£RQM RHODES TO THE GULPH OE GLAUCtJS. 147 
ant, alluding to the tombs of Persepoiis, maintained that they 
were temples ah originc , as distinguished from places of burial, 
it will be right to show, that those of Tehnessus, corresponding 
exactly with the Persepolitan monuments, so that one.might be 
confounded with the other, have upon them inscriptions denot¬ 
ing explicitly and fully the purposes of their construction. 
The tombs of Tehnessus are of two kinds; both visible from 
the sea at a considerable distance. The first, and the more ex¬ 
traordinary, are sepulchres hewn in the face of perpendicular 
rocks. Wherever the side of a mountain presented an almost 
inaccessible steep, there the ancient workmen seem to have be¬ 
stowed their principal labour. In such situations are seen ex¬ 
cavated chambers, worked with such marvellous art as to exhi* 
bit open facades, porticoes with Ionic columns, gates and doors 
beautifully sculptured, on which are carved the representation 
as of embossed iron work, bolts and hinges. Yet every such 
appearance, whatever number of parts may compose it, proves, 
upon examination, to consist of one stone.* The columns, bro- 
ken at their bases, remain suspended by their capitals; being,, 
in fact, a part of the architrave and cornice they seem to sup¬ 
port, and therefore are sustained by them and by the contigu¬ 
ous mass of rock above, to which they all belong. These are 
the sepulchres resembling those of Persepoiis. The other kind 
of tomb found at Telmessus is the true Grecian soros, the sar¬ 
cophagus of the Romans. Of this sort there are several, but 
of a size and grandeur far exceeding any thing of the kind 
elsewhere, standing, in some instances, upon the craggy pinna¬ 
cles of lofty precipitous rocks. It is as difficult to determine 
how they were there placed, as it would be to devise means for 
taking them down ; of such magnitude are the single stones 
whereof each soros separately consists. ^Nearer to the shore* 
end in less elevated situations, appear other tombs, of the same 
nature, aud of still greater size; these are formed of more than 
one stone; and almost all, of whatsoever size or form, exhibit 
inscriptions. 
The largest of those near tire shore, situated in a valley be- 
tween the mountains and the sea, is composed of five immense 
masses of stone; four being used for the sides, and one for the 
lid or cover. A small opening, shaped like a door, in the side 
facing the harbour, is barely large enough to allow a passage 
similar style of -workmanship may be observed in the stupendous Indian tem^lea- 
as they are beautifully delineated by Mr, Daniel. 
