DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.4692#0055
46 DESCRIPTION OF THE PLATES.
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they therefore soon became the centre of the great commerce between the East and the West, and the point of
junction for the Roman legions during their march across Asia. In the time of Augustus, Ancyra received several
benefactions from the emperor, who permitted them, as he had before permitted the inhabitants of Pergamus, to
erect a temple to him while he was still living.
When the Romans had reduced Galatia to a province, they executed important works and erected immense
establishments in their newly-conquered territory. The city walls were prolonged to the plain, and the quarters
situated on the mountains fortified anew, in order to form a vast citadel. There are still to be seen in the plain
some foundations which appear to have belonged to hot baths. These ruins are situated beyond the modern town.
The double enclosure, flanked with towers, exists even now; but the different sieges which the town has
undergone, have done much damage, and several parts of the walls have been repaired with the debris of
ancient altars and sepulchral stones. A vast subterranean passage, which existed under the platform of the castle,
served to hold the engines of war.
According to the system of defence in use at that epoch, the citadel occupies the most prominent point in
the town. The walls have no external ditch; they follow the undulations of the rock, and rise thus in some
places several hundred metres above the level of the plain. The enclosure of the acropolis was occupied by
private habitations, and in the Middle Ages the Christians constructed there a church, which the Turks have always
respected. The finest edifices constructed by the Romans were in the lower part of the town. An inscription,
which still exists, tells us that Ancyra had a hippodrome, baths, aqueducts, and several temples. If one may
judge from the debris which one sees on all sides, the magnificence of these edifices yields in nothing to those of
Rome itself. The Greek artists employed by the conquerors gave a style of finish and elegance which the Italian
monuments do not possess.
Plate XXII.
VIEW OF THE TEMPLE OF AUGUSTUS.
The view is taken from the entrance to the temple, and represents the ancient pronaos destitute of the
columns which stood in front of the cella. To the left stands the minaret of the mosque, at the foot of which
is a turbe, or sepulchral chapel of the imaums.
The spectator is supposed to be looking from the street, the intervening wall being removed.
Plate XXIII.
PLAN OF THE TEMPLE OF AUGUSTUS.
Here, the plan of the temple is shown amidst modern houses, with the colonnade restored. In the present
day there are only the two parallel walls which formed the sides of the cella and pronaos remaining. The front part
of the building is still standing, but the wall at the end of the cella has been divided, and a square enclosure,
forming part of a chapel, has been erected between the two antes of the posticum.
These are sufficient data for the restoration, as the base of the antes gives the size of the columns, and the
positions of the two columns of the pronaos give the general intercolumniation of the portico, which wc thus find
to have had six columns. There were thirteen columns at the sides, according to the usual arrangement of
hexastyle temples.
The rectangular buildings within the cella are two small magazines belonging to the mosque; the rest of the site
is occupied by a cemetery.
To the right of the building is a group of modern houses. The existence of these would make it difficult
to excavate in their neighbourhood.
The earth had so accumulated in the pronaos, as to cover half the Latin inscription, so that it was
formerly impossible to copy it. It has, however, been recently carefully copied by order of the Emperor Napoleon.
South of the temple stands the mosque of Hadji Bairam, which was built at an angle with the cella, on
account of the necessity of facing the Kaaba of Mecca.
Plate XXIV.
ELEVATION OF PRONAOS, AND SECTION THROUGH NAOS OF TEMPLE OF AUGUSTUS.
Fig. 1 represents the door of the temple, with the two antce entire. The cella wall consists of twenty-
one courses of white marble, above which is a rich frieze. A piece of architrave, still remaining, shows that
the arrangement was similar to that of other peripteral temples.
Fig. 2 shows the interior of the naos. This part of the building is seldom found entire in ancient
ruins, but here it is more perfect than usual.
*
they therefore soon became the centre of the great commerce between the East and the West, and the point of
junction for the Roman legions during their march across Asia. In the time of Augustus, Ancyra received several
benefactions from the emperor, who permitted them, as he had before permitted the inhabitants of Pergamus, to
erect a temple to him while he was still living.
When the Romans had reduced Galatia to a province, they executed important works and erected immense
establishments in their newly-conquered territory. The city walls were prolonged to the plain, and the quarters
situated on the mountains fortified anew, in order to form a vast citadel. There are still to be seen in the plain
some foundations which appear to have belonged to hot baths. These ruins are situated beyond the modern town.
The double enclosure, flanked with towers, exists even now; but the different sieges which the town has
undergone, have done much damage, and several parts of the walls have been repaired with the debris of
ancient altars and sepulchral stones. A vast subterranean passage, which existed under the platform of the castle,
served to hold the engines of war.
According to the system of defence in use at that epoch, the citadel occupies the most prominent point in
the town. The walls have no external ditch; they follow the undulations of the rock, and rise thus in some
places several hundred metres above the level of the plain. The enclosure of the acropolis was occupied by
private habitations, and in the Middle Ages the Christians constructed there a church, which the Turks have always
respected. The finest edifices constructed by the Romans were in the lower part of the town. An inscription,
which still exists, tells us that Ancyra had a hippodrome, baths, aqueducts, and several temples. If one may
judge from the debris which one sees on all sides, the magnificence of these edifices yields in nothing to those of
Rome itself. The Greek artists employed by the conquerors gave a style of finish and elegance which the Italian
monuments do not possess.
Plate XXII.
VIEW OF THE TEMPLE OF AUGUSTUS.
The view is taken from the entrance to the temple, and represents the ancient pronaos destitute of the
columns which stood in front of the cella. To the left stands the minaret of the mosque, at the foot of which
is a turbe, or sepulchral chapel of the imaums.
The spectator is supposed to be looking from the street, the intervening wall being removed.
Plate XXIII.
PLAN OF THE TEMPLE OF AUGUSTUS.
Here, the plan of the temple is shown amidst modern houses, with the colonnade restored. In the present
day there are only the two parallel walls which formed the sides of the cella and pronaos remaining. The front part
of the building is still standing, but the wall at the end of the cella has been divided, and a square enclosure,
forming part of a chapel, has been erected between the two antes of the posticum.
These are sufficient data for the restoration, as the base of the antes gives the size of the columns, and the
positions of the two columns of the pronaos give the general intercolumniation of the portico, which wc thus find
to have had six columns. There were thirteen columns at the sides, according to the usual arrangement of
hexastyle temples.
The rectangular buildings within the cella are two small magazines belonging to the mosque; the rest of the site
is occupied by a cemetery.
To the right of the building is a group of modern houses. The existence of these would make it difficult
to excavate in their neighbourhood.
The earth had so accumulated in the pronaos, as to cover half the Latin inscription, so that it was
formerly impossible to copy it. It has, however, been recently carefully copied by order of the Emperor Napoleon.
South of the temple stands the mosque of Hadji Bairam, which was built at an angle with the cella, on
account of the necessity of facing the Kaaba of Mecca.
Plate XXIV.
ELEVATION OF PRONAOS, AND SECTION THROUGH NAOS OF TEMPLE OF AUGUSTUS.
Fig. 1 represents the door of the temple, with the two antce entire. The cella wall consists of twenty-
one courses of white marble, above which is a rich frieze. A piece of architrave, still remaining, shows that
the arrangement was similar to that of other peripteral temples.
Fig. 2 shows the interior of the naos. This part of the building is seldom found entire in ancient
ruins, but here it is more perfect than usual.