DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.4328#0018
THE FIRST AND SECOND IONIAN MISSIONS OF THE SOCIETY OF DILETTANTI 5
of Herodotus, it was one of the largest in the world. It had 10 columns, upwards of 6 feet in diameter, in front and 21 in its
flank. It was about 180 feet in breadth, and in length more than double.1 The entire circuit of the walls of the ancient city
is still visible. The mole of Policrates yet exists, and the sacred road from the city to the Heraeum was examined and
accurately measured. Leaving Samos, the Mission proceeded to the Oracular Temple of Apollo Didymaeus, near Miletus,
surveyed its plan, and obtained several other particulars of this beautiful temple, which had been omitted in the account of it
already published in the Ionian Antiquities.
The travellers then proceeded on their voyage by way of Halicarnassus to the site of Cnidus, where they found the entire
circuit of the walls of the city, with many other ruins, among which was a portico of white marble of the Doric Order, and about
400 feet long, an Agora surrounded by a colonnade, and a small Corinthian temple of white marble, which might be entirely
rebuilt from its ruins.
From Cnidus the Mission visited the ruins of Telmissus, where there are the superb remains of a Theatre, and many
magnificent tombs excavated in the living rock.
From thence they went to Patara, anciently a flourishing city, but where the port being at present only a swamp, exhales
an infectious air during the summer months.
In the midst of a quantity' of various ruins, are those of a magnificent Theatre, built in the time of Trajan. There is,
however, nothing of a very remote antiquity, and the sepulchres appear to be of the same date as the public buildings.
The travellers did not neglect the examination of the cities of Myra and Antiphellus in Lycia, and the result of their
enquiries was a more accurate knowledge of the ornaments of the scenes of ancient Theatres, and the most splendid collection
of sepulchres that has ever been made. The plague again opposed itself to their intention of visiting the ruins of Laodicea
and of Hierapolis; but the Mission succeeded in obtaining full and complete information on the ruins of the city of
Aphrodisias, and discovered there the hexastyle Temple of Venus, of which many columns yet remain, with a peribolus
surrounded by a magnificent colonnade entered by a propylaeum. They found also a vast Agora, surrounded by a colonnade,
and a circus, in good preservation. These, and an entire volume of inscriptions, are the fruits of the voyage to
Aphrodisias.
The magnificent Temple of Diana Leucophryne at Magnesia, on the Meander, which had been discovered by Mr. Hamilton
ln 1803, was measured. Almost every part of its architecture was drawn in detail, as also its frieze, which represented the
battle of the Greeks with the Amazons. The temple is about 100 feet in breadth and 200 in length, and of white marble. It
is peculiarly interesting as having been cited by Vitruvius as a model of the octostyle pseudo-dipteral temple. The travellers
then visited Priene, and added to what was already known relative to this city, a plan of the Temple of Minerva Polias, more
accurately made out, and a correction of some errors of consequence in the measures already published. The propylaeum of the
temple was also discovered, valuable as an example of tetrastyle Ionic. Many unpublished capitals of pilasters of exquisite
sculpture were found there. Plans of all cities were taken, with a map of the mouth of the Meander, one of the greatest
desiderata of Geography.
The Mission returned to Athens about the end of the same year, and having been again detained there, employed itself in
excavations2 and measures of the Temple of Nemesis at Rhamnus, erected after the battle of Marathon, and adorned with most
beautiful sculpture. It there obtained most accurate details of the ancient construction of roofs; and also discovered a most
ancient Temple of Themis, and a considerable part of the statue of the Goddess.3 Interesting discoveries were made of the
ruins of Thoricum, and the propylaeum of the Temple of Minerva at Sunium was measured.
The plans and elevations of all these edifices were correctly ascertained, and detailed in the most elegant drawings by the
Artists of the Mission, it being the intention of the Society of Dilettanti to engrave and offer them to the public for the
improvement of national taste.
As will be seen from the foregoing account of the work at Eleusis, the party not only drew what
was above ground, but they excavated the sites of the more important ruins. This fact is brought
out again in the description of Samos, printed in Part III. of the Antiquities of Ionia, p. 62, where
we are told:
The Mission was induced to lodge in some magazines on the shore. These magazines were then newly erected and had
caused the destruction of the greater part of the remaining marbles of the Temple of Juno, as was evident from the great
number of fragments, particularly of the bases, which appeared in the walls. The gentlemen of the Mission were obliged in
_ e month of June to work themselves with spades and pickaxes, while their interpreter was employed drawing off the
inhabitants from the spot.
Many fragments of sculpture were seen here, and a small archaic bronze was brought away, to
which Mr. G. A. Browne of Trinity College thus referred in a letter in 1832: " The Samian Juno was
dug up amid the ruins of her temple at Samos and given to me by Sir Wm, Gell. I imagine the
little bronze was cast in imitation from the grand statue." On leaving Samos the Mission passed
through Cos and Halicarnassus to Cnidus which was reached on July 1, 1812, and a long extract from
the Journal of the Mission relating to Cnidus is printed in Part III. of the Antiquities of Ionia. In
September the party were working at Myra, as is shown by the date on a drawing at the Royal
Institute of British Architects.
Under the description of Aphrodisias, we are told that "in the year 1813, Mr. T. P. Deering
[formerly Gandy] in the prosecution of his labours at Aphrodisias, on the part of our Society copied
sixty inscriptions, not more than half of which were amongst those collected by Sherard. The remainder,
1 This temple has recently been excavated by a German party.
2 From The Earl of Elgin's Pursuits in Greece it appears that he had excavated sites before this time, so had Lord Aberdeen.
8 Now in the British Museum.
of Herodotus, it was one of the largest in the world. It had 10 columns, upwards of 6 feet in diameter, in front and 21 in its
flank. It was about 180 feet in breadth, and in length more than double.1 The entire circuit of the walls of the ancient city
is still visible. The mole of Policrates yet exists, and the sacred road from the city to the Heraeum was examined and
accurately measured. Leaving Samos, the Mission proceeded to the Oracular Temple of Apollo Didymaeus, near Miletus,
surveyed its plan, and obtained several other particulars of this beautiful temple, which had been omitted in the account of it
already published in the Ionian Antiquities.
The travellers then proceeded on their voyage by way of Halicarnassus to the site of Cnidus, where they found the entire
circuit of the walls of the city, with many other ruins, among which was a portico of white marble of the Doric Order, and about
400 feet long, an Agora surrounded by a colonnade, and a small Corinthian temple of white marble, which might be entirely
rebuilt from its ruins.
From Cnidus the Mission visited the ruins of Telmissus, where there are the superb remains of a Theatre, and many
magnificent tombs excavated in the living rock.
From thence they went to Patara, anciently a flourishing city, but where the port being at present only a swamp, exhales
an infectious air during the summer months.
In the midst of a quantity' of various ruins, are those of a magnificent Theatre, built in the time of Trajan. There is,
however, nothing of a very remote antiquity, and the sepulchres appear to be of the same date as the public buildings.
The travellers did not neglect the examination of the cities of Myra and Antiphellus in Lycia, and the result of their
enquiries was a more accurate knowledge of the ornaments of the scenes of ancient Theatres, and the most splendid collection
of sepulchres that has ever been made. The plague again opposed itself to their intention of visiting the ruins of Laodicea
and of Hierapolis; but the Mission succeeded in obtaining full and complete information on the ruins of the city of
Aphrodisias, and discovered there the hexastyle Temple of Venus, of which many columns yet remain, with a peribolus
surrounded by a magnificent colonnade entered by a propylaeum. They found also a vast Agora, surrounded by a colonnade,
and a circus, in good preservation. These, and an entire volume of inscriptions, are the fruits of the voyage to
Aphrodisias.
The magnificent Temple of Diana Leucophryne at Magnesia, on the Meander, which had been discovered by Mr. Hamilton
ln 1803, was measured. Almost every part of its architecture was drawn in detail, as also its frieze, which represented the
battle of the Greeks with the Amazons. The temple is about 100 feet in breadth and 200 in length, and of white marble. It
is peculiarly interesting as having been cited by Vitruvius as a model of the octostyle pseudo-dipteral temple. The travellers
then visited Priene, and added to what was already known relative to this city, a plan of the Temple of Minerva Polias, more
accurately made out, and a correction of some errors of consequence in the measures already published. The propylaeum of the
temple was also discovered, valuable as an example of tetrastyle Ionic. Many unpublished capitals of pilasters of exquisite
sculpture were found there. Plans of all cities were taken, with a map of the mouth of the Meander, one of the greatest
desiderata of Geography.
The Mission returned to Athens about the end of the same year, and having been again detained there, employed itself in
excavations2 and measures of the Temple of Nemesis at Rhamnus, erected after the battle of Marathon, and adorned with most
beautiful sculpture. It there obtained most accurate details of the ancient construction of roofs; and also discovered a most
ancient Temple of Themis, and a considerable part of the statue of the Goddess.3 Interesting discoveries were made of the
ruins of Thoricum, and the propylaeum of the Temple of Minerva at Sunium was measured.
The plans and elevations of all these edifices were correctly ascertained, and detailed in the most elegant drawings by the
Artists of the Mission, it being the intention of the Society of Dilettanti to engrave and offer them to the public for the
improvement of national taste.
As will be seen from the foregoing account of the work at Eleusis, the party not only drew what
was above ground, but they excavated the sites of the more important ruins. This fact is brought
out again in the description of Samos, printed in Part III. of the Antiquities of Ionia, p. 62, where
we are told:
The Mission was induced to lodge in some magazines on the shore. These magazines were then newly erected and had
caused the destruction of the greater part of the remaining marbles of the Temple of Juno, as was evident from the great
number of fragments, particularly of the bases, which appeared in the walls. The gentlemen of the Mission were obliged in
_ e month of June to work themselves with spades and pickaxes, while their interpreter was employed drawing off the
inhabitants from the spot.
Many fragments of sculpture were seen here, and a small archaic bronze was brought away, to
which Mr. G. A. Browne of Trinity College thus referred in a letter in 1832: " The Samian Juno was
dug up amid the ruins of her temple at Samos and given to me by Sir Wm, Gell. I imagine the
little bronze was cast in imitation from the grand statue." On leaving Samos the Mission passed
through Cos and Halicarnassus to Cnidus which was reached on July 1, 1812, and a long extract from
the Journal of the Mission relating to Cnidus is printed in Part III. of the Antiquities of Ionia. In
September the party were working at Myra, as is shown by the date on a drawing at the Royal
Institute of British Architects.
Under the description of Aphrodisias, we are told that "in the year 1813, Mr. T. P. Deering
[formerly Gandy] in the prosecution of his labours at Aphrodisias, on the part of our Society copied
sixty inscriptions, not more than half of which were amongst those collected by Sherard. The remainder,
1 This temple has recently been excavated by a German party.
2 From The Earl of Elgin's Pursuits in Greece it appears that he had excavated sites before this time, so had Lord Aberdeen.
8 Now in the British Museum.