526 
MERGE TO GYRENE. 
all of them on the same level, and had no other communication than 
with a preecinction, a few feet above the orchestra ; how many cannot 
well be ascertained, as we could not, in the present state of the build- 
ing, determine the position of the lowest range of seats, and the height 
of it from the level of the orchestra. The sides of the passages were 
cased with stone and marble, and decorated with architectural orna- 
ment ; but we could not ascertain the elevation of the front pre- 
sented to the stage, no portion of which is standing : perhajjs, among 
the ruins which encumber the orchestra some details of this might 
be found ; but the little time which we had to excavate did not 
allow us to search for them long, and some fragments of Doric 
columns were all that we dug out, except blocks of stone and marble. 
The passages were perfectly strait, and communicated direct with 
the lower ranges of seats, from which the spectators must have 
ascended to the upper ones ; but we could not perceive any remains 
of staircases, which were not perhaps necessary, considering the 
moderate size of the building. No portion of the stage, except the 
lower part of a w'all, is now remaining, which indeed seems rather to 
have formed a part of the proscenium, as it appears to be somewhat 
have fortunately enabled him to throw light upon the subject in question ; for in Syria 
this gentleman discovered a theatre which was constructed in the manner alluded to by 
Vitruvius, and in which some of the vases were actually found in the situations which he 
has assigned to them. 
We had flattered ourselves on first perceiving the hollow spaces, which were left under 
the seats of the theatre which we are describing at Gyrene, that we had ourselves disco- 
vered a second confirmation of this practice ; but no brazen vases appeared in the spaces 
in question ; and the few remains of pottery which we found in some of them, will not 
even justify us in asserting that they contained originally vases of earthenware. 
