Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1853-11-27

temple is curious; it was menti0ura by Pausanass
and seen by, Wheeler and Spohn as late as 159f,
since which hciol no traveller Lad been able 70
discover 8 trace of it. At length, in some works
carried on by the present government, to clear the
approaches of the Acropolis to their proper level
Turkish battery, which stood frontof the Propy-
laea, was removed, and in doing SO, fragments o.
pillars and other ornamental archtectures were dis
covered in great quantities: and, by and by, the
floor of an ancient temple, which, of course, was
Immediately recognized as that mentioned by Pau
sanias" The fragments were collected and the tenn
ple reconstructed without deviation from the orig
inal foundations. -Four pieces of the freize are in
the British Museum. The temple itself consists of
umns connected by a celia of solid mosonry. The
dimensions are very small, being not above twenty
feet long, and not so much in height but the pro-
portions are so pleasing, and its situation on the
rock, from whence 1EJeu is said to have thrown
himself is so striking that it is upon the whole ve-
ry beautiful object and an admirable introduction
TO the majesty of the Parthenon, one Of the first
ruins on the most renowned site in the known
world-hallowed by the nobest recollectlons that
can stimulate the human heart.
The site of the Parthenon is the highest point in
the city. 1t is also the centre Of the Acropolis, as
the Acropolis was of Athens. 1t was built during
the administration of Pericles, of white marble,
from Mt Pentelicus. 1t is not my intention to en-
ter infinitely into description of the localities and
ruins of this city, because so many have preceded
me, stored with all necessary knowledge, ripe in
taste and sound in Judgment who have devoted to
them all the time and research necessary to convey
an accurate idea to distant readers that feel dis
posed to take only cursory view, particularly of
the ruined temple Of Minerva, which isregarded as
the noblest monument Of architectural genius which
the world ever saw. 1t consisted of a cell, sur
rounded by peristyle, which had eight Doric col
umns in the fronts and seventeen in the Sides
The columns are two feet six inches in diameter
and thirty four feet in height, standing on pave
ment elevated several feet from the ground The
heigh tof the structure was sixty-ive feet Within
the peristyleat both ends arrange ofsx columns,
five and a half feet in diameter, forming veshbule
to the door of the cel-there was an ascent of two
steps from the peristyle into these vestbules The
cell was sixty-two and half feet broad and divd-
ed into two unequal chambers, the western Of which
was fOrty-three long. The ceiling of the former
was supported by four columns, and that of the lat
ter by fifteen columns. The whole dimensions Of
the temple were two hundred and twenty-eight
feet long, and one hundred feet broad "The freze
on the exterior of the cell and its two vestibues
represented the procession to the Parthenon, on
the grand quinquennial festival ofthe Panathenea.
The only part of the work now attached to the
temple, is that above the western vestbule A
great part of it is now in the British Museum
in the frieze Of the peristye there ninety two
metopes, fourteen in each 'front.' and thirty-two on
each flank of the temple The whole edifce within
and without was adorned with the most splendid
Phidias himself wrought the celebrated statue of
the goddess of ivory and gold. The Emperor IIa-
dran beautifed and repaired the Parthenon-but
in 1857 the roof was destroyed by bomb fred
fom the Venitan army under liorosini which fell
upon part then used for powder magazine
Near the Parthenon on the side of the hill facing
the modern city stand the ruins of the Erectle,,n,
the temple of Minerva Polias, occupying the site of
the sacred olive tree, produced by Minerva from
the earth in her contest with Neptune for the soil of
Attca The celia is about ninety -feetlong, standing
from East to West, intersected at its west end by
irregular transept and at each of the three ex-
tremities thus formed portico.' The Southern
portico is supported by caryatides. The Arch@olo-
gical Society of Athens have restored several parts
of the structure.
On the southwest side of the Acropolis our
guide pointed out some remains of the theatre Of
Herodes Atticus, who called it the Odeum of
Regilla, in honor of his WIFE Close to this is the
site of the theatre of Bacchus, or the Diongsiac
theatre. TWAS built before Christ 500 years and
but little remains TO show the form or character of
the building The temple of Bacchus, cavern at
the summit of the theatre in the rock of the Aero
poll, was converted by "Thasyllus," the victorious
choregus, into small temple-on the enablature Of
which was the statue Of Bacchus, which is now in
the British Museum. 1t was placed just before
two columns formed with triangular capitals to sup
port tripods, which still exist.
(ro BE coNTINUEE)