Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1913-05-30
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Tor the Berlin museums now possess many Of the
finest examples Of the carvings found there
Baalbek is the name Of a ruined city of ancient
Coela-Syria, signifying the city of Baal" the sun
god. The name converted by the Creeks
during the Seleucidian dynasty into its Greek
equivalent, Helopolis. 1t is situated in latitude
"a degrees, minute north, longitude So degrees,
IL minutes east, in the plain of Buka's, at the
northern extremity Of low range of bleak hills.
about one mile from the base of Antibanon In
q well watered and delightful locality a little
more than 40 miles northwest of Damascus. 1t
was once the most magnificent of Syrian cities,
full Of palaces. fountains and beautiful monu-
ments
These ruins are known the Acropolis and are
unique for their masslVeness and for the great
amount Of both bold and delicate carving with
which they are adorned. There Is, indeed so
much carving and such variety as to make ones
first visit bewildering. The temples being built
on fiat plain, it was important to raise them
above the surrounding level to render them more
imposing, and to that end there are vast sub
structures and vaults and passages supporting
the shrines. The most imposing was that Of the
great Temple Of the Sum- which was a rectangu-
lar building 290 feet by 160 having its roof sup
ported by peristyle of "a Corinthian columns,
1s at each side and 10 at each end. OF these
six are still standing. The circumference of
these columns is about % feet, and the length
Of the shaft about So feet with pedestal capital
and entablature they measure about 80 feet in
height. The great Temple of the Sun occupied
platform on the Acropolis about 1000 feet by $50
feet. The main entrance of the temple was on
the east. Here wide fight OF steps led up to
u portico 10 feet above the gardens and orchards
that now surround the ruins. An inscription on
the great portico states that the temple was
erected to the Great Gods Of Heliopolis by
Antoninus.
Beyond the portico is a hexogonal court
through which a large gateway opens into the
great square, at the west end of which is the
temple on lofty stylobate. Except the columns
mentioned, little of the great temple or Of the
buildings in front Of 1t is left standing but the
ground is covered with their ruins. The vast size
Of the stones used in the substructures OF the
great platform is remarkable. some Of them being
over so feet long and IL feet thick
South from the great temple is a smaller one
known as the Temple of Jupiter. It is smaller
In FORM having its peristyle and the walls Of its
cells still mostly standing It's dimensions are
227 feet in length by 1T feet in breadth. with
Is columns at the sides and at each end. Both
temples as well as the surrounding structures
were built Of limestone. in richly decorated,
somewhat fantastic Corinthian style. Besides
these there stands at distance Of 800 yards from
the others a circular building supported on six
granite columns built in mixed Ionic and Corin-
THAN style.
Nearby also are the remains Of the Temple of
Bacchus, famed for its magnificent carvings.
Here are enormous slabs of stone deliberately
and interviewer with floral designs. the whole
Of the entire edince. The door posts are beauti-