The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-03-07

where the plain To tbe northwest OF HormOn |
is connected with the great Bukaa. Thus we |
may account for the small village temples |
of Hermon still existing; besides, in the great |
plain it would be easy enough to carry off the |
cut stones of smaller temples to the new sites
of churches and mosques; about Hermon the |
rugged nature of the country would prevent |
the stone being worth its carriage. We have |
thus, apparently, reason for believing that |
the villages and towns about the plain had |
their small temples, but that they have either |
been destroyed or devoted to other purposes.
Two temples only of those visited (besides
Baalbec) bore decided marks of having been
used as Christian churches-those of Rukleh
and Burkush.
Theinscriptions on these temples are mostly
Greek. Copies, where possible, were taken,
but generally only a few letters in each line
were visible, and when we examine the archi-
ture we find no trace of Assyrian or Egyptian
ornamentation; the temples arc like Roman
of late date, but some of the little ones
about Hermon may be earlier. The temple
of Damascus has Egyptian mouldings on the
capitals of the pilasters; at Rulleh there is a
dark-colored stone, with what appears to be
an Assyrian eagle. With these exceptions
(and also Of Baalbec) the work appears to be
of the time of the Seleucide and the Romans.
There is one popularity about some of
these temples which appears to distinguish
them from those of Europe. They are
mounted on stylobates, and have no steps or
staircase up to the entrance, and the only
method Of entering is by small door open
ing from the side of the stylobate into the
vaults underneath, and thence by some means
into the temple itself; from this it would ap-
pear either that only the priests went into the
temple, or else that there was some tempo
rary wooden staircase up into the stylobate.
The small temples about Hermon appear to be
somewhat of more ancient date than those in
the Buka'a they are of the Ionic order, and
are iB dntiS; and in some cases differ from
the pure Grecian style in having similar
designs on the square capitals of the ante to
what there are on those of the columns. The
friezes bulge in all; there are no dentals on
the cornice nor ornaments on the frieze; the
ante diminish in width fir ON bottom to top.
sAcELLUM ON HERMoN.
Hermon is not 10000 feet, as Murray
| Handbook says, but about 5000 feet above
| the mean sea-level of the Mediterranean. This
height Captain Warren ascertained on the
nth of September, 1869, with Aneroid, No.
| 1887 (Negretti & Zambra) and it is also the
height as estimated by Lynch and Russegger
The summit is formed by three peaks; but
| on the southern peak there is a hole scooped
out of the apex, the foot is surrounded by an
oval of hewn stones Murray wrongly says its
| shape is CIRCULAR; and at its southern end is
Sacellum, or temple, nearly destroyed; the
latter appears to be of more recent date than
the oval, and the mouldings on its cornice
appear to be Roman. The oval is formed of
well-dressed stones, from to s feet in length,
| . feet in breadth, and feet thick. They
are laid in a curved line on the uneven
ground; their breadth being their height,
and their ends touching each other. In
some places, it almost appears as though
| hn1 haan two these
one on the other. Many of them are
In SitU: but in some places to the west the
stones have been completely removed, an6
their positions can only be ascertained by
the cutting in the rock made to receive them
These stones follow the inequalities of the
ground; and in one place, where the rocl
forms a natural scarp of 4 or feet, the
stones appear to have broken their continuity
and to have been laid at different levels. Or
the southeastern side the stones are lying
| about, and there is no trace of the site the,
occupied. The longer axis of the oval, from
northwest to southeast, is 130 feet; its shorte
axis is about 100 feet. Within the peak rise
for about 1S feet; and at the apex is a hole Gu
out like cauldron, 8 feet in diameter, ant
; about feet deep, At the bottom is shingl
and rubbish; and the true bottom is probabl,
deeper. The rock is cut and scarped il
places. To the south, and outside the oval
is the ruin of a rectangular building, who's
entrance was to the east. The angle of tn
side is ~ deg. 1t is SO feet inches long
| | and 33 feet 3 inches broad; the shorter side
being to east and west. The rock is cut dow
to receive it. At the northeast angle tn
rock has been scarped down so as to leave
. passage feet wide between it and the build
1 ing; at the northwest angle, the west side G
: the rock has been cut down to afford roor
/; for the building; and part of the lower pol
, ton of the wall appears to be cut out of tn
Q rock. On the south side the rock falls ava
Q from the building. The walls are about
S feet inches thick. In some placesI tw
d and in other places, the wall hi
quite disappeared. At the southea
O angle the foundations appear to /
s produced for 2 feet beyond the walls. I'll
b stones are generally from to feet long, an
o extend through the wall. On some faii
q marginal draft is seen; but most of them al
IS simply well-squared ashlar. The ruins of IL
Y temple, for the most part, lie down the hill
n the southeast. search was made anon
v these for any signs in the way of moulding
:, but nothing could be seen but piece of CT
IS stone with circle engraved, and pieces
n the cornice. Of the cornice there are mar
}; pieces; and it seems reasonable to suppo
" that this was the only ornament, and that ii
building was simply Sacellum. There mi
1f have been columns at the entrance, which,
ii thrown down with the other debris, wou
le have rolled down the gulley No remains
re columns were found in the gulley or at Il
Of bottom of it. However, DIR. Porter (''Au
al rays Handbook, page 400 mentions havin
10 seen fragment of column to the north
at the ruins; and Captain Warren found tv
at columns at the entrance to cavern to Il
s. northeast, which may have belonged to Il