DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.2532#0132
110
ARCHITECTURE OF THE ARGIVE HERAEUM
large unhewn conglomerate boulders were laid up as rubble work without mortar, fitted
together roughly with little or no cutting, their interstices being filled with smaller
stones, but produce a result that shows a great advance over the earlier walls and one
which arouses our admiration and wonder; for even with modern appliances it woidd
be no small feat to construct a wall of such huge blocks with counterpoise sufficient to
withstand the thrust of the terrace, the shocks of earthquakes, and the disintegrating
action of centuries.
THE OLD TEMPLE PLATFORM AND THE OLD TEMPLE.
The terrace platform was originally leveled by removing the natural rock and earth
from the north side and by filling in behind the Cyclopean retaining wall (cf. Plate X.).
In order to make a firm foundation and to prevent the earth from being washed away
by the rains, a stone pavement was laid in width about eight metres parallel to the
retaining wall. The pavement resembles the oldest paving in a courtyard at Tiryns and
consists of irregular limestone blocks dressed roughly on the top, most of them triangular
in shape and averaging in length about 70 centimetres. The Old Temple (I) was built
partly upon this pavement, but mostly upon the natural earth and rock of the terrace.
The remains of the Old Temple, though very meagre, are still sufficient to justify the
restoration shown on Eig. 50, Plates IX., XL All that exists in xitit, as appears
on the plan on Plate VIII., is a portion of the stylobate, of a reddish limestone, 19.20 m.
long, 1.04 m. wide, and 0.15 m. high. The diagonal jointings indicate early work. The
tops of the stones have flaked off and are much disintegrated, as though by the action
of heat when the temple was burned.1 This disintegration, however, may be accounted
for in part by the character of the red limestone, which deteriorates naturally in the course
of ages and is far inferior in quality to white limestone.- Before our excavations, the
platform had been covered by dirt to a depth of one metre, and a layer of harder earth
similar in texture and appearance to caked lime was found in various places 0.30 m. above
the pavement, while beneath this layer lay a stratum of black burnt matter and charcoal.
Fortunately distinct traces are still preserved of three circles slightly depressed in
the stylobate, which indicate the position of columns. These circles are 0.80 m. in
diameter and spaced from centre to centre, 3.50 m. and 3.51 m. respectively, making
their intercolumniation 2.70 m. and 2.71 m. or about three and one third diameters.3
The columns and entire superstructure were doubtless of wood, as is indicated by the
small diameter and wide spacing of the columns, by the lack of any architectural stone
fragments,4 by the remains of charcoal and other burnt matter, and by the absence of
any foundation under the stylobate.
1 Pausanias, II. 17 : " Above this temple are the foun-
dations of the former temple, together with the few other
remains of it that escaped the flames. It was burned
down through Chryseis, the priestess of Hera, having
fallen asleep, when the flames of the lamp caught the.
wreaths. Chryseis fled to Tegea and took sanctuary in
the temple of Athena Alea. In spite of this great
calamity the Argives did not take down the statue of
Chryseis, and it still stands in front of the burnt temple."
2 Diirpfeld, Tiryns, cap. vi. B, Technical Remarks.
3 The columns of the Heraeum at Olympia vary in
diameter from 1.00 m. to 1.28 m. and the distances be-
tween centres vary from 3.09 in. to 3.03 m., making the
intereolumniations average about two diameters.
4 I found several very archaic stone capitals and a
broken column-drum below this terrace which may have
belonged to the Old Temple, although I concluded they
were more probably fragments of the North Stoa (II),
and the West Building (VII) ; see Plate IV. The
capitals are shown on Fig. 51, B, C, H, and will be
referred to again in connection with the North Stoa.
The column-drum (V in Plate XXIX.) shows a slit
for lifting by means of a rope. Of course, it is quite pos-
sible that stone columns were gradually substituted for
the wooden ones as the latter decayed, which was done at
the Olympia Heraeum, especially as the late date, 423
p.. C, of the destruction of the building would lead us to
ARCHITECTURE OF THE ARGIVE HERAEUM
large unhewn conglomerate boulders were laid up as rubble work without mortar, fitted
together roughly with little or no cutting, their interstices being filled with smaller
stones, but produce a result that shows a great advance over the earlier walls and one
which arouses our admiration and wonder; for even with modern appliances it woidd
be no small feat to construct a wall of such huge blocks with counterpoise sufficient to
withstand the thrust of the terrace, the shocks of earthquakes, and the disintegrating
action of centuries.
THE OLD TEMPLE PLATFORM AND THE OLD TEMPLE.
The terrace platform was originally leveled by removing the natural rock and earth
from the north side and by filling in behind the Cyclopean retaining wall (cf. Plate X.).
In order to make a firm foundation and to prevent the earth from being washed away
by the rains, a stone pavement was laid in width about eight metres parallel to the
retaining wall. The pavement resembles the oldest paving in a courtyard at Tiryns and
consists of irregular limestone blocks dressed roughly on the top, most of them triangular
in shape and averaging in length about 70 centimetres. The Old Temple (I) was built
partly upon this pavement, but mostly upon the natural earth and rock of the terrace.
The remains of the Old Temple, though very meagre, are still sufficient to justify the
restoration shown on Eig. 50, Plates IX., XL All that exists in xitit, as appears
on the plan on Plate VIII., is a portion of the stylobate, of a reddish limestone, 19.20 m.
long, 1.04 m. wide, and 0.15 m. high. The diagonal jointings indicate early work. The
tops of the stones have flaked off and are much disintegrated, as though by the action
of heat when the temple was burned.1 This disintegration, however, may be accounted
for in part by the character of the red limestone, which deteriorates naturally in the course
of ages and is far inferior in quality to white limestone.- Before our excavations, the
platform had been covered by dirt to a depth of one metre, and a layer of harder earth
similar in texture and appearance to caked lime was found in various places 0.30 m. above
the pavement, while beneath this layer lay a stratum of black burnt matter and charcoal.
Fortunately distinct traces are still preserved of three circles slightly depressed in
the stylobate, which indicate the position of columns. These circles are 0.80 m. in
diameter and spaced from centre to centre, 3.50 m. and 3.51 m. respectively, making
their intercolumniation 2.70 m. and 2.71 m. or about three and one third diameters.3
The columns and entire superstructure were doubtless of wood, as is indicated by the
small diameter and wide spacing of the columns, by the lack of any architectural stone
fragments,4 by the remains of charcoal and other burnt matter, and by the absence of
any foundation under the stylobate.
1 Pausanias, II. 17 : " Above this temple are the foun-
dations of the former temple, together with the few other
remains of it that escaped the flames. It was burned
down through Chryseis, the priestess of Hera, having
fallen asleep, when the flames of the lamp caught the.
wreaths. Chryseis fled to Tegea and took sanctuary in
the temple of Athena Alea. In spite of this great
calamity the Argives did not take down the statue of
Chryseis, and it still stands in front of the burnt temple."
2 Diirpfeld, Tiryns, cap. vi. B, Technical Remarks.
3 The columns of the Heraeum at Olympia vary in
diameter from 1.00 m. to 1.28 m. and the distances be-
tween centres vary from 3.09 in. to 3.03 m., making the
intereolumniations average about two diameters.
4 I found several very archaic stone capitals and a
broken column-drum below this terrace which may have
belonged to the Old Temple, although I concluded they
were more probably fragments of the North Stoa (II),
and the West Building (VII) ; see Plate IV. The
capitals are shown on Fig. 51, B, C, H, and will be
referred to again in connection with the North Stoa.
The column-drum (V in Plate XXIX.) shows a slit
for lifting by means of a rope. Of course, it is quite pos-
sible that stone columns were gradually substituted for
the wooden ones as the latter decayed, which was done at
the Olympia Heraeum, especially as the late date, 423
p.. C, of the destruction of the building would lead us to