.6 A R C H I T 
/ 
with which the Greeks decorate their places of worfhip ; 
and had ereCled a pulpit on the right hand for their imari 
or reader. In the portico were fufpended a few laptps, to 
he ufed in the mofque at the feafons when the muflul-mans 
atfemble before day-break, or to be lighted up round the 
minaret, as is the cuftom during their Ramazan or Lent. 
Even in its prefent (late, it is not eafy to conceive a more 
linking objeft than this temple ; every fpeClator, on ap¬ 
proaching it, will find himfelf not a little affeCled by fo 
folemn an appearance of ruined grandeur. The columns 
of the periftyle have all been removed : but on the floor 
may be feen the circles which direfted the workmen in 
placing them; and at the farther end is a groove acrofs it, 
as for one of the" partitions of the cell. The recefs ereCted 
by the Chrirtians is demolifhed ; and from the rubbifli of 
the deling the Turkilh boys col left bits of the Mofaic, 
of different colours, which compofed the picture of the 
Virgin. We are told at Smyrna that this fubftance had 
taken a polifh, and been fet in buckles. This cell is about 
half demolifhed ; and in the columns which lurrounded it 
is a large gap near the middle. The annexed Plate, taken 
from the work of Meffrs. Stuart and Revett, furniflies an 
exaCt reprefentation ot the prefent (late of the ruin of this 
temple, which was reckoned one of the fineft in the world. 
In the 1 'pace between the columns is feen the prefent mofque 
of the Turks, who have long been in poffeffion of the coun¬ 
try ; and in the front are feme of the private dwellings of 
that people, formed out of the ruins. It is further to be 
lamented, that the Turkilh government have lately order¬ 
ed all the ancient remains'of the once magnificent city of 
Athens to be taken down, and converted into materials for 
building and repairing their public works and fortifications. 
Of the HOUSES of the ANCIENTS. 
RefpeCting the manfions or dwellings of the ancients, 
we can only conjecture the fituation of their yarious apart¬ 
ments, from combining the defcriptions of feveral clafiic 
authors ; little of fuch buildings remaining to guide our 
refearches. Thofe of which traces are found, fuch as the 
baths of Titus, Caracalla, Dioclefian, the villas of Adrian, 
Mecsenas, &c. are of little ufe to this enquiry, their ex¬ 
tent and magnificence exceeding that of common (truChires. 
To (peculate on the accounts left by Pliny, and others, 
may not be unentertaining; perhaps not without its ufes : 
for, from the numerous, (ludied, and multiplied, conve¬ 
niences of their villas, fome new ideas of plan and diftri- 
bution may arife ; the comforts and conveniences of life 
are fo valuable, that they (hould be fought from every 
fource. The Greeks and Romans were particularly feli¬ 
citous to keep the body in health, by conflant and (Long 
exercife; to this purpofe, it was neceffa.ry they (hould have 
fpacious covered places, that in bad weather they might 
not be obitrucled in their diverfions of games, which tend¬ 
ed as well to the health and (Length of the body, as to that 
of the mind. Under this impreffion, it is not to be won¬ 
dered their gardens or pleafure-grounds were extenfive, 
and poffelfed all thofe conveniences which conduced fo 
much to health and delight, as freely enjoying the frefh 
air in the Geftatio, or the Xyftus. 
Of the private buildings or houfes of the Greeks, the 
following account is given by Vitruvius. “ The Greeks 
ufe no atrium, but from the gate of entrance they make a 
paffage of no great breadth ; on one fide of which is the 
liable, on the other the porters’ rooms, and thefe are di¬ 
rectly terminated by the inner gate : paffing on, is the pe- 
riltylium, having porticoes on three (ides ; on the feuth 
fide are two ants, vvhich'fupport and form a paffage, with¬ 
in which, (i.e. to the right and left,) are the great oeci, 
in which the mi ft refs of the family and the work-women 
refide. To the right and left are cubiculi, or chambers, 
of which one is called Thalamus the other Amphith'dlamus ; 
and under the porticoes of the periftyle are. the common 
dining-rooms, chambers, and family-rooms. This part of 
the edifice is called Gynczconilu. 
Through the paffage with the antes, is a larger houfe, 
E C T U R E. 
having a more fpacious periftyle, in which are four porti¬ 
coes of equal height, or femetime the one which looks to¬ 
wards the feuth has higher columns; and this periftyle, 
which has one portico higher than the reft, is called Rho¬ 
dian , from a nobleman of Rhodes, who firft: introduced 
that ftyle of building. In thefe houfes they have elegant 
veftibules, magnificent gates, and the porticoes of the pe¬ 
riftyle are ornamented with (lucco, plafter, and lacunarias, 
compartments. In the portico which looks to the north, 
is the cyzican triclinium and the pinacoetheca; to the eaft, 
are the libraries; to the wed, the exhedrae ; and in thofe 
looking to the feuth, are the fquare ceci, fo large that 
they may eafily contain four fets of dining-couches, with 
the attendants, and a fpacious place for the ufe of the 
games; in thefe halls the men hold their convivial enter¬ 
tainments, for it is not cuftomary in Greece for the mo¬ 
thers of families to lie down to dine. This periftylium 
and part of the houfe is called Andronitides, becaufe here 
the men only are invited, without being accompanied by 
the women. 
On the right and left, alfo, fmall houfes are ereCted, 
having proper gates, dining-rooms, and convenient cham¬ 
bers, that when ftrangers arrive, they may not enter the 
periftylium, but be received in this hofpitalium; for when 
the Greeks were more refined and opulent, they prepared 
triclinia, cubicula, and provifions for ftrangers; the firft 
day inviting them to dinner, afterwards lending them 
poultry, eggs, herbs, fruits, and other productions of the 
country. Matters of families, therefore, when they abode 
in the hofpitium, feemed not to be from home, enjoying 
the full liberty of retirement in thefe apartments. Vitruv. 
lib. 6. c. 10. 
RefpeCting the houfes of the Romans, w ; e have no bet¬ 
ter guide than Vitruvius, who, after deferibing luch as 
are proper for merchants, bankers, &c. obferves, “ Thofe 
of the nobles, who bear the honours of magiftracy, and 
decide the affairs of the citizens, (hould have a princely 
veftibule, lofty atrium, (hall,) and ample periftylium, 
with groves and extenfive ambulatories, ereCled in a ma- 
jeftic ftyle; befides libraries, pinacothecas, (piClure-rooms,) 
and bafditcas, decorated in a manner fimilar to the magni- 
cence of public buildings ; for in thefe places both public 
affairs and private caufes are oftentimes determined.” 
From Vitruvius, and other writers, the following may 
be confidered as nearly the ufual mode of diftribution : 
The part which firft prefented itfelf was the veftibulum, 
or what we call the portico; paffing this, you entered the 
atrium, or hall; at the extremity of which was the tabli - 
num, or repofitory for books, records, &c. From the 
Tides of the atrium you paffied by alae, or ailes, to the ca- 
vaedium, which was an open court, furrounded by a por¬ 
tico, or piazza, at the extremity of which was the bafilica, 
or place to adminifter juftice, &c. The triclinia, or di¬ 
ning-rooms, with their p-rocoeton, or room for attendants; 
the cubicula or chambers, with the baths, were difpofed 
on the (ides of the cavaedium ; alfo on the (ides of tife ba- 
filica were the pinacotheca, or rooms for pictures and li¬ 
brary ; paffing all thefe apartments, you entered the peri¬ 
ftylium, which was as fpacious as poffible, and furrounded 
with a portico, or piazza ; this was always of an oblong 
form; at the extremity of the periftylium were oeci, or 
halls, of which Vitruvius mentions the Corinthian, the 
Tetraftyle, the Egyptian, and the Greek, orCyzican. 
The Corinthian oeci have columns placed either on the 
podium (dado), or on the floor ; and above have an archi¬ 
trave and cornice. The Egyptian had the columns de¬ 
tached from the wall, in the manner of a periftyle ; the 
fpace between the columns and the wall was covered with 
a pavement, and formed a walk round. This range of 
columns fupported an entablature, on which was placed 
another range of columns, one-fourth part fmaller than 
the former, between which were the windows. The Greek 
or Cyzicaft oeci were fituated towards the north, generally 
had a view of the garden, with folding-doors in the mid¬ 
dle ; they had alfo folding-windows to the right and left, 
that 
