DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.4265#0081
80
OF THE TEMPLE OF JUPITER OLYMPIUS.
Athens; because, say they, Vitruvius informs us that that temple was an octastyle. But Vitruvius
himself will refute their opinion, for, speaking expressly of the Athenian temple, he tells us it was a
dipteros, that is, it had a double range of columns encompassing the cell, whence we must conclude,
that it had ten columns in front; for, had it been an octastyle and at the same time a dipterosa, the
breadth of the cell would have been contracted so as not to have admitted the internal peristyle, with
the galleries round the inside of the cell; beside which, the aperture of the uncovered part, which
constituted it an hypsethros, would then scarcely have been wider than one intercolumniation of the
external portico; whereas we have seen the hypaethral aperture, in the roof of the Parthenon, was
equal in width to three intercolumniations, and twice the diameter of a column. After this tedious,
but I imagine necessary, disquisition, I shall proceed to describe these magnificent ruins. They consist
of 17 Corinthian columns, each 6 feet 4 or 6 inches in diameter, and near 60 feet in height; the dis-
position of their plan evidently proves them to be the remains of a temple which had ten columns in
front, and 21 in flank b; and that it had two ranges of columns on each side : the extent of the front
has been 171 feet, and the length of the flank more than 400 feetc; so that, to describe this build-
ing in the language of Vitruvius, we must say, it has been decastyle, dipteros, and hypa?thros, of
great dimensions, or a complete example of the most sumptuous and stately of all the aspects of tem-
ples, which in the first chapter of his third book he has enumerated and defined.
It stood within a spacious area, which was inclosed by a peribolus, or surrounding wall, at
a Namque Athenis, Antistatcs, et Callaeschros, et Antima-
chides, ct Porinos, architect^ Pisistrato aedem Jovi Olympio
facienti, fundamenta constituerunt; post mortem autem ejus,
propter interpellationem reipublica;, incepta reliquerimt: itaque
circiter annis ducentis * post, Antiochus rex, cum in id opus
impensam csset pollicitus, cellse magnitudinem, et columnarum
circa dipteron collocationem, epistyliorum et caeterorum ornamen-
torum ad symmetriarum distributionem, magna solertia scientia-
que summa civis Romanus Cossutius nobiliter est arcliitectatus.—
In Asty vero Jovem Olympium amplo modulorum comparatu,
Corinthiis symmetriis ct proportionibus, (uti supra scriptum est,)
architcctandum Cossutius suscepisse memoratur: Vit. in proemio
Lib. VII.
" For at Athens when Pisistratus set about building the temple
of Jupiter Olympius, the architects Antistates, and Callaeschros,
and Antimachides, and Porinos, laid the foundation; after the
death of Pisistratus, because of the unsettled state of the re-
public, the prosecution of this work was discontinued; insomuch
that it was about 200 ("400") years afterwards, when King
Antiochus2 having engaged to defray the expense of the
structure, that it was magnificently erected by Cossutius a
Roman citizen, who determined the magnitude of the cells, and
adjusted the arrangement of the columns about the dipteros,
and the disposition of the architraves and the other ornaments
with great skill and supreme science. ' This structure indeed is
not spoken of with common praise, it is amongst the few most
renowned for their magnificence; for in four places only are seen
sacred edifices, adorned with marble, which are thus celebrated,
the excellence and sagacious contrivance of which have been
approved in the assembly of the gods." Again, " it is recounted
that the temple of Jupiter Olympius in Athens was built, as
before mentioned, by Cossutius, on a scale of ample dimensions,
and with Corinthian proportions and ornaments," &c. Vit.
Procemium to his 7th Book.
b Mr. Revett assures Mr. Reveley, that Mr. Stuart retired
from Athens without having examined the remains of this tem-
ple with a view to discover whether it had 21 or only 20 columns
in flank ; which circumstance was not ascertained till Mr. Revett,
after Mr. Stuart's departure, particularly measured the ruins,
and determined this question, contrary to what Mr. Stuart has
written on the subject, viz. that it had only 20 columns in flank,
which he assures Mr. Reveley he positively determined; for the
1 ' quadringentis.' Ed. Schneideri. [ed.]
2 Antiochus Epiphanes, who engaged to finish the temple of Jupiter Olympius
at Athens, began his reign the 1st year of the 151st Olympiad, died the 4th
year of the 153d. " (or 164. b. c.)" Sylla took Athens the 2d of the 173d. Oly.
and carried the columns of this temple to Rome, where they were afterwards
remaining column nearest to the Acropolis, which was the
twentieth, had the same base as the outer range of columns on
the flank, which differs from the inner bases (and which base
he measured for this purpose); this base also had the continued
plinth and two fillets under it, which is under the outer row in
flank. Mr. Reveley, having had much conversation with Mr.
Revett on the subject, does not hesitate to say that he is con-
vinced of the accuracy of Mr. Revett's opinion in preference to
that of Mr. Stuart, and consequently that this temple had only
20 columns in flank. As there can be no stronger proof of this
fact, it has been thought necessary to engrave the plan over
again, in order to give it as clearly and circumstantially as
possible.
As a further proof of the truth of this opinion, the following
sentence is copied from Mr. Stuart's original papers: viz. " The
western end is so ruined that there are not sufficient remains to
prove that there have been more than 20 columns in its flank;
but it is most probable it had 21, since the other Grecian tem-
ples we have seen had constantly an odd number on their flank,
that is, one column more than twice the number of columns in
front." The above is written in Mr. Stuart's hand-writing. Mr.
Stuart gives the same opinion in a letter to the late Mr. Newton,
who particularly wrote to him, to know whether there were
20 or 21 columns in the flank of the temple of Jupiter Olym-
pius at Athens, when engaged in his excellent translation of
Vitruvius.
Some difference having arisen between Mr. Stuart and Mr.
Revett, it was at length agreed that Mr. Revett should give up
the whole of the papers in his hands, on terms agreed upon, to
Mr. Stuart; which he accordingly did, and had after that no
concern in this publication, which was carried on by Mr. Stuart
alone.
This accounts for Mr. Stuart's not being in possession of Mr.
Revett's opinion on the subject, as he only received the draw-
ings, among which, the plan of this temple, drawn in ink with
twenty columns by Mr. Revett, is one to which Mr. Stuart has,
with red chalk, added a row of columns; in which state it now
remains; and, from the whole of his memorandums on the sub-
ject, he appears to have considered this rule as so general, that
it did not even admit of a more particular inquiry. CR-J
c This is incorrect, it should be 354.27. [n.]
erected in the temple of Jupiter Capitolinus, (Pliny, Ljb. XXXVI. C. VI.) Vi-
truvius could not have written before the battle of Actium, the 2d of the
187th Olympiad; so that the temple must have been in an unfinished state when
Vitruvius wrote.
OF THE TEMPLE OF JUPITER OLYMPIUS.
Athens; because, say they, Vitruvius informs us that that temple was an octastyle. But Vitruvius
himself will refute their opinion, for, speaking expressly of the Athenian temple, he tells us it was a
dipteros, that is, it had a double range of columns encompassing the cell, whence we must conclude,
that it had ten columns in front; for, had it been an octastyle and at the same time a dipterosa, the
breadth of the cell would have been contracted so as not to have admitted the internal peristyle, with
the galleries round the inside of the cell; beside which, the aperture of the uncovered part, which
constituted it an hypsethros, would then scarcely have been wider than one intercolumniation of the
external portico; whereas we have seen the hypaethral aperture, in the roof of the Parthenon, was
equal in width to three intercolumniations, and twice the diameter of a column. After this tedious,
but I imagine necessary, disquisition, I shall proceed to describe these magnificent ruins. They consist
of 17 Corinthian columns, each 6 feet 4 or 6 inches in diameter, and near 60 feet in height; the dis-
position of their plan evidently proves them to be the remains of a temple which had ten columns in
front, and 21 in flank b; and that it had two ranges of columns on each side : the extent of the front
has been 171 feet, and the length of the flank more than 400 feetc; so that, to describe this build-
ing in the language of Vitruvius, we must say, it has been decastyle, dipteros, and hypa?thros, of
great dimensions, or a complete example of the most sumptuous and stately of all the aspects of tem-
ples, which in the first chapter of his third book he has enumerated and defined.
It stood within a spacious area, which was inclosed by a peribolus, or surrounding wall, at
a Namque Athenis, Antistatcs, et Callaeschros, et Antima-
chides, ct Porinos, architect^ Pisistrato aedem Jovi Olympio
facienti, fundamenta constituerunt; post mortem autem ejus,
propter interpellationem reipublica;, incepta reliquerimt: itaque
circiter annis ducentis * post, Antiochus rex, cum in id opus
impensam csset pollicitus, cellse magnitudinem, et columnarum
circa dipteron collocationem, epistyliorum et caeterorum ornamen-
torum ad symmetriarum distributionem, magna solertia scientia-
que summa civis Romanus Cossutius nobiliter est arcliitectatus.—
In Asty vero Jovem Olympium amplo modulorum comparatu,
Corinthiis symmetriis ct proportionibus, (uti supra scriptum est,)
architcctandum Cossutius suscepisse memoratur: Vit. in proemio
Lib. VII.
" For at Athens when Pisistratus set about building the temple
of Jupiter Olympius, the architects Antistates, and Callaeschros,
and Antimachides, and Porinos, laid the foundation; after the
death of Pisistratus, because of the unsettled state of the re-
public, the prosecution of this work was discontinued; insomuch
that it was about 200 ("400") years afterwards, when King
Antiochus2 having engaged to defray the expense of the
structure, that it was magnificently erected by Cossutius a
Roman citizen, who determined the magnitude of the cells, and
adjusted the arrangement of the columns about the dipteros,
and the disposition of the architraves and the other ornaments
with great skill and supreme science. ' This structure indeed is
not spoken of with common praise, it is amongst the few most
renowned for their magnificence; for in four places only are seen
sacred edifices, adorned with marble, which are thus celebrated,
the excellence and sagacious contrivance of which have been
approved in the assembly of the gods." Again, " it is recounted
that the temple of Jupiter Olympius in Athens was built, as
before mentioned, by Cossutius, on a scale of ample dimensions,
and with Corinthian proportions and ornaments," &c. Vit.
Procemium to his 7th Book.
b Mr. Revett assures Mr. Reveley, that Mr. Stuart retired
from Athens without having examined the remains of this tem-
ple with a view to discover whether it had 21 or only 20 columns
in flank ; which circumstance was not ascertained till Mr. Revett,
after Mr. Stuart's departure, particularly measured the ruins,
and determined this question, contrary to what Mr. Stuart has
written on the subject, viz. that it had only 20 columns in flank,
which he assures Mr. Reveley he positively determined; for the
1 ' quadringentis.' Ed. Schneideri. [ed.]
2 Antiochus Epiphanes, who engaged to finish the temple of Jupiter Olympius
at Athens, began his reign the 1st year of the 151st Olympiad, died the 4th
year of the 153d. " (or 164. b. c.)" Sylla took Athens the 2d of the 173d. Oly.
and carried the columns of this temple to Rome, where they were afterwards
remaining column nearest to the Acropolis, which was the
twentieth, had the same base as the outer range of columns on
the flank, which differs from the inner bases (and which base
he measured for this purpose); this base also had the continued
plinth and two fillets under it, which is under the outer row in
flank. Mr. Reveley, having had much conversation with Mr.
Revett on the subject, does not hesitate to say that he is con-
vinced of the accuracy of Mr. Revett's opinion in preference to
that of Mr. Stuart, and consequently that this temple had only
20 columns in flank. As there can be no stronger proof of this
fact, it has been thought necessary to engrave the plan over
again, in order to give it as clearly and circumstantially as
possible.
As a further proof of the truth of this opinion, the following
sentence is copied from Mr. Stuart's original papers: viz. " The
western end is so ruined that there are not sufficient remains to
prove that there have been more than 20 columns in its flank;
but it is most probable it had 21, since the other Grecian tem-
ples we have seen had constantly an odd number on their flank,
that is, one column more than twice the number of columns in
front." The above is written in Mr. Stuart's hand-writing. Mr.
Stuart gives the same opinion in a letter to the late Mr. Newton,
who particularly wrote to him, to know whether there were
20 or 21 columns in the flank of the temple of Jupiter Olym-
pius at Athens, when engaged in his excellent translation of
Vitruvius.
Some difference having arisen between Mr. Stuart and Mr.
Revett, it was at length agreed that Mr. Revett should give up
the whole of the papers in his hands, on terms agreed upon, to
Mr. Stuart; which he accordingly did, and had after that no
concern in this publication, which was carried on by Mr. Stuart
alone.
This accounts for Mr. Stuart's not being in possession of Mr.
Revett's opinion on the subject, as he only received the draw-
ings, among which, the plan of this temple, drawn in ink with
twenty columns by Mr. Revett, is one to which Mr. Stuart has,
with red chalk, added a row of columns; in which state it now
remains; and, from the whole of his memorandums on the sub-
ject, he appears to have considered this rule as so general, that
it did not even admit of a more particular inquiry. CR-J
c This is incorrect, it should be 354.27. [n.]
erected in the temple of Jupiter Capitolinus, (Pliny, Ljb. XXXVI. C. VI.) Vi-
truvius could not have written before the battle of Actium, the 2d of the
187th Olympiad; so that the temple must have been in an unfinished state when
Vitruvius wrote.