DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.4328#0083
CHAPTER V
THE THIRD IONIAN MISSION ! PRIENE, TEOS, AND THE SMINTHEUM
In 1852 the Society published Mr. Penrose's Investigations of Athenian Architecture, a fine scientific
work. It was reissued as The Principles of Athenian Architecture in 1888, in an enlarged form. This
important volume, which is still in print, is the most recent archaeological work undertaken by the
Society of Dilettanti. In 1861, Mr. R. P. Pullan, who, a few years earlier, had assisted Sir Charles
Newton as draughtsman at the Mausoleum, made proposals to the Society to make some exploration
of the ruined cities of Asia Minor. In May, 1861, it was resolved on the motion of Cockerell to
undertake a further exploration of the temple sites of Asia Minor, especially Teos, the Smintheum,
Priene, and Branchidae. Pullan left in July of the same year and was paid £200 for travelling during
six months. He reported to the Society, but the full notes of his observations were published by
himself in 1865 as an introduction to a selection of plates from Texier's large volumes under the
title of The Principal Ruins of Asia Minor, by Texier and Pullan. On the title-page Pullan calls
himself "the Agent for the Dilettanti Society in Asia Minor." The text, in which there is some
valuable information not often referred to, is, in fact, practically another work which we owe to the
Society of Dilettanti.
In March, 1862, Pullan received instructions to begin work at Teos; excavations on the site of the
Smintheum in the Troad followed in 1866, and those at Priene in 1869. The results were published
in the Fourth Part of The Antiquities of Asia Minor in 1881. Pullan was a fair water-colour artist,
but he was hardly an architectural expert, and all the indications discovered were never very clearly
understood or fully presented.1 The drawings for the engravings were made by Pullan with care,
but he had little share in the preparation of the text of the volume. The plates and the text do
not clearly discriminate between what was really discovered and what was conjectural restoration.
As a means of checking the results to some extent exists in six small pocket-books belonging to the
Society which contain Pullan's rough daily memoranda of the finds, it will be well to give some
supplementary notes to the Fourth Volume. It appears that Pullan made his excavations with care,
dividing up the ground into squares of 10 feet and noting the position of fragments found. Of the
Smintheum we are told that, at the close of the work he submitted a detailed report of the
operations,2 together with twenty-eight drawings made on the spot. The general accuracy of his plans
cannot be doubted.
Priene.—The site of the city, the modern Samsun, was visited by Dr. Pickering's party in 1673.
The ruins of the temple were examined by Robert Wood in 1750. "Mr. Wood's measures of this
temple" are mentioned in Antiquities of Ionia, Part I., pp. 21 and 23 (1769), and one of his "designs"
was engraved for the volume. The ruins were further investigated by all three of the Ionian Missions
of the Society of Dilettanti in turn. Chandler's party measured and drew the remnants of the temple
which were above ground,3 and Gell's party doubtless made some excavations. After the preliminary
examination of the site in 1861, R. P. Pullan returned in 1869 and thoroughly excavated the ruins of
the temple. As the publication of his work was long delayed Rayet and Thomas in the meantime,
in their Milet et le Golfe Latmique, anticipated him while making use of his excavations.
The site and the few stones left there, together with the area of the city, have been still more
recently examined by the members of a German expedition with scientific accuracy and learned
insight. Their discoveries were published by Wiegand and Schrader in 1904. It is proposed here to
comment on only a few points in which Pullan's pocket-books bring some fresh light. A comparison
1 It cannot be too clearly understood that research is useless without a trained expert to explain the results.
2 This report and other similar ones on the two other temples are doubtless those printed in Vol. IV.
3 The original sketches are in the Greek and Roman Department and in the Print Room of the British Museum.
25 H
THE THIRD IONIAN MISSION ! PRIENE, TEOS, AND THE SMINTHEUM
In 1852 the Society published Mr. Penrose's Investigations of Athenian Architecture, a fine scientific
work. It was reissued as The Principles of Athenian Architecture in 1888, in an enlarged form. This
important volume, which is still in print, is the most recent archaeological work undertaken by the
Society of Dilettanti. In 1861, Mr. R. P. Pullan, who, a few years earlier, had assisted Sir Charles
Newton as draughtsman at the Mausoleum, made proposals to the Society to make some exploration
of the ruined cities of Asia Minor. In May, 1861, it was resolved on the motion of Cockerell to
undertake a further exploration of the temple sites of Asia Minor, especially Teos, the Smintheum,
Priene, and Branchidae. Pullan left in July of the same year and was paid £200 for travelling during
six months. He reported to the Society, but the full notes of his observations were published by
himself in 1865 as an introduction to a selection of plates from Texier's large volumes under the
title of The Principal Ruins of Asia Minor, by Texier and Pullan. On the title-page Pullan calls
himself "the Agent for the Dilettanti Society in Asia Minor." The text, in which there is some
valuable information not often referred to, is, in fact, practically another work which we owe to the
Society of Dilettanti.
In March, 1862, Pullan received instructions to begin work at Teos; excavations on the site of the
Smintheum in the Troad followed in 1866, and those at Priene in 1869. The results were published
in the Fourth Part of The Antiquities of Asia Minor in 1881. Pullan was a fair water-colour artist,
but he was hardly an architectural expert, and all the indications discovered were never very clearly
understood or fully presented.1 The drawings for the engravings were made by Pullan with care,
but he had little share in the preparation of the text of the volume. The plates and the text do
not clearly discriminate between what was really discovered and what was conjectural restoration.
As a means of checking the results to some extent exists in six small pocket-books belonging to the
Society which contain Pullan's rough daily memoranda of the finds, it will be well to give some
supplementary notes to the Fourth Volume. It appears that Pullan made his excavations with care,
dividing up the ground into squares of 10 feet and noting the position of fragments found. Of the
Smintheum we are told that, at the close of the work he submitted a detailed report of the
operations,2 together with twenty-eight drawings made on the spot. The general accuracy of his plans
cannot be doubted.
Priene.—The site of the city, the modern Samsun, was visited by Dr. Pickering's party in 1673.
The ruins of the temple were examined by Robert Wood in 1750. "Mr. Wood's measures of this
temple" are mentioned in Antiquities of Ionia, Part I., pp. 21 and 23 (1769), and one of his "designs"
was engraved for the volume. The ruins were further investigated by all three of the Ionian Missions
of the Society of Dilettanti in turn. Chandler's party measured and drew the remnants of the temple
which were above ground,3 and Gell's party doubtless made some excavations. After the preliminary
examination of the site in 1861, R. P. Pullan returned in 1869 and thoroughly excavated the ruins of
the temple. As the publication of his work was long delayed Rayet and Thomas in the meantime,
in their Milet et le Golfe Latmique, anticipated him while making use of his excavations.
The site and the few stones left there, together with the area of the city, have been still more
recently examined by the members of a German expedition with scientific accuracy and learned
insight. Their discoveries were published by Wiegand and Schrader in 1904. It is proposed here to
comment on only a few points in which Pullan's pocket-books bring some fresh light. A comparison
1 It cannot be too clearly understood that research is useless without a trained expert to explain the results.
2 This report and other similar ones on the two other temples are doubtless those printed in Vol. IV.
3 The original sketches are in the Greek and Roman Department and in the Print Room of the British Museum.
25 H