DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.44946#0037
IO
II. A. i. Ammonitis.
was apparently the front of the building, as is frequently the case with ancient edifices
of importance in Syria. It is also the part which may be restored with the least
difficulty; for all the details lie as they fell, and are not buried in soil as are the
details in other parts of the structure; though the collapse of the east tower with its
staircase has made a great heap of ruins in this angle. The first course consists ot
one great block of stone on the west side of the entrance, and, presumably one
on the other side. The end of the first block of the west wall of building forms
the northwest angle, and is cut to form a pilaster, .80 m. wide, the face of which
is flush with the face of the stones within the draft. At either side of the entrance
is a half column attached to the end of the great block. Above this the massive walls
rose on either side of an opening that extended to the uppermost cornice. The opening
was arranged in two stories corresponding to the divisions of the wall made by the
string course. The stories consisted of two orders of colums, the details of which are
shown in Ill. 5.
A complete restoration of the facade is given in Plate I. The details of the
restored order are given in Plate II, and photographs of many of the details are
shown in Ill. 6.
The plinths of the two columns are plain blocks, not of one piece with the bases
as was the Roman custom. The bases, on the other hand, both in the colums and
the half columns (Ill. 5, n°. 1) are executed upon the lowest drum of the shaft. Above
the base, at the height of 16 cm., a ring projects boldly from the shaft. This was
not blocked out to be carved with foliage, as suggested in the sketch shown by M. de
Vogue; for the line of the shaft does not curve up to the projection, as may be seen
in the photograph (Ill. 6, Frag. 1). The projection had probably to do with quarrying
and transportation. The shaft, measured in three fragments, is about 3.88 long. The
capitals of the columns are a trifle lower than the compound caps of the half columns.
(Compare Nos. 2 and 3, Ill. 5, with Pl. II). The Doric architrave and frieze of
triglyphs (Ill. 5, n°. 4, and Plate II) are combined in a single course, 75 cm. high, in
three blocks each 2 m. long, the metopes of the middle block are a little wider than
those of the end blocks. The half triglyphs at the ends were undoubtedly placed above
the half columns. The guttae are not conical, as they have been described; but cylin-
drical, as shown in Ill. 14. A., which is taken from the frieze of a small building near
by. I could not satisfactorily photograph the frieze in question. The cornice (Ill. 5,
n°. 6) was found in its entirety, though broken. The combined heights of the details
thus far enumerated are just equal to the height of the wall below the string course.
The string course, with its denticulations could not have been carried above the
cornice, and must have been stopped in some such manner as I have shown on Plates
I and II. It seems hardly probable that the lion frieze was carried across the front,
above the slender supports of colums, and the presence, in the ruins, of piers with
engaged colonettes suggested the restoration shown in Plate I. The restoration is
based upon the use of fragments 8, 9 and 12, in Ill. 5, fragment 9, shown in face,
being undoubtedly the capital corresponding to the foliate base of fragment 8, shown
from the side, and fragment 12 being unquestionably a respond to 9. There can be
no doubt whatever that the cornice represented by fragment 7 was the crowning feature
of the building; for pieces of it are found outside the building on all sides. The lions
are restored from careful measurements of the four lion figures still in place, the
II. A. i. Ammonitis.
was apparently the front of the building, as is frequently the case with ancient edifices
of importance in Syria. It is also the part which may be restored with the least
difficulty; for all the details lie as they fell, and are not buried in soil as are the
details in other parts of the structure; though the collapse of the east tower with its
staircase has made a great heap of ruins in this angle. The first course consists ot
one great block of stone on the west side of the entrance, and, presumably one
on the other side. The end of the first block of the west wall of building forms
the northwest angle, and is cut to form a pilaster, .80 m. wide, the face of which
is flush with the face of the stones within the draft. At either side of the entrance
is a half column attached to the end of the great block. Above this the massive walls
rose on either side of an opening that extended to the uppermost cornice. The opening
was arranged in two stories corresponding to the divisions of the wall made by the
string course. The stories consisted of two orders of colums, the details of which are
shown in Ill. 5.
A complete restoration of the facade is given in Plate I. The details of the
restored order are given in Plate II, and photographs of many of the details are
shown in Ill. 6.
The plinths of the two columns are plain blocks, not of one piece with the bases
as was the Roman custom. The bases, on the other hand, both in the colums and
the half columns (Ill. 5, n°. 1) are executed upon the lowest drum of the shaft. Above
the base, at the height of 16 cm., a ring projects boldly from the shaft. This was
not blocked out to be carved with foliage, as suggested in the sketch shown by M. de
Vogue; for the line of the shaft does not curve up to the projection, as may be seen
in the photograph (Ill. 6, Frag. 1). The projection had probably to do with quarrying
and transportation. The shaft, measured in three fragments, is about 3.88 long. The
capitals of the columns are a trifle lower than the compound caps of the half columns.
(Compare Nos. 2 and 3, Ill. 5, with Pl. II). The Doric architrave and frieze of
triglyphs (Ill. 5, n°. 4, and Plate II) are combined in a single course, 75 cm. high, in
three blocks each 2 m. long, the metopes of the middle block are a little wider than
those of the end blocks. The half triglyphs at the ends were undoubtedly placed above
the half columns. The guttae are not conical, as they have been described; but cylin-
drical, as shown in Ill. 14. A., which is taken from the frieze of a small building near
by. I could not satisfactorily photograph the frieze in question. The cornice (Ill. 5,
n°. 6) was found in its entirety, though broken. The combined heights of the details
thus far enumerated are just equal to the height of the wall below the string course.
The string course, with its denticulations could not have been carried above the
cornice, and must have been stopped in some such manner as I have shown on Plates
I and II. It seems hardly probable that the lion frieze was carried across the front,
above the slender supports of colums, and the presence, in the ruins, of piers with
engaged colonettes suggested the restoration shown in Plate I. The restoration is
based upon the use of fragments 8, 9 and 12, in Ill. 5, fragment 9, shown in face,
being undoubtedly the capital corresponding to the foliate base of fragment 8, shown
from the side, and fragment 12 being unquestionably a respond to 9. There can be
no doubt whatever that the cornice represented by fragment 7 was the crowning feature
of the building; for pieces of it are found outside the building on all sides. The lions
are restored from careful measurements of the four lion figures still in place, the