DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.5542#0177
166
CASTLE WALLS.
[Chap. xl.
Wednesday, June 21.—I remained here all day, chiefly
occupied in copying inscidptions. My first object was to
visit a low hill about a mile E.S.E. from the town, round
which the remains of an ancient wall have been discovered,
and where many inscriptions and other antiquities have
been dug: it has consequently been dignified by the Turks
with the name of Castle. I was accompanied by my tatar
and two stonemasons. It was extraordinary to see the
tatar's zeal in search of antiquities, in hopes of a bakshish or
present of a dollar, with which from time to time I used to
stimulate his exertions whenever he discovered anything
of particular interest. The stonemasons avail themselves
of these ruined walls as a quarry, to extract materials for
the manufacture of Turkish grave-stones. The consequence
is, that the hill is now surrounded by a deep ditch where
the wall once stood, which is in many places entirely re-
moved. In the part where they were now working, they
had lately discovered a large pedestal with an inscrip-
tion.* It is sepulchral, but valuable, from stating the
profession of him who erected the tomb, one which does
not appear to have been of frequent occurrence amongst
the ancients: he was a arii^si6yqa<pos, or short-hand writer,
and belonged to the tribe of Athenais. Many similar
pedestals in the wall may also contain inscriptions; but
though its appearance is very Hellenic, it has evidently
been built with the ruins of former edifices, perhaps after
the destruction of Eumenia, which there is little doubt
stood on or near this spot; but the whole extent of the hill,
which I perambulated while my treasure-seekers were
digging out the inscriptions, is not above half a mile in
circumference, and therefore could not have been itself the
site of the ancient town.
Returning to my konak I visited the different burial-
grounds round the walls, and every street in the place, and
copied many more inscriptions. \ One was a fragment of a
long decree^ alluding to games celebrated under an impe-
* See Appendix, No. 356. f See Appendix, Nos. 357—372.
1 See Appendix, No. 3G7.
CASTLE WALLS.
[Chap. xl.
Wednesday, June 21.—I remained here all day, chiefly
occupied in copying inscidptions. My first object was to
visit a low hill about a mile E.S.E. from the town, round
which the remains of an ancient wall have been discovered,
and where many inscriptions and other antiquities have
been dug: it has consequently been dignified by the Turks
with the name of Castle. I was accompanied by my tatar
and two stonemasons. It was extraordinary to see the
tatar's zeal in search of antiquities, in hopes of a bakshish or
present of a dollar, with which from time to time I used to
stimulate his exertions whenever he discovered anything
of particular interest. The stonemasons avail themselves
of these ruined walls as a quarry, to extract materials for
the manufacture of Turkish grave-stones. The consequence
is, that the hill is now surrounded by a deep ditch where
the wall once stood, which is in many places entirely re-
moved. In the part where they were now working, they
had lately discovered a large pedestal with an inscrip-
tion.* It is sepulchral, but valuable, from stating the
profession of him who erected the tomb, one which does
not appear to have been of frequent occurrence amongst
the ancients: he was a arii^si6yqa<pos, or short-hand writer,
and belonged to the tribe of Athenais. Many similar
pedestals in the wall may also contain inscriptions; but
though its appearance is very Hellenic, it has evidently
been built with the ruins of former edifices, perhaps after
the destruction of Eumenia, which there is little doubt
stood on or near this spot; but the whole extent of the hill,
which I perambulated while my treasure-seekers were
digging out the inscriptions, is not above half a mile in
circumference, and therefore could not have been itself the
site of the ancient town.
Returning to my konak I visited the different burial-
grounds round the walls, and every street in the place, and
copied many more inscriptions. \ One was a fragment of a
long decree^ alluding to games celebrated under an impe-
* See Appendix, No. 356. f See Appendix, Nos. 357—372.
1 See Appendix, No. 3G7.