied the first rank of all the cities of 

 Sicily, or Mugna Grsecia, in point of extent and political importance; 

 and there are few remains of ancient cities, even in Greece herself, 

 wliich are more interesting to the scholar or the antiquary. 



I visited the ruins and the modern city in company with some 

 fellow-students in tlie summer of 1822. The classical interest of 

 the spot, the beauty of the situation, and the splendour of the climate 

 (noted by Cicero for its sunshine in every day of the year) were such, 

 that not even a week's painful imprisonment in the quarantine, on a 

 subsequent occasion, could diminish my feelings of admiration for 

 this renowned spot. 



The present paper being principally devoted to the architectural 

 description of the ancient city, I will not occupy the time of the 

 meeting with a long account of its history: it will be sufficient for 

 our purpose merely to refer to the tradition of its having received 

 its inhabitants, in very early ages of the world, from Egypt and Phce- 

 Dicia; tliat they were driven out by the .Siculi, who, in their turn, 

 were replaced by a colony from Corinth, led by Archias, one of the 

 HeraclidJE, in the second year of the eleventh Olympiad, or about 

 732 years before the Christian era. The city was named by them 

 Ortygia, or the island of quails (the same name was origiuaily given 

 to the island of Delos). 



We have the united testimony of ancient historians and poets to 

 tbe effect, that the city rapidly increased until it arrived at so great 

 an extent, and to such a degree of splendour, that Thucydides (long 

 before it reached its summit of prosperity under Dionysius) acknow- 

 ledged it to be equal in size to Athens ; and Cicero mentions it, in 

 one of his orations, as the largest and most magnificent city in 

 Greece.* 



The city was under different governments until freed from the ty- 

 ranny of Thrasybulus, 440 B.C.; and sixty-one years afterwards it was 

 usurped by the Dionysii, who were expelled by Timoleon, 343 B.C. 

 The celebrated part it took in the wars with Carthage, its memorable 



* Urbem Syracusas maxiroam esse Grtecarum urbium puicherriinamque omaium 6«epe 

 audislia.— Cic. Orat. 2, io Vcr, lib. iv. 



conflicts with the Athenians, and its sad and mighty fall, after endur« 

 ing a three years' siege by the Roman conqueror, Marcellus, are 

 events so well known to every scholar, as to require no further allu- 

 sion to on ray part at this meeting. 



In after years, the Saracens completed tbe ruin the Romans com- 

 menced ; and a.d. 827 Syracuse resigned to her rival, Palermo, the 

 proud title of Capital of Sicily. From that time the city has dwin- 

 dled into comparative insignificance. Her population at the present 

 time does not exceed 12,0U0; and that commerce which once filled 

 its glorious harbours with the ships of Rhodes, Alexandria, and Car- 

 thage, is now confined to a few speronaras engaged in a miserable 

 coasting trade. 



Syracuse is said to have derived its name originally from the 

 neighbouring Maish Syraco (now called II Pantano), and situate on 

 the right bonk of the Anapos : it was afterwards called TttrapoUs, a 

 city formed oi four distinct quarters, and these were named Vrlygia, 

 Acradina, Tycha, and Neapulis. 



According to Strabo, the circuit of the ancient walls was SO stadicB, 

 or 22i miles, including the suburb of Epipolae, which was to the west- 

 ward of Neapolis, and commanded the whole city. At the extremity 

 of Epipolae was an almost impregnable fortress, called Euryale, men- 

 tioned by Livy, and other historians. 



The great port of Syracuse — one of the finest in the Mediterra- 

 nean — is about five miles in circumference. As you enter from tlw 

 ocean, to the left hand is the rock Plemmyrium, distant from the 

 opposite shore of Ortygia about half a mile. It was across this en- 

 trance to the port that the Syracusans, by advice of Hermocrates, 

 threw a strong chain, and thus blockaded the Athenian fleet. 



In modern times, the great port of Syracuse has its name connected 

 with a gloiious event; lor it was here that Nelson revictualled hts 

 fleet previous to the battle of the Nile. The lesser port is on the 

 other side of the island Ortygia ; it was called Portus Marmoreus, 

 according to some authorities, trom the bottom having origiuaily been 

 paved with marble; but perhaps with more probability from the 

 costly buildings which lined its shores. 



I will now endeavour briefly to describe the four quarters of the 

 city, commencing with the most ancient one. Ortygia was formerly 

 considered the most important part, in consequence of its commani- 

 ing the entrance to both the ports. The tyrants establislied their 

 residences in this division, and added, from time to time, to the forti- 

 fications. The Romans also, when masters of Syracuse, regarded the 

 situation of Ortygia in the same important light, aud prohibited any 

 native citizen from residing in that portion of the city. 



The Temple of Minerva was the most sacred and important build- 

 ing in Ortygia : it now forms the cathedral, or duomo, to the modern 

 city, to which purpose it was converted during the 12th century, 

 when the Goddess of Wisdom was obliged to resign her shrine to 

 "Our Lady of the Columns ;" for such was the chauge in the dedica- 

 tion of this edifice. 



The temple was of the Doric order, peripteral and hexastyle, with 

 fourteen columns on the sides. The lower diameter is about six feet 

 seven inches, and the height twenty-eight feet ten inches. The cha- 

 racter of the order resembles the Agrigentine examples.* Twenty- 

 one columns of the Peristyles, with portions of tbe entablature, are 

 stiil standing ; but, unfortunately, they are built up in the outer walhi 

 of the duoino. The two columns of the Posticum also remain. Tlw 

 columns, unfortunately, have been disfigured with modern plaster and 

 additional mouldings; and it is much to be regretted that these, by 

 some oversight, have found their way into an important work on 

 Magna GrEEcia, and are there shown as part of the ancient work. It 

 was only after much entreaty aud persuasion, and offering ample se- 

 curity, in case of injury, that the church authorities (who, unfortu* 

 nately, in Sicily, are not so devoted to archaeological pursuits as tlM> 

 clergy in this country) gave us permission to raise a scafloid, and clear 

 away these unseemly encumbrances. 



Cicero has given us an excellent description of the gorgeous mag- 

 nificence of this temple, which, spared by the piety of Marcellus, was 

 stripped of every thing but the roof and walls by the rapacious Ver- 

 res. " Its doors," says the Roman orator, " were the theme of uni- 

 versal eulogy, exhibiting the labours of Hercules, curiously wrought 

 in ivory, the angles of each separate panel being adorned with golden 

 bosses of exquisite workmanship, while a Medusa's head, formed of 

 the same rich material, shone above tbe portal, surrounded with its 

 bristling snakes." We learn also from AthenSEUs, that upon the e»- 

 terior summit of the roof was elevated an enormous shield, conse- 

 crated to Minerva, and visible to a great distance by the reflection of 

 the solar rays. A custom prevailed among the Syracusan sailors, to 



* I have sbown the capitals half the real size. The anta cap may be considered as a 

 good example of ttie favourite Becco di CiveUu, or Owl's Be.iK muuidiug of the aucleuU. 



6* 



