TEMPLES AT ATIL. 43 



we dismounted to visit the interesting remains of an ancient 

 house ; the masonry was extraordinarily massive, like that 

 of a Cyclopean wall, and the building impressed us with 

 the af)pearance of greater antiquity than any other we saw 

 in the Hauran. We then continued our journey, and 

 crossing the stream, which flows in a deep bed on the nori h 

 side of the town, rode up to a fine Eouian tomb, erected by 

 a husband to his wife.^ A broad track led us over the 

 bare spurs, through which the hills sink down into the 

 plain, to Atil. Here there are the ruins of two diminutive 

 but exquisitely decorated temples. The immense size of 

 the stones employed in the constiniction of these small 

 buildings was very remarkable. Close to one of the 

 temples we found some good pieces of carving — a winged 

 figure of Victory, a horse, and a fine head of Apollo. 

 Nothing could exceed the intelligence and courtesy of the 

 inhabitants in pointing out the Eoman fragments which 

 lay about everywhere. We were led, through an excep- 

 tionally heavy stone door, into a house of very ancient- 

 looking and massive masonry, to inspect a bit of the 

 fi'ieze of one of the temples, Avhich was built into the 

 interior wall. This must be taken for what it is worth, 

 but it aided to shake our belief in the extreme antiquity 

 of the greater number of the Haui-an ruins. The columns 

 of Kunawat were already in sight over intervening woods, 

 and half-an-hour's scramble up a rocky path brought us to 

 our tents, which had been pitched in a charming situation 

 between the town and the beautiful temple, which stands 

 apart from the other ruins on the west. 



March 23rcZ. — Early in the morning, a dense mist again 

 veiled the plain ; Hermon alone stood up above it, flushed 

 with a sunrise glow, and as the bells of the outgoing flocks 

 rang through the air, we could almost fancy ourselves 



* It is well described in ' Giant Cities,' p. 5n. 



