DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.4327#0049
CHAPTER III.
THE SMINTHIUM.
In the autumn of 1853, Captain, now Admiral, Spratt, when conducting the Admiralty Survey on
the coast of the Troad, discovered the site of the Temple of Apollo Smintheus, which Strabo describes as
situated in the Hamaxitia, a district forming a triangle at the south-western end of the Troad, of which the
base is the course of the river Tuzla (probably the ancient Satnioeis), and the apex Cape Baba, the ancient
Lectum. The Hamaxitia was the district of Hamaxitos, one of the old towns of this part of the Troad which
contributed to people the new city founded by Antigonos about the year 310 B.C., and augmented by Lysimachos,
who changed its name from Antigoneia to Alexandreia.
The remains of the temple are situated at a short distance from the sea-shore, twelve geographical miles
in direct distance to the south of the ruins of Alexandreia, and four geographical miles to the north-east of
Cape Lectum. "They are adjacent," writes Admiral Spratt, "to a Turkish village named Kulagli, standing on
a low ridge, which falls gradually to the plain and river of Tuzla.1 Several fragments of marble scattered about
the village induced me to inquire for the place from which they were brought: there was much reluctance to
satisfy me, some directing me to the plain of Tuzla and elsewhere, but the offer of a few piastres at length
induced a Turk to point to a small plateau, which connects the village ridge with another running parallel to
it, and not more than ten minutes' walk below where I stood. Here I came suddenly upon the remains of a
large temple, consisting chiefly of columns lying in all directions within two or three small gardens, or on the
road side, or in the stone enclosures. Some of the columns in the gardens appeared to be standing in situ, but
no more than a few feet of them appeared above ground; there were also some massive foundations of the
temple near them. Not less than forty fragments or portions of the columns lay upon the site or in the
vicinity. They were fluted, of white marble, and apparently Ionic, though not a single portion of any capital
was to be found. The diameter of the shaft was four feet immediately above the base. Two springs of excellent
water rise on the plateau near the site of the temple, one of which issues from a small cavern. Adjoining the
temple are some ruins of a large building of Koman times, with walls formed in part of horizontal courses of
brick. Further on is an isolated buttress, belonging to another large building. These two ruins are nearly
twenty feet high. There are some indications also of a church and small town scattered over the plateau, but
without any appearance of town walls. The situation is in a hollow between two ridges. Upon the western
ridge there is a road to the sea-coast, which it meets three or four miles to the northward of Cape Baba. Upon
this road are five or six sarcophagi, lying on their sides or half-buried in the soil: they are formed of a dark
volcanic rock, a species of trachyte, similar to that of Assos, among the ruins of which ancient city we find
it used for the same purpose. On the shore where the road terminates are several fragments of the temple,
which have no doubt been brought thus far for the purpose of embarkation, and to be used in some modern
building. On the toe of the ridge of Kulagli, on the edge of the plain of Tuzla, I found a circular pedestal
of white marble, sculptured with festoons of flowers between bulls' heads, the whole originally well executed;
it was probably brought here from Kulagli, as there is no other ancient fragment within a mile of it."2
It may be noticed that the temple stood about halfway on the road that St. Paul travelled when he left his
ship at Alexandria Troas and went afoot to Assos, where he rejoined it and his companions.
1 This plain is the Halesium of Strabo (xiii. p. 605), a word of the same meaning as the Turkish Tuzla, and so named from some copious hot
salt-sources, described by Strabo as to Tpayacraiov aXo-Trijjiov avTo^arov, rots 'Et^o-icm? Trvyvvfievov 71730? 'Afia^ora. Tragasa* stood probably at
the modern Tuzla: a little below this village are shallow ponds into which the water of the sources is collected, and evaporated by the summer heat
and Etesian northerly wind.—See Hunt in WalpoWs Memoirs, i. p. 132.
2 Transactions of the Roijal Society of Literature, vol. v. new series, pp. 236-242.
THE SMINTHIUM.
In the autumn of 1853, Captain, now Admiral, Spratt, when conducting the Admiralty Survey on
the coast of the Troad, discovered the site of the Temple of Apollo Smintheus, which Strabo describes as
situated in the Hamaxitia, a district forming a triangle at the south-western end of the Troad, of which the
base is the course of the river Tuzla (probably the ancient Satnioeis), and the apex Cape Baba, the ancient
Lectum. The Hamaxitia was the district of Hamaxitos, one of the old towns of this part of the Troad which
contributed to people the new city founded by Antigonos about the year 310 B.C., and augmented by Lysimachos,
who changed its name from Antigoneia to Alexandreia.
The remains of the temple are situated at a short distance from the sea-shore, twelve geographical miles
in direct distance to the south of the ruins of Alexandreia, and four geographical miles to the north-east of
Cape Lectum. "They are adjacent," writes Admiral Spratt, "to a Turkish village named Kulagli, standing on
a low ridge, which falls gradually to the plain and river of Tuzla.1 Several fragments of marble scattered about
the village induced me to inquire for the place from which they were brought: there was much reluctance to
satisfy me, some directing me to the plain of Tuzla and elsewhere, but the offer of a few piastres at length
induced a Turk to point to a small plateau, which connects the village ridge with another running parallel to
it, and not more than ten minutes' walk below where I stood. Here I came suddenly upon the remains of a
large temple, consisting chiefly of columns lying in all directions within two or three small gardens, or on the
road side, or in the stone enclosures. Some of the columns in the gardens appeared to be standing in situ, but
no more than a few feet of them appeared above ground; there were also some massive foundations of the
temple near them. Not less than forty fragments or portions of the columns lay upon the site or in the
vicinity. They were fluted, of white marble, and apparently Ionic, though not a single portion of any capital
was to be found. The diameter of the shaft was four feet immediately above the base. Two springs of excellent
water rise on the plateau near the site of the temple, one of which issues from a small cavern. Adjoining the
temple are some ruins of a large building of Koman times, with walls formed in part of horizontal courses of
brick. Further on is an isolated buttress, belonging to another large building. These two ruins are nearly
twenty feet high. There are some indications also of a church and small town scattered over the plateau, but
without any appearance of town walls. The situation is in a hollow between two ridges. Upon the western
ridge there is a road to the sea-coast, which it meets three or four miles to the northward of Cape Baba. Upon
this road are five or six sarcophagi, lying on their sides or half-buried in the soil: they are formed of a dark
volcanic rock, a species of trachyte, similar to that of Assos, among the ruins of which ancient city we find
it used for the same purpose. On the shore where the road terminates are several fragments of the temple,
which have no doubt been brought thus far for the purpose of embarkation, and to be used in some modern
building. On the toe of the ridge of Kulagli, on the edge of the plain of Tuzla, I found a circular pedestal
of white marble, sculptured with festoons of flowers between bulls' heads, the whole originally well executed;
it was probably brought here from Kulagli, as there is no other ancient fragment within a mile of it."2
It may be noticed that the temple stood about halfway on the road that St. Paul travelled when he left his
ship at Alexandria Troas and went afoot to Assos, where he rejoined it and his companions.
1 This plain is the Halesium of Strabo (xiii. p. 605), a word of the same meaning as the Turkish Tuzla, and so named from some copious hot
salt-sources, described by Strabo as to Tpayacraiov aXo-Trijjiov avTo^arov, rots 'Et^o-icm? Trvyvvfievov 71730? 'Afia^ora. Tragasa* stood probably at
the modern Tuzla: a little below this village are shallow ponds into which the water of the sources is collected, and evaporated by the summer heat
and Etesian northerly wind.—See Hunt in WalpoWs Memoirs, i. p. 132.
2 Transactions of the Roijal Society of Literature, vol. v. new series, pp. 236-242.